Development of high sensitivity X-ray and electron beam resist processes

The lithographic performance of a polymer resist material is determined by several processes. First, uniform and controllable films of the resist must be reproducibly applied to the surface of substrates. Second, the radiation/polymer interaction is important since it affects the sensitivity of the resist. Third, the development or dissolution process is crucial because this step determines the ability to create useable patterns in the resist film. Finally, for Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI), dry etching processes are replacing liquid techniques; thus, the interaction of resists with glow discharges can often determine the utility of specific materials. Under AFOSR Grant 80-0078, various aspects of the above criteria were studied in order to gain fundamental understanding of these important process steps.