| Supercritical fluid technology was investigated as a technique for photoresist developing. The research involved the application of supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO$sb2$) to the developing of polymeric resist systems for negative or positive tone imaging, focusing primarily on systems that show potential for 193nm lithography. SCCO$sb2$ developing as an alternative to liquid solvent developing would be an environmentally responsible process which can potentially eliminate significant solvent waste, and one which offers the improved performance required for next-generation photoresists.;Polysilanes, having well defined imaging characteristics, were studied initially to demonstrate the ability of SCCO$sb2$ to develop images by selective dissolution of certain portions of the exposed resist; successful developing was shown. Exposure and imaging studies were conducted using siloxane-modified methacrylates and fluoromethacrylate copolymers; a range of copolymer compositions was investigated to examine the impact of chemical modification on imaging and solubility properties. Negative tone imaging was successfully demonstrated with these materials. |
