Relationship between bonding characteristics and etch-durability of amorphous carbon layer

► The ratio of CC bonds and CHx bonds of amorphous carbon layer (ACL) is analyzed. ► The obtained ratio is compared with the etch-durability of ACL. ► A linear relationship is observed between the bond ratio and etch-durability of ACL. ► The obtained relationship is found to be universal in various conditions. ► A non-destructive method to predict the etch-durability is proposed.