High resolution negative tone molecular resist based on di-functional epoxide polymerization

There is an urgent demand for higher performance resists with superior resolution, sensitivity, and line edge roughness for both electron-beam and extreme ultraviolet lithography applications. Chemically amplified resists provide superior sensitivity compared to non-chemically amplified resists, but often suffer from resolution limitations and poor line edge roughness. A new class of negative tone chemically amplified molecular resists has been developed based on epoxide cross-linking that combines high sensitivity with low line edge roughness and excellent resolution. The most recent compound of this class (2-Ep) simultaneously demonstrates resolution of 25 nm half-pitch, sensitivity of 38 μC/cm2, and line edge roughness (3σ) of 2.9 nm under 100 keV e-beam exposure.