Consequences of non-standard bleaching on microlithographic performance

Photobleaching of photoresists has been at the core of high resolution relative to a particular exposure wavelength, but the accelerated advancements dictated by the sharp economic considerations of the roadmap, as well as the complexity of exposure-material-technology triad, made photobleaching a secondary subject of interest. However, the still-strong innovation in optical photolithography as well as the emergence of biomedical microdevices as a major market for microfabrication, suggest that the reconsideration of the photobleaching as a main modulator of lithographic performance is fully warranted. This study reports on the photolithography simulations which implemented a non-standard bleaching behaviour, both documented previously and hypothetical. We show that minute changes in the photobleaching behaviour can result in important changes in the performance of the lithographic process latitude, speed and resist profile.