New Silicon-Infused Bilayer Photoresist developed by TOK and
The new bilayer photoresist uses a Dow Corning silicon polymer in the imaging layer to provide better etch selectivity than other products on the market today. Photoresist is a light-sensitive material that becomes either soluble or insoluble after exposure to light, allowing portions to be selectively removed during subsequent etching processes.
Adding Dow Corning's silicon polymer to TOK's photosensitive materials enables the use of thinner photoresist layers, which improves pattern resolution and allows smaller circuit patterns to be transferred onto target wafers without pattern collapse issues. The new photoresist provides a more cost-effective lithography solution by eliminating the hardmask layer and accompanying process steps required by multilayer photoresist processes. It can be used for dry and immersion lithography, an advanced imaging technology that is gaining market acceptance for the 45nm node and beyond. TOK has already demonstrated use of the photoresist under immersion lithography conditions to produce 35nm line/space patterns.
"Our partnership with TOK is paying off as chip makers realise the advantages of this new silicon-infused photoresist," said Tomonobu Noguchi, Electronic & Advanced Technologies marketing director with Dow Corning. "This breakthrough material represents a new class of photoresist, which is helping to extend the capabilities of 193nm lithography."
Dow Corning and TOK have had a joint development agreement since 2002 to develop advanced silicon-based photolithography materials. The collaboration combines TOK's sophisticated microprocess technologies and photolithography application expertise with Dow Corning's materials innovation and manufacturing capabilities. The lithography development work is being conducted at TOK's R&D facilities in Kanagawa, Japan.
