SBIR Phase II: Directly Patternable Inorganic Hardmask for Nanolithography

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a robust, high-speed inorganic resist platform to revolutionize the manufacture of semiconductor devices with feature sizes 30 nm. At present, there is no demonstrated organic or inorganic resist that satisfies all of the requirements - high speed, low line-width roughness (LWR), sufficient etch resistance - for patterning devices at these feature sizes. A fundamentally new approach, relying on depositing extremely high-quality oxide films from aqueous solution and very efficient photon-induced network-forming reactions, is being pursued. The approach has enabled the production of extremely small feature sizes and linewidth roughness, enabling optimization within a uniquely high-performance triangle of sensitivity, linewidth roughness, and resolution. Resist deposition, resist formulations, exposure conditions, and processing parameters will be examined in detail to simultaneously address International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) roadmap requirements for 193i and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Anticipated results include 26-nm line/space (L/S) resolution at 3 nm LWR with 193-nm exposures and double patterning, and 22-nm L/S resolution at 1.2 nm LWR with EUV exposures. This resist platform will also lead to a high-resolution electron beam resist with unprecedented sensitivity.The broader/commercial impact of this project is to develop high-performance resist materials to fill critical unmet needs for semiconductor manufacturing with features smaller than 30 nm. The material being developed addresses two of the ITRS "difficult challenges" for lithography: an EUV resist that meets 22-nm half-pitch requirements, and the containment of cost escalation of the extension of 193 nm patterning. The resulting product will serve a quickly growing market with a combined opportunity of $250 million in 2015. Success in the project will have a considerable impact on continued productivity gains in the ITRS roadmap, which supports the electronics industry. New levels of device performance will be enabled, providing broad societal impacts through the introduction of advanced electronics, while enhancing prospects for domestic employment in advanced materials and semiconductor manufacturing. The broader scientific and engineering research communities will benefit from new techniques to build and study novel devices at the extreme end of the nanoscale. Finally, solution processing with aqueous materials will reduce the use of toxic solvents and permit a smaller carbon footprint from reduced reliance on vacuum process equipment.