Development and commercialisation of dual resist technologies for fabrication in compound semi-conductors

III-V化合物半导体（CS）在高速/功率电子、激光、移动电话功率放大器、射频/微波、空间技术和光子学等一系列应用中的使用正在增加，因为它们具有卓越的光接收/发射功能、非常高频的信号产生能力、比硅同类产品至少高100倍的功率、高速信号处理、CS图版利用以下两种主要的光刻工具，然后是蚀刻步骤（将写入的图案转移到CS基板上）：*光刻(PL)-广泛使用，工作在365,248和193nm，用于生产集成电路（ic）；更短的波长仅适用于最大的制造商（例如英特尔/三星/台积电/全球铸造厂），但大型行业依赖于365nm的制造。*电子束光刻(EBL)-用于电子产品的关键步骤（例如掩模制造），更广泛地用于小型铸造厂生产微/纳米结构。ii - v CS硬度提出了重大的技术挑战，以高分辨率（<100nm）蚀刻薄深特征，并蚀刻通过高端所需的多层结构未来的应用，如微型激光器/ led，纳米级光谱仪，传感器和无线通信。最先进的解决方案包括正极（zep520a -氯丙烯酸酯/苯乙烯共聚物）和负极（hsq -氢硅氧烷）色调解决方案。ZEP520A的蚀刻选择性为5:1。这是不足以写深薄结构，或蚀刻通过多层的CS。HSQ可以达到7:1的蚀刻灵敏度，但缺点是需要熟练的化学家/光刻工，由于时间的推移而降解，保质期有限，并且通过粘附会损坏CS表面。基于Innovate-UK项目（\#104747）的产出和我们在制造异质金属环配合物作为构建块方面的专业知识，我们已经开发出一种实验室规模的制造工艺，每天可生产0.5升的电阻，可用于硅纳米结构（9纳米宽，330纳米高）。全球终端用户制造商（喷气推进实验室，CST, Microsemi， NASA, Ryan Briggs, Hughes Research Labs）要求以更高的分辨率蚀刻薄深特征，并能够蚀刻多层结构；我们可以生产（约0.3升）用于CS的高蚀刻抗蚀剂的原理量。这个为期18个月的工业研究项目旨在设计和建造一个灵活的制造设施，生产高蚀刻抗蚀剂（产能=50升/年，生产成本< 400英镑/升），以便在更少的写入-开发-蚀刻步骤中制造更薄更深的结构和不同CS的多层结构。项目成功将产生一系列抗蚀剂，由赛创小批量生产，但已准备好进行合同生产。科学抵抗者将为所有采用者提供竞争优势，并有助于英国至关重要的高科技部门的发展。

Use of III-V compound semiconductors (CS) in a range of applications including high speed/power electronics, lasers, power amplifiers for mobile phones, RF/microwave, space-tech and photonics is on rise due to their superior light receiving/emitting functionality, very high frequency signal generation capacity, at-least 100-times more power than their silicon counterparts, high-speed signal processing, low voltage operation and magnetic/heat sensitivity.CS patterning utilises following two major lithographic tools followed by an etch step (where the written pattern is transferred into the CS substrate):* Photolithography(PL)--widely used, working at 365, 248 and 193nm for production of Integrated circuits (ICs); shorter wavelengths are only available for largest manufacturers (e.g. Intel/Samsung/TSMC/Global Foundries) but a large industry depends on fabrication at 365nm.* Electron Beam Lithography(EBL)--used for key steps in electronics (e.g. mask-making) and more widely in smaller foundries to produce micro/nano-structuresIII-V CS hardness presents significant technical challenges to etch thin deep features at high resolution (<100nm) and to etch through multilayer structures required for high-end future applications such as micro Lasers/LEDs, nanoscale spectrometers, sensors and wireless communications.State-of-the-art solutions include positive (ZEP520A-chloroacrylate/styrene copolymer) and negative (HSQ-hydrogensilsesquixoane) tone solutions. ZEP520A gives an etch selectivity of 5:1\. which is insufficient to write deep thin structures, or to etch through multilayers of CS. HSQ can achieve etch-sensitivity of 7:1 but has drawbacks of requiring skilled chemist/lithographer, limited shelf-life due to degradation over time and damage to CS surface through adhesion.Building upon outputs of Innovate-UK project (\#104747) and our expertise in making Heterometallic-Ring-Complexes as building blocks, we have already developed a lab-scale manufacturing process with a throughput of 0.5litres/day of resists which can be used with silicon nanostructures (9nm wide and 330nm high).Driven by global end-user manufacturers' (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, CST, Microsemi, NASA, Ryan Briggs, Hughes Research Labs) demand of etching thin deep features at higher resolution and to be able to etch through multilayer structures; we can produce proof-of-principle quantities of (ca. 0.3litres) high-etch resists to be used with CS.This 18months industrial-research project aims to design and build a flexible manufacturing facility producing high-etch resists (capacity=50 litres/annum @ production cost of <£400/litre) to enable fabrication of thinner deeper structures and multilayer structures of differing CS in many fewer write-develop-etch steps.Project success will generate a catalogue of resists, made in small batches by Sci-Tron but all ready for contract manufacture. Sci-Resists will offer competitive advantages to all adopters and help growth of UK's vital high-tech sector.