Next Generation Photoresist Technology for Microchips

不可抗拒材料公司(IM)正在为半导体行业开发下一代“光致抗蚀剂材料”。光致抗蚀剂是一种材料，当暴露在辐射下时，其物理和/或化学性质会发生变化。在半导体工业中，硅衬底上涂有光致抗蚀剂，然后使用曝光工具选择性地对抗蚀剂进行曝光或辐射，以产生图案(光刻)。对抗蚀剂进行处理，以使曝光或未曝光的区域被溶解。剩余的电阻图案用作保护底层衬底的屏障，一旦衬底经过处理，抗蚀层就会被剥离，留下用作当今微芯片基础的线(线)。因此，电阻对半导体工业至关重要，只有通过光刻和电阻技术的不断进步，微电子的尺寸才可能不断缩小。缩小规模的过程在国际半导体技术路线图(ITRS)中列出，该路线图由一个全球半导体专家小组每年修订，其中列出了该行业的业绩目标。现有的光刻(使用的辐射是193 nm波长的光)正在达到其极限，不太可能达到2016年的行业目标。因此，下一代光刻技术(NGL‘s)正被寻求在2016年取代。NGL的主要候选者是极紫外光刻(EUV)，这种技术将辐射波长(光源)降低到13.5 nm，从而实现更高分辨率的图案，从而使微芯片导线变得更小。然而，目前EUV光刻有两个主要问题：1.EUV曝光工具非常昂贵：为解决这一问题，正在投资数十亿美元购买新的EUV设备。目前还没有符合2016年目标的EUV兼容抗蚀剂材料：不可抗拒材料有限公司已经开发出一种直接解决这一问题的专利材料。

Irresistible Materials (IM) is developing next generation ‘photo-resist materials’ for thesemiconductor industry. A photo-resist is a material that undergoes a change in its physicaland/or chemical properties when exposed to radiation. Within the semiconductor industry,silicon substrates are coated by a photo-resist, and the resist is then selectively exposed toradiation using an ‘exposure tool’ to create a pattern (photo-lithography). The resist is thentreated such that either the exposed or unexposed areas are dissolved. The remaining resistpatterns serve as a barrier that protects the underlying substrate, and once the substrate isprocessed, the resist layer is stripped leaving lines (wires) used as the basis for today’s microchips.Resists are thus critical to the semiconductor industry, and the ever decreasing size ofmicroelectronics is possible only through continuous advancements in lithography and resisttechnologies. The progression to decreased size is mapped out in the International TechnologyRoadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), revised annually by a worldwide panel ofsemiconductor experts, which sets out performance goals for the industry. Existingphotolithography (where the radiation used is 193nm wavelength light) is reaching its limit,and is unlikely to meet industry goals for 2016. Accordingly, next-generation lithographies(NGL’s) are being sought to take over in 2016. The leading candidate of NGL’s is extremeultraviolet lithography (EUV), where the wavelength of the radiation (light source) is reducedto 13.5nm enabling higher resolution patterns, and thus smaller micro-chip wires. However,presently there are two major problems with EUV lithography:1. EUV exposure tools are very expensive: $billions are being invested into new EUVequipment to address this.2. There is no EUV compatible resist material that meets the 2016 targets: IrresistibleMaterials Ltd has developed a patented material that directly addresses this issue.