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

III-V化合物半导体(CS)在包括高速/功率电子、激光器、移动电话功率放大器、RF/微波、空间技术和光子学在内的一系列应用中的使用正在上升，这是因为它们具有优越的光接收/发射功能、非常高频的信号产生能力、至少比它们的硅对应物多100倍的功率、高速信号处理、低电压操作和磁/热敏感性。CS图案化使用两种主要的光刻工具，然后是蚀刻步骤(其中写入的图案被转移到CS衬底中)：*光刻(PL)-广泛使用，工作温度为365，用于集成电路(IC)生产的248和193纳米；较短的波长只适用于最大的制造商(如英特尔/三星/台积电/Global Foundries)，但大型行业依赖于365 nm的制造。*电子束光刻(EBL)--用于电子设备中的关键步骤(例如掩模制造)，在较小的铸造厂中更广泛地用于制造微/纳米结构III-V CS硬度为以高分辨率刻蚀薄的深特征带来了巨大的技术挑战(&lt；一流的解决方案包括正色(ZEP520A-氯丙烯酸酯/苯乙烯共聚物)和负色(HSQ-氢化倍半硅氧烷)色调解决方案。ZEP520A的刻蚀选择性为5：1。这不足以写入深的薄结构，或者不足以刻蚀CS的多层。HSQ可以达到7：1的蚀刻敏感度，但缺点是需要熟练的化学家/光刻师，随着时间的推移降解，以及粘合对CS表面的破坏，导致保质期有限。基于Innovate-UK项目(\#104747)的成果和我们在制造异质金属环化合物作为构建块方面的专业知识，我们已经开发出了一种实验室规模的制造工艺，其抗蚀剂的生产能力为每天0.5升，可用于硅纳米结构(9 nm宽，330 nm高)。由全球最终用户制造商(喷气推进实验室，CST，MicroSemi，NASA，Ryan Briggs，休斯研究实验室)要求以更高的分辨率刻蚀薄而深的特征，并能够刻蚀通过多层结构；我们可以生产大量(约0.3升)高刻蚀抗蚀剂用于CS。这个为期18个月的工业研究项目旨在设计和建立一个生产高刻蚀抗蚀剂(产能=50升/年@生产成本为&lt；GB 400/升)的灵活制造设施，以便能够在更少的写入-显影-蚀刻步骤中制造不同CS的更薄的更深层次的结构和多层结构。项目的成功将产生一系列由Sci-Tron小批量制造的抗蚀剂，但都可以用于合同制造。SCI-Resits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行业的增长。

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.