Synthesis of End-Cap Enabled Self-Immolative Photoresists For Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography

Conventional chemically amplified resists (CARs) rely on the usage of photoacid generators to serve as the source of chemical amplification. However, acid diffusion inevitably accompanies CARs and has led to the resolution, line edge roughness, and sensitivity (RLS) trade-off, which is the most challenging technical problem for modern photoresists. Herein, we take advantage of the self-immolative property of polyphthalaldehyde (PPA) derivatives to create end-cap enabled chain scissionable resists for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. The feasibility of this strategy was demonstrated under UV photodegradation experiments. The dose-to-clear (DTC) under EUV radiation was 90 mJ/cm² for the most promising resist, representing more than a 100-fold improvement over previous PPA resists. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to understand the structural origin of end-cap EUV sensitivity.