Dry Development of Dry Coated Sn-Based Inorganic Resist for Defect-Suppressed and High-Resolution Patterning Process

The advancement of semiconductor technology has driven the need for next-generation patterning techniques that ensure high fidelity and sub-10 nm critical dimension (CD) control. In this study, we propose a novel plasma development process using an asynchronously pulsed plasma for the development of Sn-based inorganic dry resists. The asynchronously pulsed plasma, especially characterized by the alternate application of source and bias RF power, enables high chemical contrast while minimizing physical damage through precise control of radical chemisorption and energy/flux of reactive ions. Compared to wet development, this pulsed plasma development technique substantially suppresses defectivity, including line bridging and scum formation, while reducing the line-edge roughness (LER) by approximately 29%. This improvement enables higher patterning fidelity for sub-10 nm features and expands the lithography process margin. In addition, because positively charged ions in the plasma remove the resist through combined chemical and physical pathways, the process mitigates defect mechanisms associated with airborne molecular contamination (AMC) and resist aging. Consequently, overall process stability is enhanced, and the operational process window is broadened. These results demonstrate the potential of pulsed plasma development as a highly selective, low-damage, and defect-suppressing strategy for future high-resolution lithographic applications regardless of whether it is spin-coated or dry deposited.