A non-chemically amplified positive-tone i-line photoresist for high resolution patterning

Poly (4-hydroxylstyrene) (PHS) was functionalized by photoactive 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonyl chloride (2,1,4-DNQ-Cl) to form a new type of photoactive compound, PHS-DNQ. A single-component positive-tone photoresist can be formed by the compound and showed good film formability and good solubility in common solvents for photoresists. The photolithographic performance of the single-component non-chemically amplified positive-tone i-line photoresist was investigated in detail and half-pitch (hp) 50 nm line and space (L/S) patterns can be obtained with i-line photolithography based on the surface plasmons (SPs) under exposure doses of 40−50 mJcm−2