A silicon-containing resist for immersion lithography

We have developed a new silicon-containing resist for 193-nm immersion lithography. This resist is compatible with topcoats used in the industry today for immersion lithography. Most of the current topcoats contain 4-methyl-2- pentanol as a solvent. Our evaluations indicated that the previously developed silicon-containing resists are not compatible with the current topcoats because of their solubility in 4-methyl-2-pentanol. In the new resist polymers, we have incorporated high percentage (> 60 mol%) of lactone monomers to prevent them from dissolving in this solvent. In order to increase the lactone content in a silicon polymer, we have incorporated lactone containing acidlabile functionalities in addition to widely used acid-inert lactone monomers. Utilizing these polymers, we have demonstrated a functional silicon-containing photoresist for immersion lithography.