Positive tone oxide nanoparticle EUV (ONE) photoresists

Nanoparticles with a variety of organic/inorganic combinations have been investigated and the negative tone patterning was demonstrated using EUV radiation. Zirconium methacrylate (ZrMAA) nanoparticles had sensitivity with EUV exposure as high as 4.2 mJ/cm 2 with a resolution up to 22 nm, and an LER of 5.6 nm. Meanwhile, the dual-tone behavior of ZrMAA photoresists using e-beam and deep UV exposures is another attractive feature of the nanoparticle photoresists, which may be further applied with EUV lithography. The current study investigates the positive tone patterning of ZrMAA and the process-dependent image reversal. Our proposed patterning mechanism is further illustrated and optimized based in a positive tone behavior study.