Development of new polyphenols applied to spin-on carbon hardmask with characteristics of high-heat resistance and good planarization

We had developed various Polyphenols and Xanthene derivatives such as NF7177C and NF0197 which showed high heat resistance. In this paper, we reported on new Xanthene derivatives and Polyphenols with characteristics of not only high heat resistance but also low Tg which contributes to good planarization characteristic of Spin-On Carbon Hardmask [1]. One approach to decrease Tg is introducing alkyl group into the Xanthene derivatives. We synthesized the new Xanthene derivatives by the reaction of dihydroxynaphthalene with the aldehydes containing alkyl group. These Xanthene derivatives containing alkyl group showed lower Tg than those not containing alkyl group by about 20~30°C. Another approach to decrease Tg is increasing flexibility of molecular structure. We synthesized the new Polyphenols (NF71C7, NF71D7, NF91A7, and NF71A7) by the reaction of flexible or asymmetric phenols such as 4,4'- dihydroxydiphenyl ether or 4-phenylphenol. The Tg of these Polyphenols was 70~80°C and these values were much lower than the existing polyphenol (NF7177C) synthesized from 4,4-biphenol by about 50°C. We evaluated heat resistance of these Polyphenols with additive, and both NF71C7 and NF71D7 showed comparable heat resistance to NF0197 and NF7177C.