Acid-degradable hyperbranched polymer and its application in bottom anti-reflective coatings

A photosensitive developer-soluble bottom anti-reflective coating (DBARC) system is described for KrF and ArF lithographic applications. The system contains an acid-degradable branched polymer that is self-crosslinked into a polymeric film after spin coating and baking at high temperature, rendering a solvent-insoluble coating. The DBARC coating is tunable in terms having the appropriate light absorption (k value) and thickness for desirable reflection control. After the exposure of the resist, the DBARC layer decrosslinks into developer-soluble small molecules in the presence of photoacid generator (PAG). Thus the DBARC layer is removed simultaneously with the photoresist in the development process, instead of being etched away in a plasma-etching chamber in the case of traditional BARC layers. The etch budget is significantly improved so that a thin resist can be used for better resolution. Alternatively, the etch step can be omitted in the case of the formation of layers that may be damaged by exposure to plasma.