Evolution and progress of deep uv resist materials

It has been almost thirty years since the first deep UV exposure was carried out and almost twenty five years since the term "deep UV lithography" was coined. Although resist systems classified as "chemical amplification resists" are the workhorse for the 248 nm deep UV lithography, the resist materials have evolved significantly in the realm of deep UV lithography as well as within the boundary of chemical amplification. This paper describes the evolution and progress of the deep UV (248-193 nm) positive resist materials that have occurred in the last quarter century. ©1998TAPJ.