Kinetics of thermal and acid-catalyzed deprotection in deep-UV resist materials

In chemically amplified resists, relief image formation strongly depends on the chemistry occurring during the post-exposure bake step. By combining experimental measurements and kinetics simulations, we propose a reaction mechanism describing both acid-catalyzed and uncatalyzed thermolysis routes leading to changes in polymer solubility. The temperature-dependent kinetic parameters derived here provide guidance in CA resist process and materials design. © 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.