Metal-Oxide Resist Develop Method Down-Select and Process Optimization

This study investigates the impact of metal-oxide resist process conditions, development methods, and etch techniques on overall pattern fidelity 0.33 NA EUV lithography at 28nm pitch. Multiple novel development strategies were evaluated and then co-optimized with track and etch process conditions. Key metrics include critical dimension, line edge roughness, line width roughness, defectivty and yield. The results highlight the importance of co-optimizing process conditions to enable high-resolution, low-defect patterning for advanced nodes.