Novel spin-on overcoat materials for EUV photoresist enhancement

Abstract

Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography has emerged as the state-of-the-art technology for high-resolution patterning in semiconductor manufacturing. However, several challenges persist in the performance of current EUV photoresists, particularly in improving resolution, sensitivity, and line-edge roughness (LER), and local critical dimension uniformity (LCDU). In this study, we describe a novel chemical trimming overcoat process as a highly versatile post-lithography spin-on overcoat to enhance photoresist performance in EUVL, enabling significant dose reduction and z-factor improvement.