Dissolution dynamics of copolymer of poly(4-hydroxystyrene-co-methacrylic acid) in tetraalkylammonium hydroxide aqueous solutions

Abstract

For the advancement of lithography, the resist materials and processes are the most critical issue in the microfabrication of semiconductors. Especially in the sub-20 nm half pitch resolution region, the development process of resist materials is of particular importance from the viewpoint of reducing the line width roughness (LWR) and stochastic defects. In this study, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method was used to investigate the dissolution dynamics of poly(4-hydroxystyrene-co-methacrylic acid) (PHSMA) films in tetraalkylammonium hydroxide aqueous solutions. The PHSMA film showed a characteristic dissolution kinetics in tetraalkylammonium hydroxide aqueous solutions, which was not observed for poly(4-hydroxystyrene) film.