Effects of photoresist polymer molecular weight on line-edge roughness and its metrology probed with Monte Carlo simulations
A fast 2D/3D resist dissolution algorithm based on the critical ionization model is used to quantify line-edge roughness and determine its relation to resist polymer molecular weight, the end-to-end distance and the radius of gyration, keeping acid effects off (i.e., minimal). The algorithm permits also simulations of line-edge roughness metrology by examining the effects of SEM measurement box length.
Plasma-polymer interactions: A review of progress in understanding polymer resist mask durability during plasma etching for nanoscale fabrication
Photolithographic patterning of organic materials and plasma-based transfer of photoresist patterns into other materials have been remarkably successful in enabling the production of nanometer scale devices in various industries. These processes involve exposure of highly sensitive polymeric nanostructures to energetic particle fluxes that can greatly alter surface and near-surface properties of polymers. The extension of lithographic approaches to nanoscale technology also increasingly involves organic mask patterns produced using soft lithography, block copolymer self-assembly, and extreme ultraviolet lithographic techniques. In each case, an organic film-based image is produced, which is subsequently transferred by plasma etching techniques into underlying films/substrates to produce nanoscale materials templates. The demand for nanometer scale resolution of image transfer protocols requires understanding and control of plasma/organic mask interactions to a degree that has not been achieved. For manufa...
Theory of Molecular Size Distribution and Gel Formation in Branched Polymers II. General Cross Linking
A statistical calculation of the gel point and of the molecular size distribution is made for cross‐linked high polymers of arbitrary initial size distribution. The weight‐average polymerization degree of the cross‐linked polymer depends only on the weight‐average polymerization degree of the initial polymer and the degree of cross linking. The results obtained also apply to certain vinyl‐divinyl copolymers. Polymerization degrees can be estimated from observations of the gel point.