<title>Effect of basic additives on sensitivity and diffusion of acid in chemical amplification resists</title>

The effect of amine additives in chemical amplification resists is discussed. Phenolic amines such as 4-aminophenol and 2-(4-aminophenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane were investigated as model compounds from the viewpoint of sensitivity, diffusion and resolution. Equal molar amounts of acid and amine deactivated at the very beginning of post-exposure bake, and could not participate in decomposing the inhibitor as a catalyst. Only the acid which survived from the deactivation diffuses in the resist, decomposing the inhibitors from the middle to late stage of PEB. The basic additives reduce the diffusion range of the acid, especially for long-range diffusion, resulting in higher contrast at the interfaces between the exposed and unexposed areas. In addition, the amine concentration required is found to be less than the concentration which causes the resist sensitivity to start decreasing.