Effects of photoacid generator decomposition on dissolution kinetics of poly(4-hydroxystyrene) in tetraalkylammonium hydroxide aqueous solutions

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) (PHS) films containing triphenylphosnium-nonaflate (TPS-nf) in tetraalkylammonium hydroxide aqueous solutions. The comparison of dissolution dynamics in five different developer solutions with different alkyl chain lengths was done.