Lithographic, Photochemical And O 2 RIE Properties Of Three Polysilane Copolymers

Polysilanes are high Si-content polymers containing backbone Si-Si bonds. Their high Si content makes them very resistant to removal by 02 reactive ion etching (RIE) while their Si-Si bonding results in strong transitions in the mid- and deep-UV regions. Mid-UV photolysis causes chain scission, a process used by IBM workers in two lithographic applications: as imaging layers in organometallic bilevel, 02-RIE-developed resistsl and as contrast enhancement materials for imaging with positive photoresists.