JSR succeeding in LS (line & space) pattern processing designed for the 10-nanometer generation by EUV photoresists
~ Accelerating comprehensive development of materials including peripheral multilayer materials~
02/24/2011
TOKYO - February 24, 2011 -JSR Corporation (President: Mitsunobu Koshiba) is pushing ahead with the development of materials for EUV (Extra Ultraviolet) lithography designed for use in the production of post-10-nanometer-generation semiconductor devices. As a result, a combination of EUV photoresists (photosensitive resin) and our spin-on hard mask materials (multilayer materials) has allowed us to confirm that the performance capabilities of our materials rank among the top products in terms of the resolution and sensitivity currently required of EUV photoresists designed for the 10-nanometer generation. Furthermore, our study on etching processes in combination with spin-on hard masks has allowed us to confirm that photoresist patterns are transferred onto substrates via a hard mask to produce satisfactory patterns. Details will be presented at SPIE Advanced Lithography 2011, an international conference on lithography technology in semiconductor production, to be held in San Jose, California, the United States beginning on February 27; our presentation is scheduled on March 1.
EUV lithography technology uses EUV light that has a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers, shorter by an order of magnitude than that of ArF excimer laser light (wavelength: 193 nanometers) currently used in the production of leading-edge devices. For this reason, the EUV lithography technology is regarded as a promising approach to next-generation technology enabling ultra-fine processing in the domain of 20 nanometers or smaller. In this generation where patterns will be made increasingly finer, however, the thickness of photoresist will be reduced to about 50 nanometers, below half that of ArF photoresist currently used in mass production. This poses a problem of improving workability in the process of pattern transfer.
To address this and other problems associated with the commercialization of EUV exposure technology, we will advance the development not only of photoresists but also of peripheral materials such as organic and inorganic spin-on hard mask materials serving as processing support materials, so as to be capable of making comprehensive proposals on materials.
We are engaged in comprehensively developing high performance semiconductor materials essential to the production of next -generation semiconductors such as leading-edge photoresists and double-patterning materials, high-density packaging materials including photosensitive insulating film and thick film resists, and supplying high-quality, high-performance products to the world market. The semiconductor industry is expected to demand further sophistication of device performance, along with the need for further electricity saving, to implement processing of large-capacity contents for music, moving images, photographs, and the like as a result of widespread use of digital equipment such as Smart Phones and tablet-type PCs, with the ongoing trend of increasingly finer structures in semiconductors. To respond to such progress in technology employed by our customers, we will further expand our semiconductor materials operations that form the basis of our company.
EUV lithography technology uses EUV light that has a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers, shorter by an order of magnitude than that of ArF excimer laser light (wavelength: 193 nanometers) currently used in the production of leading-edge devices. For this reason, the EUV lithography technology is regarded as a promising approach to next-generation technology enabling ultra-fine processing in the domain of 20 nanometers or smaller. In this generation where patterns will be made increasingly finer, however, the thickness of photoresist will be reduced to about 50 nanometers, below half that of ArF photoresist currently used in mass production. This poses a problem of improving workability in the process of pattern transfer.
To address this and other problems associated with the commercialization of EUV exposure technology, we will advance the development not only of photoresists but also of peripheral materials such as organic and inorganic spin-on hard mask materials serving as processing support materials, so as to be capable of making comprehensive proposals on materials.
We are engaged in comprehensively developing high performance semiconductor materials essential to the production of next -generation semiconductors such as leading-edge photoresists and double-patterning materials, high-density packaging materials including photosensitive insulating film and thick film resists, and supplying high-quality, high-performance products to the world market. The semiconductor industry is expected to demand further sophistication of device performance, along with the need for further electricity saving, to implement processing of large-capacity contents for music, moving images, photographs, and the like as a result of widespread use of digital equipment such as Smart Phones and tablet-type PCs, with the ongoing trend of increasingly finer structures in semiconductors. To respond to such progress in technology employed by our customers, we will further expand our semiconductor materials operations that form the basis of our company.