The Daily Bulletin

Please join the Chemistry Department for the next talk in the Fall 2022 Seminar Series, "Molecular Organometallic Resists for EUV (13.5 nm) Lithography," presented by Robert L. Brainard, professor of nanochemistry at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, on Thursday, October 20, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151.

Abstract
For the past 50 years, the microelectronics industry has been on a relentless pace to improve the performance of integrated circuits by fabricating more transistors onto every chip. One key technology that has made these dramatic improvements possible has been photoresists. Central to improving the resolution capability of photoresists has been the successive reduction in the wavelength of light used to expose them. Currently, the microelectronics industry is undergoing a jump in wavelength from 193 to 13.5 nm. This new imaging technology is called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. 

For decades, the manufacture of integrated circuits required that metallic contamination in all chemicals be kept < 20 ppb. Seven years ago, however, it became apparent that the absorption of EUV photons must be maximized, and groups at Oregon State University and Cornell began exploring resists composed of hafnium-oxide films. Thereafter, Dr. Brainard's group began to synthesize and lithographically evaluate compounds most of the highly absorbing metal in the periodic table. His group has successfully invented EUV photoresists composed of amorphous thin-films of compounds containing cobalt, tin, platinum, palladium, bismuth, and antimony in their project called Molecular Organometallic Resists for EUV (MORE).

In this presentation, Dr. Brainard will describe four of their most successful organometallic compounds containing cobalt, palladium, tin, and antimony. The cobalt complex [bpyCo(ox)2- BTP+, 1] exhibits high sensitivity and interesting electrochemistry. The palladium complex [(CH2(PPh2)2)Pd(ox), 2] represents the only positive-tone (becomes more soluble upon exposure) MORE resist. The tin complex [(PhCH2)2Pd(O2CC(CH3)3)2, 3] provides extraordinary image quality (smooth line-edge-roughness). Lastly, he will present on the properties of penta-coordinate antimony resists of the general form of Ph3Sb(O2CR’)2 (4), which contain olefins. This resist system has demonstrated remarkable sensitivity of Esize = 5.6 mJ/cm2 for 35 nm L/S features. He will also present some detailed isotopic-labelling studies of penta-coordinate antimony complexes such as Ph3Sb(O2CH3)2 that do not contain olefins.