An analytical method for evaluating the transient swelling layer during polymer film development using quartz crystal microbalance
Abstract During the lithography development process, the resist films absorb developer molecules and transiently swell before dissolving. This swelling layer is crucial for resist pattern formation. However, an effective method for analyzing the transient swelling layer is lacking. In this study, we report a novel method for analyzing a transient swelling layer based on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). By analyzing the frequency and impedance charts of the QCM using diffusion theory, the proposed method enables the estimation of the temporal change in the weight of the developer molecules contained in the polymer film.
Authors
- Takashi Hasebe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0184-4136)
- Makoto Muramatsu
- Kayoko Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3205-3326)
- Yuko Tsutsui Ito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5867-8832)
- Yuqing Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1692-2830)
- Kazuo Sakamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1252-5683)
- MITSUGI KOZAWA
- Takahiro Kozawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0124-5240)
- Kyoko Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6587-7262)
Institutions
- Tokyo Electron (Japan) (JP)
- Osaka Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (JP)
- The University of Osaka (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Applied Physics Express
- Published
- 2025-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.35848/1882-0786/adcef9
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Acoustic Wave Resonator Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.04