BEFORCE: An advanced, versatile platform for unravelling and quantifying EUV photoresist chemistry during exposure, processing, and interaction with the environment

The chemical mechanisms occurring during exposure and processing of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) photoresists involve complex radio-chemical pathways, which can also be influenced by environment and processing conditions. For example, environmental exposure can lead to critical dimension variability in Metal Oxide Resists (MOR), yet such effects are difficult to quantify as spectroscopic tools are typically decoupled from lithography and processing modules. To address this challenge, we have developed a new EUV resist metrology platform at imec, BEFORCE, for investigating in-situ exposure, process, and environmental effects on resist chemistry. We leverage this newly realized capability to reveal effects of processing and environment (e.g., post-exposure delay and presence of moisture and atmospheric gases) on the resulting MOR chemistry, with potential links to observed patterning variability.