Addressing the PFAS challenge in lithography: a holistic approach
This study focuses on developing fluorine-free alternatives, specifically targeting Photoacid Generators (PAGs) and Top Anti-Reflective Coatings (TARCs) used in lithography. The new PFAS-free PAGs meet stringent requirements for transparency, acidity strength, and diffusivity, demonstrating versatility across various polymer systems. For TARCs, the developed solutions achieve low refractive indices and excellent barrier properties in a water-based formulation, enhancing defectivity reduction and pattern profile uniformity. These innovations seek to create a complete fluorine-free solution for 248nm lithography, addressing significant challenges in semiconductor material replacement.
Authors
- Walter Weihong Liu
- Ionela‐Daniela Carja (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5745-5879)
- Fumio Kita
- Ryo Kawahara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9819-3634)
- Hung-Yang Chen
- Ralph R. Dammel
- Takahiro Yano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9364-454X)
- Go Noya
- Mark Marcello Maturi
- Suzanna Azoubel
- Elizaveta Kossoy
- Avia Leader
- Kenta Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0827-7381)
- Megumi Takahashi
- Fumiaki Takagi
- Chun‐Wei Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3096-249X)
- K Nishikawa
- Lei Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2689-0027)
- Shoji Kuwabara
- Hiroshi Hitokawa
Institutions
- Merck KGaA, Darmstadt (Germany) (DE)
- Merck Biopharma Co., Ltd. (Japan) (JP)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-04-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3051383
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Photolithography Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.73