710791Metal containing resists for next generation photolithographyClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKIrresistible Materials (IM) is developing next generation photo-resist materials for the semiconductor industry. A photo-resist is a material that undergoes a change in physical or chemical properties when exposed to radiation. Within the semiconductor industry, silicon substrates are coated by a photo-resist, the resist is then selectively exposed to radiation using an ‘exposure tool’ to create a pattern (photo-lithography). The resist is then treated such that either the exposed or unexposed areas are dissolved. The remaining resist patterns serve as a barrier that protects the underlying substrate, and once the substrate is processed, the resist layer is stripped leaving lines that function as the ‘wires’ within modern day micro-chips. Resists are thus critical to the semiconductor industry, and the ever-decreasing size of microelectronics is possible only through continuous advancements in lithography and resist technologies. The progression to decreased size is mapped out in the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), revised annually by a worldwide panel of semiconductor experts, which sets out performance goals for the industry. Existing photolithography (where the radiation used is 193nm wavelength light) is reaching its limit (the wavelength is too large for the target feature sizes), and next-generation lithographies (NGL’s) are needed. The leading NGL candidate is extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), where the wavelength of the radiation is reduced to 13.5nm enabling higher resolution patterns, and thus smaller micro-chip wires. However, there is presently no resist solution that meets industry targets for the planned EUV introduction in 2018, creating a major need within the semiconductor industry. IM has developed a patented EUV resist material that directly addresses this need, and which has the potential to continue to address industry targets through 2022 and beyond.