Advances in defect performance in metal oxide photoresists for EUV lithography

Inpria has pioneered the development of high-resolution metal oxide (MOx) photoresists designed to unlock the full potential of EUV lithography. In addition to resolution, LWR, and sensitivity to enable advanced process nodes, there are also stringent defectivity requirements that must be realized for any resist system. We will review advances in post-etch defectivity based on: resist design and formulation, track process design, developer design, and etch optimization. We will present data supporting each of these topics quantifying the defect impact and will describe improvement strategies to take full advantage of such MOx resist systems.