China has made new breakthroughs in the field of photoresist.

According to Science and Technology Daily, lithography technology is one of the core driving forces for the continuous miniaturization of integrated circuit chip processes. Recently, Professor Peng Hailin's team from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University and their collaborators used cryo-electron tomography to, for the first time, analyze the microscopic three-dimensional structure, interfacial distribution, and entanglement behavior of photoresist molecules in a liquid environment under in-situ conditions, guiding the development of an industrial solution that can significantly reduce lithographic defects. The related paper was recently published in "Nature Communications".

"Development" is one of the core steps in lithography. By dissolving the exposed areas of the photoresist with the developer solution, the circuit pattern is accurately transferred onto the silicon wafer. Photoresist is like the pigment for drawing circuits; its movement in the developer solution directly determines whether the circuit is drawn accurately or not, thus affecting the yield of chips. For a long time, the microbehavior of photoresist in the developer solution has been a "black box", and the process optimization in the industry has only relied on repeated trial and error, which has become one of the key bottlenecks restricting the improvement of yield for advanced processes below 7 nanometers.

To solve this problem, the research team introduced cryo-electron tomography technology into the semiconductor field for the first time. Researchers eventually synthesized a microscopic three-dimensional "panoramic photo" with a resolution better than 5 nanometers, overcoming the three major pain points of traditional techniques: inability to observe in-situ, three-dimensionally, and with high resolution.

Peng Hailin said that cryo-electron tomography technology provides a powerful tool for analyzing various liquid-phase interface reactions at the atomic/molecular scale. Deeply understanding the structure and micro-behavior of polymers in liquids can promote defect control and yield improvement in key processes such as lithography, etching, and wet cleaning in advanced manufacturing processes.

Source: Science and Technology Daily

Editor: Li Dan

Proofreader: Su Huanwen

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