Synergistic effects of vacuum ultraviolet radiation, ion bombardment, and heating in 193nm photoresist roughening and degradation

The roles of ultraviolet/vacuum ultraviolet (UV/VUV) photons, Ar+ ion bombardment and heating in the roughening of 193nm photoresist have been investigated. Atomic force microscopy measurements show minimal surface roughness after UV/VUV-only or ion-only exposures at any temperature. Simultaneous UV/VUV, ion bombardment, and heating to surface temperatures of 60–100°C result in increased surface roughness, and is comparable to argon plasma-exposed samples. Ion bombardment creates a modified near-surface layer while UV/VUV radiation results in loss of carbon-oxygen bonds up to a depth of ∼100nm. Enhanced roughness is only observed in the presence of all three effects.