Electron irradiation of poly(olefin sulfones). Application to electron beam resists

All the poly(olefin sulfones) examined degraded rapidly under electron irradiation. The dose required to effect a molecular weight distribution completely separated from the original distribution as required for fractional solution development was similar for all polymers, viz., 1--2 x 10/sup -6/ coulomb/cm/sup 2/. This indicates that they all have similar values for G(scission). The film thickness of the exposed area decreased at a rate dependent on olefin structure and temperature. This process, termed vapor development, has been attributed to concurrent chain scission and depolymerization. Factors determining the rate of depropagation are discussed. (auth)