Measurement of photoacid generation kinetics in photoresist thin films via capacitance techniques

A novel technique for determining the Dill C rate constant for photoacid generation has been investigated. This technique involves using capacitance measurements of interdigitated electrodes (IDE) coated with chemically amplified resist to monitor the generation of photoacid within the resist polymer matrix. It is shown that a linear relationship exists between measured capacitance of the IDE and photoacid or PAG concentration within the polymer matrix. Based on this linear relationship, a method is developed for calculating the Dill C parameter for chemically amplified resists based on interdigitated electrode capacitance data. This approach is demonstrated by measuring the Dill C parameter for acid generation using 248 nm exposure of triphenylsulfonium triflate photoacid generator in a poly(p-hydroxystyrene) matrix. A Dill C parameter value of 0.0445 was calculated using this capacitance method which is in good agreement with other literature reported values for this PAG.

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