Hydrogenated Poly(p-vinylphenol) for Microlithography

摘要

The characterization of partially hydrogenated poly(p-vinylphenol)s was carried out. By hydrogenation, oxidized sites of the polymers such as quinoid were reduced and the phenolic moiety was converted to cyclohexanolic structure. Accompanied with the structural changes, light transmittance was improved in a wide range of wavelength from visible to the deep-UV region. As the degree of hydrogenation increased, the alkali dissolution rate decreased, while the polymers showed very constant glass transition temperatures and etch durabilities to CF_4/ O_2 plasma. These properties of hydrogenated poly(p-vinylphenol)s are considered to be suitable for a variety of photosensitive applications, especially photoresist materials for microlithography under deep-UV exposure.