Resist hardening by electron beam irradiation analyzed by atomic force microscope

摘要

As increasing integration density of memory device, improvement of etching resistance of micro resist pattern has been recognized as one important problem. Generally, in order to enhance the etching resistance of resist material, electron beam (EB) irradiation has been accomplished effectively. Meanwhile, by the development of atomic force microscope (AFM), analytical precision of surface nature and its application range were improved substantiall. [1] In this regard, Matthewson reported the adhesion property of thin film on substrate analyzed by micro shere indentation. [2] Authors have already analyzed the thermal hardening mechanism by using a micro cantilever tip. [3] In this paper, the resist hardening by the EB irradiation is quantitatively detected and analyzed with micro cantilever tip.