Effect of surface free energy of organic underlayer on the dissolution kinetics of poly(4-hydroxystyrene) film in tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous developer

Abstract

Abstract Understanding the interaction of resist materials with the underlayers is important for the development of highly resolving resist materials. In this study, the effect of the surface free energy of the organic underlayer on the dissolution kinetics of poly(4-hydroxystyrene) (PHS) film in a tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) aqueous developer was investigated by the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. By using 0.95 wt% TMAH standard developer, we observed the correlation between the polar component of the surface free energy of the underlayer and the interaction area of the QCM chart (impedance) near the end of PHS dissolution. The interaction area was defined by the product of impedance change and time. The interaction of the hydroxyl groups of PHS with the underlayer increased with the polar component of the surface free energy of the underlayer. The analytical method developed in this study is useful for the investigation of the resist-underlayer interaction during development.