NIKKOL GROUP Nikko Chemicals Co., Ltd., 3-24-3 Hasune, Itabashi, Tokyo 174-0046, Japan.
Research Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 278-8510, Japan.
Langmuir. 2023 Jun 6;39(22):7876-7883. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00714. Epub 2023 May 20.
Photoresist stripping is the final step in the photolithography process that forms fine patterns for electronic devices. Recently, a mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC) has attracted attention as a new stripper based on its eco-friendliness and anti-corrosiveness. However, the EC/PC mixture causes re-adsorption of the photoresist during a process of subsequent water rinsing. In this study, we characterized the adsorption/desorption of the photoresist and a triblock Pluronic surfactant [poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)] as a blocking agent on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. In addition, we evaluated the dispersion of photoresist particles. The photoresist polymer formed a thin and rigid adsorption layer on an ITO substrate in the EC/PC mixture. When water was injected into the EC/PC mixture and the photoresist solutions, the photoresist polymer aggregated and was then deposited on the substrate. In contrast, the addition of Pluronic surfactant F-68 (PEOPPOPEO) into the EC/PC mixture remarkably decreased the residual amount of the photoresist on the ITO after water injection. This variation was attributed to the PEO blocks of F-68 extended to the solution phase, whereas the PPO blocks of F-68 functioned as anchors for adsorption onto the photoresist. Therefore, the F-68-adsorbed layer prevented interaction between the photoresist particles or the photoresist and the ITO surface, which provides potential for future applications as new stripping agents with high removal performance.
光致抗蚀剂剥离是光刻工艺的最后一步，用于为电子设备形成精细图案。最近，碳酸乙烯酯（EC）和碳酸丙烯酯（PC）的混合物因其环保和抗腐蚀性而引起了人们的关注，作为一种新型的剥离剂。然而，EC/PC 混合物在随后的水冲洗过程中会导致光致抗蚀剂重新吸附。在这项研究中，我们对光致抗蚀剂和三嵌段 Pluronic 表面活性剂[聚（氧化乙烯）-聚（氧化丙烯）-聚（氧化乙烯）]作为阻塞剂在氧化铟锡（ITO）基底上的吸附/解吸进行了表征。此外，我们还评估了光致抗蚀剂颗粒的分散情况。光致抗蚀剂聚合物在 EC/PC 混合物中的 ITO 基底上形成了一层薄而硬的吸附层。当将水注入 EC/PC 混合物和光致抗蚀剂溶液中时，光致抗蚀剂聚合物聚集并沉积在基底上。相比之下，在 EC/PC 混合物中添加 Pluronic 表面活性剂 F-68（PEOPPOPEO）显著减少了水注入后 ITO 上残留的光致抗蚀剂量。这种变化归因于 F-68 的 PEO 链段扩展到溶液相中，而 F-68 的 PPO 链段则作为吸附到光致抗蚀剂上的锚点。因此，F-68 吸附层阻止了光致抗蚀剂颗粒或光致抗蚀剂与 ITO 表面之间的相互作用，这为未来作为具有高去除性能的新型剥离剂的应用提供了潜力。
