Zhao Yingdong, Huang Xinyan, Si Youming, Zheng Lingfeng, Chen Hao, Zhao Jun, Luo Feng, Zhang Jianhua, Chen Pengzhong, Peng Xiaojun
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 Aug 7;16(31):41659-41668. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c06230. Epub 2024 Jul 24.
Recently, metal-oxo clusters (MOCs) have attracted significant interest in fabricating nanoscale patterns in semiconductors via lithography. However, many MOCs are highly crystalline, making it difficult for them to form films and hindering subsequent nanopatterning processes. In this study, we developed a novel and simple method to enhance the film-forming ability of aromatic tetranuclear Sn-oxo clusters by adding additives. Theoretical calculations and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the Sn-oxo clusters and additives, which induced a crystal-gel phase transition at -20 °C, thereby inhibiting the easy crystallization of the Sn-oxo clusters. High-quality and uniform thin films with surface roughness below 0.3 nm were prepared via spin coating. The obtained thin films exhibited good lithographic performance under deep ultraviolet (DUV), electron beam, and extreme-ultraviolet irradiation without a photo acid generator/photoinitiator, and 13- and 21 nm-wide line patterns were obtained on the films via electron-beam and extreme-ultraviolet lithographies. This study will pave the way for the further investigation of novel MOCs for advanced lithography and other thin-film applications.
最近，金属氧簇（MOCs）在通过光刻技术在半导体中制造纳米级图案方面引起了极大的关注。然而，许多MOCs具有高度结晶性，这使得它们难以形成薄膜，并阻碍了后续的纳米图案化工艺。在本研究中，我们开发了一种新颖且简单的方法，通过添加添加剂来增强芳香四核锡氧簇的成膜能力。理论计算和傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）分析表明，锡氧簇与添加剂之间形成了分子间氢键，这在-20°C时引发了晶体-凝胶相变，从而抑制了锡氧簇的轻易结晶。通过旋涂制备了表面粗糙度低于0.3nm的高质量均匀薄膜。所获得的薄膜在深紫外（DUV）、电子束和极紫外辐射下，无需光酸发生器/光引发剂即可表现出良好的光刻性能，并且通过电子束光刻和极紫外光刻在薄膜上获得了13nm和21nm宽的线条图案。这项研究将为进一步研究用于先进光刻和其他薄膜应用的新型MOCs铺平道路。
