Thesis (M.S., Chemical and Materials Science Engineering) - University of Idaho, 2015 | The development and characterization of silsesquioxane (SSQ) hybrid nano-building blocks (NBBs) shows potential for the future improvement in patterning for semiconductor devices using Extreme Ultra-Violet Lithography (EUVL, ?~13.5nm). The versatility of SSQ macromolecules—organic functionality with a thermally stable inorganic core—is very desirable for application to EUV materials.
Syntheses for both octamer and decamer SSQ structures have been completed for this Semiconductor Research Corporation-funded project. In addition, the given materials have been applied to vital processing steps such as spin coating and electron-beam lithography to determine the SSQ’s viability as a photoresist. E-beam contrast curve data was determined and compared to an SU-8 resist standard to show both capabilities and limitations of various SSQ structures. Future work utilizing EUV facilities at NIST and other industry partners may be used to determine characteristics such as off-gassing, contrast, sensitivity, and optimum etch parameters.
