Sub-150nm electron beam lithography using AZPN114 chemically amplified resist

Chemically amplified resist AZPN114 from Hoechst has been extensively investigated for electron beam lithography at 150nm resolution and below, using commercial e-beam lithography systems. Experimental design method was used to study the combined effect of pre and post exposure bake conditions on the performance of AZPN114 at 150nm nominal linewidth. The effects of scanning field size of a e-beam system, the exposure energy, the resist thickness and pattern density, development conditions and post exposure delay have been investigated on resist sensitivity and resolution capability. 100nm resist lines with 7:1 aspect ratio and 50nm resolution have been achieved using AZPN114 with optimised exposure and process conditions.