Production of novel materials for 157nm and 193nm soft pellicles

The introduction of 157nm lithography has raised many issues, not the least of which is the requirement of a new material for soft pellicle. At 157nm, the incident energy of 7.9 eV is enough to break any single organic bond. This makes the design of a soft pellicle material quite a challenge. Additionally, previous work in the industry has shown that improving transparency does not necessarily translate into longer pellicle lifetimes. Based on extensive investigation of how existing materials are degrading in the VUV, these new polymer systems have been produced. This study shares detailed structural information about several novel materials developed for use as soft pellicles. Additionally, data is shown for material properties including transmission and lifetime of films under 157 nm and 193 nm exposures.