Use of fluorescent probes to determine catalytic chain length in chemically amplified resists

Acid-catalyzed deprotection of tert-butoxycarbonyl (t-Boc) pendant groups present in a polymer film is one of the most common chemical reactions in photolithography. We present here a novel method to determine the catalytic chain length of this reaction under different development conditions. We demonstrate this in model PMMA thin films containing triphenylsulphonium triflate as a photoacid generator, acid sensor coumarin 6, t-Boc protected coumarin 4, and base 2-piperidin-1-yl-ethanol (2-PE). Deprotection of the t-Boc group, catalyzed by the photogenerated acid, during the post-exposure bake leads to formation of coumarin 4, a strongly fluorescent molecule whose concentration is monitored using fluorescence. We take advantage of the change in the emission spectra of coumarin 6 upon protonation to monitor acid formation. To quantify the amount of acid, an acid–base titration is done in the polymer film using 2-PE. Knowing the amount of deprotected probe and the amount of acid, we are able to calculate the number of moles of deprotected C4-t-Boc per mol of acid, which is the actual catalytic chain length.Key words: photolithography, chemical amplification, catalytic chain length, fluorescent sensors, photoacid generator.