Microscopic view of nano-structures being created on a silicon wafer.

Nano-Sized Revolution: How New Materials Are Reshaping Tech

Jordan Keane in Tech & Innovation August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover the power of hybrid photoresists in pushing the boundaries of high-resolution EUV lithography and next-gen semiconductor manufacturing."

The relentless march of progress in the semiconductor industry, driven by Moore's Law, demands ever-increasing circuit density and miniaturization. This demand puts immense pressure on photoresist technology. Photoresists are light-sensitive materials used to create intricate patterns on silicon wafers, the foundation of modern electronics. As we strive for smaller, more powerful devices, the resolution limits of existing photoresists become a critical bottleneck.

Among the various high-resolution lithographic techniques, Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL), employing a wavelength of 13.5 nm, stands out as a promising candidate for patterning features at sub-10 nm resolution. EUVL offers advantages over other methods, but its commercialization faces significant hurdles. These include the scarcity of suitable EUV power sources, defect-free masks, highly reflective optics, and, crucially, advanced resist technology.

A potential EUV photoresist must possess a unique combination of properties: high optical absorption, minimal degassing, exceptional etch resistance, strong adhesion, and the ability to form defect-free patterns using environmentally friendly developers. Simultaneously optimizing sensitivity, resolution, and line edge roughness (LER) remains a significant challenge. While chemically amplified resists (CARs) have been the workhorse of IC manufacturing, their limitations in achieving ultra-high resolution have spurred research into alternative materials.

The Rise of Hybrid Photoresists

Microscopic view of nano-structures being created on a silicon wafer.

To overcome the limitations of traditional CARs and meet the stringent requirements of next-generation lithography, researchers are exploring non-chemically amplified resists (n-CARs). One promising approach involves incorporating inorganic components into organic polymer resist formulations. This strategy aims to enhance sensitivity and etch resistance, key factors in achieving high-resolution patterning.

Recent work demonstrates the successful integration of an inorganic counter ion moiety, hexafluoroantimonate, into an organic polymer photoresist, poly(4-(methacryloyloxy)phenyldimethylsulfoniumtriflate (poly-MAPDST). This innovation led to the development of two novel radiation-sensitive hybrid n-CARs, denoted as 1.5%-&2.15%-MAPDSA-MAPDST. These materials incorporate varying percentages of MAPDSA ( (4-(methacryloyloxy)phenyl) dimethylsulfonium hexaflouroantimonate) into the poly-MAPDST backbone.

Enhanced Sensitivity: Hybrid resists show significant improvement in sensitivity to EUV radiation compared to traditional resists.
High Resolution Patterning: Successfully patterned high-resolution 20 nm lines and complex nano features.
Complex Nano-Features: Ability to create nano-waves, nano-boats, line-elbows, nano-dots, and circular patterns.

These hybrid resists exhibit remarkable sensitivity to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and can successfully pattern high-resolution 20 nm lines and various complex nano features, including nano-waves, nano-boats, line-elbows, nano-dots, and circular patterns. The sensitivities of the 1.5%-&2.15%-MAPDSA-MAPDST resists were measured at 58.1 mJ/cm² and 24.5 mJ/cm², respectively, indicating a substantial improvement compared to poly-MAPDST alone.

The Future of Nano-Manufacturing

The development of these hybrid resist formulations represents a significant step forward in meeting the ever-increasing demands of the semiconductor industry. By combining the advantages of both organic and inorganic materials, these innovative resists pave the way for creating smaller, faster, and more efficient microchips. As research continues, we can expect even more advanced photoresist technologies to emerge, further pushing the boundaries of what is possible in nano-manufacturing.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1039/c7qm00343a, Alternate LINK

Title: Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Photoresists Containing Hexafluoroantimonate: Design, Synthesis And High Resolution Euv Lithography Studies

Subject: Materials Chemistry

Journal: Materials Chemistry Frontiers

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

Authors: Pulikanti Guruprasad Reddy, Pawan Kumar, Subrata Ghosh, Chullikkattil P. Pradeep, Satinder K. Sharma, Kenneth E. Gonsalves

Published: 2017-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is the role of photoresists in semiconductor manufacturing, and why is there so much focus on improving them?

Photoresists are light-sensitive materials crucial for creating intricate patterns on silicon wafers, which are fundamental to modern electronics. The semiconductor industry's push for increased circuit density puts immense pressure on photoresist technology to improve. Existing photoresists' resolution limits can become a bottleneck as device sizes shrink. The need for improvements has driven research into techniques like Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) and advanced resist materials.

What is EUVL, and what are the main obstacles preventing its widespread adoption in semiconductor manufacturing?

EUVL, or Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography, uses a wavelength of 13.5 nm and is promising for patterning features at sub-10 nm resolution. However, its commercialization is hindered by the scarcity of suitable EUV power sources, defect-free masks, highly reflective optics, and advanced resist technology. Overcoming these challenges is essential for EUVL to become a viable solution for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.

What are the limitations of traditional CARs, and how are researchers trying to overcome them to achieve higher resolution?

Traditional chemically amplified resists (CARs) have limitations in achieving ultra-high resolution. To address these limitations, researchers are exploring non-chemically amplified resists (n-CARs). A promising approach involves incorporating inorganic components into organic polymer resist formulations to enhance sensitivity and etch resistance, which are key factors in achieving high-resolution patterning. This blending of organic and inorganic materials is a crucial strategy in developing next-generation photoresists.

How do the novel hybrid n-CARs, such as 1.5%-&2.15%-MAPDSA-MAPDST, improve sensitivity and resolution in EUV lithography, and what nano-features can they create?

The hybrid resists, specifically 1.5%-&2.15%-MAPDSA-MAPDST, demonstrate enhanced sensitivity to EUV radiation and the capability to pattern high-resolution 20 nm lines and complex nano-features like nano-waves, nano-boats, line-elbows, nano-dots, and circular patterns. These materials incorporate MAPDSA into the poly-MAPDST backbone, achieving sensitivities of 58.1 mJ/cm² and 24.5 mJ/cm², respectively, which is a significant improvement over poly-MAPDST alone. The specific percentages of MAPDSA contribute to their improved performance.

What is the significance of developing hybrid resist formulations for the future of nano-manufacturing, and what future advancements can we anticipate?

The development of hybrid resist formulations represents a significant advancement in meeting the semiconductor industry's demands. By combining organic and inorganic materials, these innovative resists pave the way for creating smaller, faster, and more efficient microchips. Future research will likely focus on further refining these hybrid materials and exploring new compositions to push the boundaries of nano-manufacturing. These advancements will allow for continued progress in semiconductor technology.