An additional

document [see Additional file 2] compares the contrast-weighted sensitivity of SML to the six other resists cited in the ‘Background’ section. Figure 3 Comparison of SML and PMMA contrast curves. Both SML (triangles) and PMMA (circles) were exposed at 30 keV and developed for 20 s in MIBK/IPA (1:3) (filled symbols) and IPA/water (7:3) (open BMN 673 ic50 symbols). Figure 4 Comparison of SML contrast and contrast-weighted sensitivity for various developers. The contrast (circles) and contrast-weighted sensitivity (triangles) have been arranged in increasing clearance dose. The contrast-weighted sensitivity has units of dose (μC/cm2). Based on the analysis of contrast curves, IPA/water (7:3) was selected as the preferred developer for fabricating www.selleckchem.com/products/gsk1120212-jtp-74057.html dense, high-AR gratings. Similar to PMMA, both IPA and water alone are poor or non-developers for SML resist but are effective in

combination. The usage of ultrasonic agitation during development was chosen to help promote the dissolution of SML fragments as inspired by Yasin’s work [21]. Since resist fragments tend to coil in poor solvents and exhibit a smaller radius of gyration, ultrasonic agitation may be expected to promote the rapid removal of these fragments, enabling a narrower grating trench [21]. As described in the ‘Methods’ section, a brief rinse in low-surface-tension fluid was used to reduce the probability of pattern collapse. The surface tension of pentane (approximately AMP deaminase 16 dyn/cm) and hexane (approximately 18 dyn/cm) is at least four times less than that of water (approximately 73 dyn/cm). Figure 5 presents top-view grating micrographs of 70-nm-pitch SML gratings in a 300- to 330-nm-thick resist showing the effect of increasing line dose. The line width increases from 25 nm at 550 pC/cm (Figure 5a) to 32 nm at 750 pC/cm (Figure 5b) and to 40 nm at 950 pC/cm (Figure 5c) just prior to pattern collapse. Observing the top-view grating micrographs, clearance cannot be conclusively ascertained; however, this question is explored through cross-sectional micrographs ahead. Based on the observations from Figure 5, it is estimated

that as low as 25-nm resolution with SML is readily achievable without resolution enhancement techniques. Furthermore, the gratings show low line edge roughness. The resolution limits (with thinner resists) were not explicitly pursued as this work focused on maximizing the AR, pattern density, and sensitivity by co-optimizing the exposure and development conditions. Given that the proximity effect appears to be of minor importance, if at all (see Figure 1a), the results in Figure 5 are representative of the resist performance even without clearance and can be employed to co-optimize the resist thickness and process conditions if so desired. Figure 5 Micrographs of 70-nm-pitch gratings patterned by 30 keV on 300- to 330-nm-thick SML.