In-situ Measurement of Outgassing from Chemically Amplified Resist during Exposure to 248nm Light

The outgas components from photoresists exposed to light sometimes form on the lenses and mirrors of aligners and are detrimental to their optical properties. This has recently become a major problem, and thus it is important to know the extent of outgassing from such resists when considering the effects of the outgas. We attached a QCM mass spectrometer to a 248 nm reaction analysis exposure tool equipped with a mercury-xenon (Hg-Xe) lamp light source and traced the change in the photoresist mass to investigate the amount of outgassing from a 248 nm chemically amplified photoresist during exposure. We collected the outgas generated from the resist during exposure in a TENAX absorber and identified the outgas components using a GC-MS. We also conducted an in-situ observation of the reaction in the photoresist using a PAGA-100 deprotection reaction analysis system and investigated the relationship between the outgas emission and the deprotection reaction. The results of these experiments are reported in this paper.