Molecular Glass Resists as High-Resolution Patterning Materials

The success of the semiconductor industry is based on the ability to fabricate hundreds of millions of devices on a single chip. In order to fulfill the ever‐shrinking feature sizes, the industry requires new patternable materials in order to operate in the sub‐50 nm regime. Molecular glass (MG) resists are a new type of patterning material that has gained considerable attention over the past few years. This Research News article describes the chemical and structural aspects of MGs as well as important concepts of MG resist design. We also highlight some of the recent advances in high‐resolution patterning capabilities with next‐generation imaging tools. Molecular glasses, used as photoresists, possess several desirable features in comparison with polymeric photoresists. In the ongoing pursuit of higher‐resolution patterning methods these attributes are important. As a result, molecular glasses (see figure) are expected to enable greater resolution (a few tens of nanometers), more uniform and lower‐defect image formation, and more environmentally friendly development than possible today.