Electron beam photoresists for nanoimprint lithography

Polymer selection and critical dimension (CD) pattern uniformity across the wafer are key parameters for the nanoimprint lithography technique. This nanotechnology requires polymers having a low glass transition temperature (T-g) combined with a good etch resistance. The printing of a commercial E-beam photoresist is studied as a function of the pressing conditions and the pattern density on the wafer. The influence of the printing temperature is analyzed in order to understand the polymer behaviour during the printing process. The residual thickness uniformity across the wafer after pressing has been carefully studied and correlated to the thermal properties of the polymer. Our results show that high resolution resists are well adapted to obtain dense nanostructures with a good CD control. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.