Photon-induced Fragmentation of Zinc-based Oxoclusters for EUV Lithography Applications

To meet the requirements for EUV nanolithography, the semiconductor industry has drawn attention towards hybrid inorganic-organic based photoresists. However, the mechanisms responsible for the solubility switch in these materials are not well understood. In this work, UV/ VUV (4-14 eV) photon-induced fragmentations of Zn-based oxoclusters in the gas phase are investigated to study the fundamental reactivity of their cationic form. Irradiation of the parent cations results mainly in the ligand dissociation and fragmentation of the inorganic clusters at energies below the second ionization threshold (～12 eV). This ionization energy appears to be linked to the methacrylate ligand in the organic shell. We presume that this type of fragmentations can also occur when the oxoclusters are ionized in the thin film upon EUV irradiation.