A Procedure to characterize electron-beam resist using a scanning electron microscope and study of process optimization of an electron beam imaging system using experimental design methods

A procedure is established which will enable the study of contrast and sensitivity characteristics of electron-beam resist materials. The imaging system includes an electron beam-sensitive resist coating on an oxidized silicon substrate exposed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and developed in a suitable solvent. The results correlate with published data. A chemically amplified electron-beam resist imaging system is studied using a three level, three factor Box-Behnken design. The effects of postbake temperature, postbake time, and development time on contrast and sensitivity are presented.