The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 10, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 18, 2000
Robert L. Brainard, Wayland, MA (US);
Shipley Company, L.L.C., Marlborough, MA (US);
Abstract
In a first aspect, polymers of the invention in general comprise a photoacid-labile unit that can generate multiple anions or acidic groups such as hydroxy (particularly phenolic) preferably from a single photoacid-induced polymer deprotection reaction. In a further aspect, polymers of the invention comprise a photoacid-labile unit that generate substantially or essentially no volatile species species during a photoacid-induced deprotection reaction of the polymer to thereby avoid undesired outgassing and/or shrinkage of a resist coating layer containing a polymer of the invention. In particularly preferred aspects of the invention, polymers are provided that combine both aspects, i.e. the polymers contain blocking groups that can generate multiple anions or acid groups preferably from a single photoacid-induced polymer deprotection reaction, and those blocking groups also generate substantially no volatile species during microlithographic processing. Polymers of the invention are particularly useful as components of photoresist compositions, particularly chemically-amplified positive resists.