Photolithographic method producing sub-micron patterns in the manufacture of electronic microcircuits

Claim 1

A method of producing sub-micron patterns in the manufacture of an electronic microcircuit, said method comprising (a) forming a high resolution, plasma developable, photosensitive coating composition by dissolving a photosensitively effective amount of a photosensittive aromatic azide and a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl methacrylates and acrylates of the formula ##STR6## where R is H or CH 3 , copolymers thereof with methyl methacrylate and copolymers thereof with methyl acrylate; (b) applying said coating composition to a semiconductor substrate; (c) preheating said coated substrate at a temperature below 100° C. to remove said organic solvent; (d) irradiating the coated surface through a mask of a desired pattern with radiation having a wavelength of less than 400 nm or an electron beam; (e) post-heating the irradiated surface to remove the photosensitive compound from the irradiated areas of the surface; (f) and then developing said coated surface by exposing said surface to oxygen plasma to thereby preferentially remove the non-irradiated areas and form aperatures in said areas in the coating.

Claim 2

A method of producing sub-micron patterns in the manufacture of an electronic microcircuit, said method comprising (a) forming a high resolution, plasma developable, photosensitive coating composition by dissolving a photosensitively effective amount of a photosensittive aromatic azide and a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl methacrylates and acrylates of the formula ##STR6## where R is H or CH 3 , copolymers thereof with methyl methacrylate and copolymers thereof with methyl acrylate; (b) applying said coating composition to a semiconductor substrate; (c) preheating said coated substrate at a temperature below 100° C. to remove said organic solvent; (d) irradiating the coated surface through a mask of a desired pattern with radiation having a wavelength of less than 400 nm or an electron beam; (e) post-heating the irradiated surface to remove the photosensitive compound from the irradiated areas of the surface; (f) and then developing said coated surface by exposing said surface to oxygen plasma to thereby preferentially remove the non-irradiated areas and form aperatures in said areas in the coating.