Irresistibe materials Ltd

Building on over a decade of research and development based in Birmingham, UK, IM has developed a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio, including over 40 patents and patent applications covering materials and processes for applications in next generation lithography, including Extreme Ultra-Violet (EUV) Photo-Resists, and Spin-on Carbon hardmask materials. IM has developed a new class of EUV Resist – ‘Multi-Trigger Resist’ (MTR). MTR offers significant advantages over existing polymer based technology due to its patented ‘multi-trigger’ process and small molecule which is capable of improved Resolution and LER. The Spin on Carbon hardmask can enable the next generation of multi-layer (3-D) micro-chip designs within the patterning stack. IM’s role in the NanoLace project covers the delivery of resist material. Fullerene based helium ion beam resists will be synthesized and formulated. The formulation purity will be ensured through ultrafiltration and metal ion removal. Different equipment and procedures will be investigated to find the optimum purification method based on the lithographic performance of the material. Techniques such as ellipsometry, thermogravimetric analysis, electron beam lithography and plasma etching will be used to characterize the resist performance. For the metastable helium atom beam resist, IM will contribute expertise in fullerene and high carbon deposition to help develop an appropriate patterning stack for the resist. Traditionally, patterning stacks are prepared via spin coating, but the monolayer nature of the resist will require precise underlayer deposition via evaporation. IM will then enable direct market introduction of the new product lines covering the novel resist products, and expects to develop a new product line for Helium Atom Beam Resist and a new product line for Helium Ion Beam Resist.