Experimental method for quantifying acid diffusion in chemically amplified resists

An experimental approach that allows decoupling of the chemical deprotection kinetics and acid transport kinetics is presented to provide a direct measure of acid diffusion properties. A well-defined, spatially non-uniform image of photogenerated acid is formed within a chemically amplified resist film using surface imaging method. Results from a static technique on surface imaged model systems are described. The application of 3-dimensional version of a stochastic chemical kinetics simulator to the analysis of data obtained from dynamic measurements on these systems is described.