Citation: Yu Yan, Chenfei Zhao, Jingwen Hui, Xinfu Zhang, Linlin Zhao, Lujia Yang, Zhipeng Ning, Pengzhong Chen, Lingcheng Chen, Xiaojun Peng, Yi Xiao. Spirobixanthene surpasses spirobifluorene as key backbone for molecular negative photoresists[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(5): 111343. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111343 shu

Spirobixanthene surpasses spirobifluorene as key backbone for molecular negative photoresists

State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

zhangxinfu@dlut.edu.cn

lcchen@dlut.edu.cn

pengxj@dlut.edu.cn

xiaoyi@dlut.edu.cn

Received Date: 10 February 2025
Revised Date: 16 May 2025
Accepted Date: 18 May 2025
Available Online: 19 May 2025

Figures(5)

Molecular glass refers to amorphous rigid small molecules with certain polymer-like properties. Herein, spirobixanthene is first adopted as the backbone to develop negative photoresist X4Ep with four epoxy moieties. F4Ep based on classical spirobifluorene is also synthesized as a benchmark against X4Ep. Both exhibit good thermostability and similar sensitivity. However, in e-beam lithography, performances of X4Ep completely surpass F4Ep. F4Ep lithography shows inevitably minor bridges no matter how we optimize process conditions. The relatively poor performances of F4Ep may be probably ascribed to its partial crystallization tendency inducing uneven photoacid generator (PAG) distribution and uneven acid diffusion, which thus promotes nonuniform epoxy crosslink to form rough patterns. X4Ep readily achieves dense lines without any defects. The superiority of X4Ep to F4Ep can be ascribed to the exceptional yet apparent structural distortion and asymmetry of spirobixanthene, which guarantees a perfect amorphous state and uniform crosslink. Finally, the optimal line/space (L/S) pattern with half pitch (HP) of 25 nm and line edge roughness (LER) of 2.7 nm is achieved. Therefore, spirobixanthene is a valuable molecular glass backbone for high-performance photoresists in the future.
- Epoxy,
- Molecular glass resist,
- Negative photoresist,
- Photoresist,
- E-beam lithography
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