Resist pattern inspection using fluorescent dye-doped polystyrene thin films in reactive-monolayer-assisted thermal nanoimprint lithography

Fluorescent dye-doped polystyrene (PS) thin films were studied for defect inspection of PS resist patterns by fluorescence microscopy in reactive-monolayer-assisted thermal nanoimprint lithography using a photoreactive monolayer. A fluorescent dye of N,N′-bis(2,6-dimethylphenyl- perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide doped in a PS resist thin film maintained an almost identical fluorescence intensity after annealing at a temperature necessary for thermal nanoimprinting. To avoid degradation of a dye doped in a resist film owing to exposure to ultraviolet light for preparing a PS graft layer on the photoreactive monolayer, a double coating method for preparing a dye-doped PS resist layer on the PS graft layer was adopted. It was demonstrated by the fluorescent microscopic defect inspection that resist pattern defects due to unleveled residual layers after thermal nanoimprinting were significantly decreased by adding low-molecular-weight PS (5,100gmol ^-1) to high-molecular-weight PS (360,000 g mol^-1). The rheological study revealed that the low-molecular-weight PS obviously functioned as a plasticizer, which flattened residual layers and decreased their thickness.