SEMIEMPIRICAL CALCULATIONS OF ELECTRONIC SPECTRA: USE IN THE DESIGN OF MID-UV SENSITIZERS.

As device dimensions continue to shrink, pattern resolution becomes of critical importance. In this regard, the use of radiation sources with maximized output in the mid-UV region would permit increased resolution if an appropriate resist could be utilized. In this regard, commercial resist formulations function inefficiently in this region for a variety of reasons. Semiemipirical quantum mechanical techniques have been used to calculate the electronic absorption spectra of two of the most commonly employed chromophores and to computationally assess the effect of a variety of substituents. The results of these calculations have been used to drive a synthetic program designed to produce an efficient sensitizer for use in the mid-UV.