Comprehensive Investigation of the Commercial ELP-20 Electron-Beam Lithography Resist
Qairat M. Alzhanova A. Pshikov M. Nemkayeva R. Guseinov N. Zaitsev S. Muratov M.
January 2026Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Micromachines
2026#17Issue 1
A systematic experimental study of the positive-tone resist ELP-20 was conducted, covering its structural properties, film-formation behavior, and response to electron-beam exposure. Raman spectroscopy demonstrated the methacrylate nature of the resist and its spectral correspondence to poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA, which enabled direct comparison both with PMMA itself and with existing methacrylate-based resists. Spin-coated films prepared from 3–11 wt.% solutions exhibited a robust power-law dependence of thickness on spin speed, h∞ ∝ ω−0.48 ± 0.01, and showed high thickness uniformity. The concentration dependence of the film thickness at a fixed spin speed allowed identification of the polymer–coil overlap region and enabled estimation of the effective molecular weight of the polymer base, Meff = (25 ± 7) kg/mol. Lithographic characterization indicated a decrease in sensitivity with increasing electron energy, with a sensitivity of approximately 40 μC/cm2 at 25 keV. A depth-dependent dose-distribution model provided an energy-independent average contrast value of γ ≈ 1.67. The results present a coherent and systematic description of ELP-20 behavior under electron-beam exposure and establish a basis for its further use in lithographic processing.
contrast , electron-beam lithography (EBL) , ELP-20 resist , sensitivity , spin coating
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National Nanotechnological Laboratory of Open Type, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Department of Technical Physics, L.N. Gumilyov, Eurasian National University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High Purity Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Chernogolovka, 142432, Russian Federation
Kazakh Physical Society, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
National Nanotechnological Laboratory of Open Type
Department of Technical Physics
Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High Purity Materials
Kazakh Physical Society
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