The present invention describes encapsulated inorganic resists which are compatible
with conventional resist processing and development. The encapsulated inorganic
materials increase the plasma etch selectivity of the resists compared to conventional
polymeric resists. In effect, these resist systems can act as photoimagable single
layer hard mask. In a preferred embodiment, the encapsulated material includes
inorganic core particles that are at least partially coated with a moiety having
an acid labile or photo-labile protected acidic group such that, upon deprotection,
the encapsulated material exhibits greater base solubility.
