Post-exposure bake

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-009305",
  "term": "Post-exposure bake",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A heating step applied to a photoresist layer after exposure to radiation and before the development stage in a lithographic process. This thermal treatment promotes or completes the chemical reactions initiated by the exposure, such as deprotection or crosslinking in a chemically amplified resist. The temperature and duration of the bake are precisely controlled, as they directly affect the final resist profile, resolution, and sensitivity.",
  "synonyms": [
    "post bake"
  ],
  "subject": "Polymer",
  "see_also": [
    "annealing"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 2020, 92, 1861. 'Terminology of polymers in advanced lithography (IUPAC Recommendations 2020)' on page 1885 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2018-1215)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/post-exposure-bake/"
}