We
report the preparation of discrete nanometer-scale zinc-based
clusters and use them to form sub-15 nm structures by means of extreme
ultraviolet lithography. By taking advantage of a metal-containing
building unit derived by a metal–organic frameworkMOF-2,
we found the 3-methyl-phenyl-modified Zn-mTA cluster
that formed is well-defined with controlled size and structure and
demonstrates extremely high solubility. Progress in recent years in
metal–organic frameworks has created a rich variety of metal-containing
structures that are useful for numerous applications. Substitution
of the bridging ligands with monovalent ligands produces a discrete
metal–organic cluster that strongly interacts with soft X-rays
at a wavelength of 13 nm. Here we describe the design, preparation,
computational modeling, and physical characterization of these new
materials. Such metal-containing structures may form the basis of
photoresists that enable the next generation of microelectronic devices.
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