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Continuous advances in the semiconductor and microfabrication industries are based on formation of increasingly smallscale devices. Photolithography, the process by which small features are patterned into a thin organic film (photoresist) by UV or electron-beam (e-beam) irradiation, is the principle process by which small features are formed. To produce the planned sub-50 nm features required for next-generation devices remains a challenge due to the increased importance of pattern perfection and elimination of problems such as pattern collapse in small, high-aspect-ratio features. At these very small dimensions, conventional development in an aqueous base can cause small, dense lines to collapse inward due to high surface tension. These and other problems will remain significant challenges unless new approaches to lithography are pursued. Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), which is known for its …