A high-silicon-concentration top surface imaging (TSI) process for 193-nm lithography has been developed using vapor phase silylation, using dimethylaminopentamethyldisiloxane (DMAPMDSO) as a silylation agent and polydihydroxystyrene (PDHS) as a resist material. The etching rate of silylated resist can be explained by the relationship between the silicon content, the decomposition temperature, and the density. The pattern profile of the new TSI process can resolve 0.14 mu mL/S. Although silylated layer flow occurs in a process below the glass transition temperature, the Bow problem can be resolved by using a chemically amplified resist.