Abstract: A composition for reducing development defects comprising an acidic composition containing, for example, a surfactant applied onto a chemically amplified photoresist coating formed on a substrate having a diameter of 8 inches or more. By this process, the surface of the resist is rendered hydrophilic and the formation of slightly soluble layer in a developer on the surface of the resist is prevented. In addition, by proper diffusion amount of acid from the composition for reducing development defects, the amount of reduction in thickness of the chemically amplified photoresist coating after development is increased by 10 ? to 500 ? in comparison with the case of not applying the composition for reducing development defects to form a resist pattern not having a deteriorated pattern profile such as T-top or round top.

Abstract: This invention offers a method to improve-etching resistance of etching mask upon etching comprising steps of forming a pattern on a substrate by using photoresist, applying a composition for forming an etching protection layer containing water-soluble or water-dispersible resin, crosslinking agent and water and/or water-soluble organic solvent as a solvent, forming etching protection layer which is insoluble in a developer containing water in the interface between a composition for forming an etching protection layer and a photoresist by heating, removing by a developer unnecessary area excluding etching protection layer made of a composition for forming an etching protection layer, and treating a substrate by etching using photoresist pattern as a mask.

Abstract: A method of forming resist patterns comprises the steps of (a) applying and forming a chemically amplified photoresist film, (b) applying a treating agent with a pH value of 1.3 to 4.5 onto said chemically amplified photoresist film, (c) baking said chemically amplified photoresist film after at least one of the steps of applying and forming said chemically amplified photoresist film and applying said treating agent, (d) selectively exposing said chemically amplified photoresist film, (e) post exposure-baking said chemically amplified photoresist film, and (f) developing said chemically amplified photoresist film, wherein the contact angle of a non-exposed portion of said chemically amplified photoresist film to a developing solution after wash with water to remove the treating agent on the photoresist and spin-drying before development is made lower by 10° to 110° than that in the case where said treating agent is not applied.

Abstract: A composition for forming a radiation absorbing coating which comprises an organic solvent, a radiation absorbing polymer or a radiation absorbing material dissolved therein and a crosslinking agent having blocked isocyanate groups. Since the isocyanate groups of the crosslinking agent have been blocked, the composition containing the crosslinking agent has excellent storage stability. When the composition applied to a substrate and then baked, crosslinking proceeds to give an antireflective coating, which does not intermix with a resist layer to be formed thereon by coating and is free from diffusion of a photo-generated acid thereinto from the resist layer. As a result, a resist image free from footing or scum can be formed.

Abstract: This invention offers a method to improve-etching resistance of etching mask upon etching comprising steps of forming a pattern on a substrate by using photoresist, applying a composition for forming an etching protection layer containing water-soluble or water-dispersible resin, crosslinking agent and water and/or water-soluble organic solvent as a solvent, forming etching protection layer which is insoluble in a developer containing water in the interface between a composition for forming an etching protection layer and a photoresist by heating, removing by a developer unnecessary area excluding etching protection layer made of a composition for forming an etching protection layer, and treating a substrate by etching using photoresist pattern as a mask.

Abstract: A composition for an anti-reflective coating or a radiation absorbing coating which can form an anti-reflective coating or a radiation absorbing coating having high absorption to exposed radiation in the range of 100 to 450 nm, no diffusion of photo-generated acid to anti-reflective coating and so on, no intermixing of resist and anti-reflective coating layer, good shelf-life stability, and good step coverage and novel compounds and polymers being preferably used in the composition are disclosed. The composition contains an acrylic or methacrylic compound or polymer with an isocyanate or thioisocyanate group bonded through an alkylene group to a side chain thereof or with an amino or hydroxyl group-containing organic chromophore which absorbs radiation in the range of 100 to 450 nm wavelength and is bonded, for example, through an alkylene group to the isocyanate or thioisocyanate group. Resist patters with high resolution are formed on a substrate.

Abstract: A radiation absorbing polymer having chemically bonded thereto a radiation absorbing dye, which has high absorption at a predetermined wavelength radiation, which shows good adhesion to a substrate and good thin film-forming, which has no dependence upon resists, which is soluble in a solvent for photoresists but becomes insoluble after being baked; a composition for radiation absorbing coating containing this polymer, and a radiation absorbing coating such as an anti-reflective coating formed from this composition are disclosed. The radiation absorbing polymer comprises a copolymer containing at least both a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing a keto group and a divalent group (preferably a methylene group) in its side chain and a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing an organic chromophore bonded directly or through a linkage group to the main chain. This radiation absorbing polymer is dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol, aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ester, etc.

Abstract: A method of forming resist patterns comprises the steps of (a) applying and forming a chemically amplified photoresist film, (b) applying a treating agent with a pH value of 1.3 to 4.5 onto said chemically amplified photoresist film, (c) baking said chemically amplified photoresist film after at least one of the steps of applying and forming said chemically amplified photoresist film and applying said treating agent, (d) selectively exposing said chemically amplified photoresist film, (e) post exposure-baking said chemically amplified photoresist film, and (f) developing said chemically amplified photoresist film, wherein the contact angle of a non-exposed portion of said chemically amplified photoresist film to a developing solution after wash with water to remove the treating agent on the photoresist and spin-drying before development is made lower by 10° to 110° than that in the case where said treating agent is not applied.

Abstract: A resist pattern having a good form without any T-top or round top is obtained by coating on a photoresist layer an anti-reflective coating composition containing at least (a) polyacrylic acid, (b) polyvinyl pyrrolidone, (c) CnF2n+1COOOH (wherein n represents an integer of 3 to 11) and (d) tetramethylammonium hydroxide to form an anti-reflective coating, and conducting patternwise exposure and development.

Abstract: A composition for reducing development defects comprising an acidic composition containing, for example, a surfactant applied onto a chemically amplified photoresist coating formed on a substrate having a diameter of 8 inches or more. By this process, the surface of the resist is rendered hydrophilic and the formation of slightly soluble layer in a developer on the surface of the resist is prevented. In addition, by proper diffusion amount of acid from the composition for reducing development defects, the amount of reduction in thickness of the chemically amplified photoresist coating after development is increased by 10 Å to 500 Å in comparison with the case of not applying the composition for reducing development defects to form a resist pattern not having a deteriorated pattern profile such as T-top or round top.

Abstract: A water-soluble resin composition comprising (1) a water-soluble resin, (2) a water-soluble crosslinking agent, (3) at least one of surface active agents selected from acetylene alcohols, acetylene glycols, polyethoxylates of acetylene alcohols and polyethoxylates of acetylene glycols, and (4) a solvent consisting of water or a mixture of water and a water-soluble solvent. This water-soluble resin composition is applied onto a resist pattern, then heated to crosslink by an acid supplied from the resist, followed by development to remove the non-crosslinked water-soluble resin coating layer. This water-soluble resin composition is excellent in coating characteristics on steps of resist patterns and in dimensional regulation upon fining of patterns so that resist patterns such as trench patterns and hole patterns can effectively be fined.

Abstract: A radiation absorbing polymer having chemically bonded thereto a radiation absorbing dye, which has high absorption at a predetermined wavelength radiation, which shows good adhesion to a substrate and good thin film-forming, which has no dependence upon resists, which is soluble in a solvent for photoresists but becomes insoluble after being baked; a composition for radiation absorbing coating containing this polymer, and a radiation absorbing coating such as an anti-reflective coating formed from this composition are disclosed. The radiation absorbing polymer comprises a copolymer containing at least both a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing a keto group and a divalent group (preferably a methylene group) in its side chain and a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing an organic chromophore bonded directly or through a linkage group to the main chain. This radiation absorbing polymer is dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol, aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ester, etc.

Abstract: A composition for forming a radiation absorbing coating which comprises an organic solvent, a radiation absorbing polymer or a radiation absorbing material dissolved therein and a crosslinking agent having blocked isocyanate groups. Since the isocyanate groups of the crosslinking agent have been blocked, the composition containing the crosslinking agent has excellent storage stability. When the composition applied to a substrate and then baked, crosslinking proceeds to give an antireflective coating, which does not intermix with a resist layer to be formed thereon by coating and is free from diffusion of a photo-generated acid thereinto from the resist layer. As a result, a resist image free from footing or scum can be formed.

Abstract: A radiation absorbing polymer having chemically bonded thereto a radiation absorbing dye, which has high absorption at a predetermined wavelength radiation, which shows good adhesion to a substrate and good thin film-forming, which has no dependence upon resists, which is soluble in a solvent for photoresists but becomes insoluble after being baked; a composition for radiation absorbing coating containing this polymer, and a radiation absorbing coating such as an anti-reflective coating formed from this composition are disclosed. The radiation absorbing polymer comprises a copolymer containing at least both a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing a keto group and a divalent group (preferably a methylene group) in its side chain and a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing an organic chromophore bonded directly or through a linkage group to the main chain. This radiation absorbing polymer is dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol, aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ester, etc.

Abstract: A composition for forming a radiation absorbing coating which comprises an organic solvent, a radiation absorbing polymer or a radiation absorbing material dissolved therein and a crosslinking agent having blocked isocyanate groups. Since the isocyanate groups of the crosslinking agent have been blocked, the composition containing the crosslinking agent has excellent storage stability. When the composition applied to a substrate and then baked, crosslinking proceeds to give an antireflective coating, which does not intermix with a resist layer to be formed thereon by coating and is free from diffusion of a photo-generated acid thereinto from the resist layer. As a result, a resist image free from footing or scum can be formed.

Abstract: In a process for manufacturing integrated circuit elements or the like by photolithography, a method for reducing detrimental influence on resist shape due to properties of a substrate or acidity of substrate surface in case where a chemically amplified resist or the like is used as a photoresist, and a substrate-treating agent composition to be used for this method are described. The substrate-treating agent composition comprises a solution containing a salt between at least one basic compound selected from among primary, secondary and tertiary amines and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds and an organic acid such as a sulfonic acid or a carboxylic acid. This composition is coated on a substrate surface having thereon a bottom anti-reflective coating such as SiON layer, baked and, if necessary washed, then a chemically amplified resist is coated on the thus-treated substrate, exposed and developed to form a resist pattern on the substrate.

Abstract: A composition for an anti-reflective coating or a light absorbing coating, which shows good light absorption for lights of 100-450 nm in wavelength, suffers neither footing nor intermixing, and has excellent storage stability and step coverage, and novel copolymers to be used therein.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel aqueous developer solution used in the development treatment of an actinic ray-sensitive resist for the manufacture of, for example, semiconductor devices, which is capable of giving a patterned resist layer free from the troubles of film residue or scum deposition in any finest patterning. The developer solution contains, in addition to a nitrogen-containing organic basic compound, e.g., tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide, dissolved in an aqueous medium as the solvent, an anionic surface active agent which is a diphenyl ether compound having at least one ammonium sulfonate group, such as an ammonium alkyl diphenylether sulfonate, in a concentration of 0.05 to 5% by weight.

Abstract: The anti-reflective coating composition comprising at least perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid (A) represented by the general formula: CnF2n+1SO3H (n is an integer of 4 to 8), organic amine (B), water-soluble polymer (C), perfluoroalkyl sulfonamide (D) represented by the general formula: CnF2n+1SO2NH2 (n is an integer of 1 to 8) and water (E) and having a pH value of 1.3 to 3.3 is applied onto a photoresist film formed on a substrate, thus forming an anti-reflective coating. The photoresist and anti-reflective coating are then exposed to light and developed to give a resist pattern. The coating composition can form a uniform anti-reflective coating free of standing wave, multiple reflection, T-top and PED (Post Exposure Delay) in a small amount of drip onto any types of resists regardless of the surface shape of a substrate.

Abstract: As a bottom anti-reflective coating material for use in photolithography, polymer dyes represented by following general formula are used. The polymer dyes are able to form a bottom anti-reflective coating having good film formation properties, good absorption properties at exposure wavelength, good step coverage, non-intermixing with photoresist and high etch rate. wherein R represents H or a substituted or non-substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, or aryl group, R1 represents a substituted or non-substituted alkyl or aryl, or a —COOR3 group in which R3 represents an alkyl group, R2 represents a substituted or non-substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, or aryl group, D is an organic chromophore which absorbs at the exposure wavelength (150-450 nm) and represents a substituted or non-substituted aryl, condensed aryl, or heteroaryl group, m and o are any integer above zero, and n, p and q are any integer including zero.