Abstract: A resist lower layer film composition, wherein an etching speed is fast, thus an etching time period can be shortened to minimize a film thickness loss of a resist pattern and a deformation of the pattern during etching, therefore, a pattern can be transferred with high accuracy and an excellent pattern can be formed on a substrate is provided. The resist lower layer film composition comprising at least a polymer having a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (1).

Abstract: A photocurable resin composition containing a photopolymerization initiator and a (meth)acrylate monomer and/or oligomer, said (meth)acrylate monomer or oligomer having a cyclic structure, in which the atomic weight of carbon (Mcr) in said cyclic structure and the number of whole carbon atoms (MTOT) in said composition have the relation of Mcr/MTOT>0.1, or the total number (N) of carbon atoms in said cyclic structure, the total number of carbon atoms (Nc) in said composition and the total number of oxygen atoms (No) have the relation of N/(Nc?No)<4, and the composition has a kinetic viscosity of 10 mPa·s or below. This low-viscosity photocurable resin composition has excellent dry etching resistance and is applicable to optical nanoprinting.

Abstract: A chemically amplified resist composition comprises a polymer comprising units having polarity to impart adhesion and acid labile units adapted to turn alkali soluble under the action of acid. The polymer comprises recurring units having formula (1) wherein R1 is H, F, CH3 or CF3, Rf is H, F, CF3 or CF2CF3, A is a divalent hydrocarbon group, R2, R3 and R4 are alkyl, alkenyl, oxoalkyl, aryl, aralkyl or aryloxoalkyl. Recurring units containing an aromatic ring structure are present in an amount ?60 mol % and the recurring units having formula (1) are present in an amount <5 mol %.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fluorinated sulfonic acid salt or fluorinated sulfonic acid group-containing compound having a structure represented by the following general formula (A). In the formula, n indicates an integer of 1 to 10; R indicates a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C20 linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C20 linear, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C6-C15 aryl group, or a C4-C15 heteroaryl group; and a indicates 1 or 0. A photoacid generator containing the above fluorinated sulfonic acid salt or fluorinated sulfonic acid group-containing compound shows high sensitivity to an ArF excimer laser or the like, presents no concerns about human body accumulation, can generate an acid (photoacid) of sufficiently high acidity, and exhibits high solubility in a resist solvent and good compatibility with a resist resin.

Abstract: There is disclosed a sulfonate shown by the following general formula (2). R1—COOC(CF3)2—CH2SO3?M+??(2) (In the formula, R1 represents a linear, a branched, or a cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 50 carbon atoms optionally containing a hetero atom. M+ represents a cation.) There can be provided: a novel sulfonate which is effective for a chemically amplified resist composition having a sufficiently high solubility (compatibility) in a resist solvent and a resin, a good storage stability, a PED stability, a further wider depth of focus, a good sensitivity, in particular a high resolution and a good pattern profile form; a photosensitive acid generator; a resist composition using this; a photomask blank, and a patterning process.

Abstract: Disclosed are a photoacid generator, a copolymer, a chemically amplified resist composition, and a method of forming a pattern using the chemically amplified resist composition. The photoacid is connected with a main chain of the copolymer, whereby the photoacid is equally dispersed within a resist layer, and characteristics of line edge roughness of a resist pattern is improved.

Abstract: A salt represented by the formula (I-BB): wherein Q1 and Q2 each independently represent a fluorine atom etc., X1 represents a single bond etc., Y1 represents a C1-C36 aliphatic hydrocarbon group etc., A1 and A2 independently each represents a C1-C20 aliphatic hydrocarbon group etc., Ar1 represents a (m4+1)-valent C6-C20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which can have one or more substituents, B1 represents a single bond etc., B2 represents a C4-C36 alicyclic hydrocarbon group which has one or more —OXa groups and which is not capable of being eliminated by the action of an acid etc., and Xa represents a hydrogen atom or a group capable of being eliminated by the action of an acid, m1 and m2 independently each represents an integer of 0 to 2, m3 represents an integer of 1 to 3, with the proviso that m1 plus m2 plus m3 equals 3, and m4 represents an integer of 1 to 3.

Abstract: The formation of high-resolution resist patterns by liquid immersion lithography with various fluids is enabled by protecting a resist film from deterioration (such as bridging) during the immersion exposure in a fluid (such as water) and the fluid from deterioration and improving the stability of a resist film in the storage after exposure without increase in the number of treatment steps. A material for forming resist protection films which comprises an alkali-soluble polymer for forming a protective overcoat for a resist film, characterized in that the contact angle of the polymer to water is 90° or above. The polymer is preferably an acrylic polymer which comprises as the essential components constituent units derived from (meth) acrylic acid and constituent units derived from a specific acrylic ester.

Abstract: The present invention provides a blended solvent for solubilizing an ultraviolet photoresist. The blended solvent comprises a mixture of from about 5 vol % to about 95 vol % of a first solvent, wherein the first solvent comprises a cyclic ester. A balance of the mixture comprises a second solvent, wherein the second solvent comprises a volatile organic liquid.

Abstract: A polyimide silicone having in the molecule a phenolic hydroxy group in which a part or all of hydrogen atoms are substituted with an acid labile group is provided. The polyimide silicone comprises the unit represented by the formula (1): wherein X is a tetravalent group at least a part of which is a tetravalent organic group represented by the formula (2): wherein R1 is a monovalent hydrocarbon group, R2 is a trivalent group, and n is an integer of 1 to 120 on average; and Y is a divalent organic group at least a part of which is a divalent organic group having a phenolic hydroxy group in which a part or all of hydrogen atoms are substituted with an acid labile group represented by the formula (3): wherein R3 and R4 are a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, and R5 is an alkyl group, an aryl group, or an aralkyl group.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thin film transistor substrate and a negative photoresist composition used therein are provided, which can reduce pattern inferiority. The method of fabricating a thin film transistor substrate includes forming a conductive film composed of a conductive material on a substrate, forming an etch pattern composed of a negative photoresist composition on the conductive film, and forming a conductive pattern by etching the conductive film using the etch pattern as an etching mask, wherein the negative photoresist composition includes 10-50 parts by weight of novolak resin including a hydroxyl group that is soluble in an alkali developing solution, 0.5-10 parts by weight of a first photo acid generator represented by the following formula (1), 0.

Abstract: Polyimide-based polymers and copolymers thereof are provided. Further provided is a positive type photoresist composition comprising at least one of the polyimide-based polymers and copolymers thereof as a binder resin. The photoresist composition exhibits high resolution, high sensitivity, excellent film characteristics and improved mechanical properties, which are required for the formation of semiconductor buffer coatings.

Abstract: A positive photosensitive composition comprises: (A) 5 to 20 parts by weight of the total amount of at least one compound that generates an acid upon irradiation with an actinic ray; and (B) 100 parts by weight of the total amount of at least one fluorine atom-containing resin having a group that increases a solubility of the resin in an alkaline developer by the action of an acid.

Abstract: A resist composition including a base component (A) that exhibits changed solubility in an alkali developing solution under the action of acid, and an acid generator component (B) that generates acid upon exposure, wherein the acid generator component (B) includes an acid generator (B1) consisting of a compound represented by general formula (b1-2) shown below: [Chemical Formula 1] A+Z???(b1-2) wherein A+ represents an organic cation; and Z? represents an anionic cyclic group, wherein the cyclic group includes an ester linkage within the ring structure, two mutually different groups are bonded to the ring structure, one of these groups includes an ester linkage in which a carbon atom that constitutes part of the ester linkage is bonded directly to the ring structure, and the other group includes an anion moiety.

Abstract: Photoresist compositions are disclosed.

Abstract: A method of forming a pattern and a photoresist composition, the method including forming a photoresist film on a substrate by coating a photoresist composition thereon, the photoresist composition including a polymerized photoresist additive, a polymer including an acid-labile protective group at a side chain, a photoacid generator, and a solvent; exposing the photoresist film; and forming a photoresist pattern by developing the photoresist film using an aqueous alkali developer, wherein the polymerized photoresist additive includes a hydrophilic repeating unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon backbone and a side chain containing an oxygen heteroatom in a heterocyclic ring substituted with at least three hydroxyl groups, and a hydrophobic repeating unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon backbone and a side chain containing a fluorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon group.

Abstract: An acid generating agent represented by the following formula (1) or (2) is provided, which is included in chemically amplified resist compositions: wherein in the formula (1) and (2), X represents an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and selected from alkyl, haloalkyl and alkylsulfonyl, which may have at least one hydrogen atom substituted by an ether group, an ester group, a carbonyl group, an acetal group, a nitrile group, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group or an aldehyde group, or represents a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R6 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or a heteroatom selected from nitrogen, sulfur, fluorine and oxygen; m is an integer from 0 to 2; and A+ is an organic counterion.

Abstract: A pattern forming method includes (a) coating a substrate with a resist composition including a resin that includes a repeating unit represented by a following general formula (NGH-1), and, by the action of an acid, increases the polarity and decreases the solubility in a negative developing solution; (b) exposing; and (d) developing with a negative developing solution: wherein RNGH1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and RNGH2 to RNGH4 each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group, provided that at least one of RNGH2 to RNGH4 represents a hydroxyl group.

Abstract: A positive resist composition including a base material component (A) that exhibits increased solubility in an alkali developing solution under action of an acid; and an acid generator component (B) that generates an acid upon exposure, wherein the base material component (A) includes a polymeric compound (A1) having a structural unit (a10) derived from hydroxystyrene and a structural unit (a11) represented by general formula (a11-1) shown below: wherein R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or a halogenated alkyl group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; R21 represents an alkyl group; and R22 represents a group that forms an aliphatic monocyclic group of 7 to 10-membered ring together with the carbon atom to which this R22 group is bonded.

Abstract: A polymer comprising a structural unit represented by the formula (I): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, X represents a linear or branched chain C1-C6 alkylene group, Z represents a group represented by the formula (Ia): wherein R2 is independently in each occurrence a linear or branched chain C1-C6 alkyl group and m represents an integer of 0 to 15, and a structural unit represented by the formula (II): wherein R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, R4 is independently in each occurrence a linear or branched chain C1-C6 alkyl group and n represents an integer of 0 to 4.