Abstract: It is disclosed an over-coating agent for forming fine-line patterns which is applied to cover a substrate having thereon photoresist patterns and allowed to shrink under heat so that the spacing between adjacent photoresist patterns is lessened, with the applied film of the over-coating agent being removed substantially completely to form or define fine trace patterns, further characterized by containing a copolymer or a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol with a water-soluble polymer other than polyvinyl alcohol. Also disclosed is a method of forming fine-line patterns using the over-coating agent. According to the invention, one can effectively increase the shrinkage amount (the amount of heat shrinking) of the agent, thereby achieving a remarkably improved effect of forming or defining fine-line patterns and which also present satisfactory profiles and meet the characteristics required of today's semiconductor devices.

Abstract: It is disclosed a cleaning liquid for stripping and dissolving a photoresist pattern having a film thickness of 10-150 &mgr;m, which contains (a) 0.5-15 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetrapropylammonium hydroxide and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, (b) 65-97 mass % of a water-soluble organic solvent, such as dimethylsulfoxide or a mixed solvent thereof with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, sulforane, etc. and (c) 0.5-30 mass % of water, and a method for treating a substrate therewith.

Abstract: The invention discloses a protective coating solution suitable for forming a resinous protective coating layer on a patterned resist layer in the manufacture of semiconductor devices having, in particular, crowdedly hole-patterned areas and areas of an isolated hole pattern. The essential ingredients of the solution are (A) a resinous compound such as an acrylic resin and (B) a crosslinking compound such as a triazine compound which are combined in such a proportion of 2:8 to 4:6 by weight that the overall weight-average molecular weight of the components (A) and (B) is in the range from 1300 to 4500. This inventive coating solution is advantageous in respect of evenness in the thickness of the coating layer even on a patterned resist layer having a crowdedly hole-patterned area and an isolatedly hole-patterned area and absence of unfilled voids within the hole patterns.

Abstract: Disclosed is an anti-reflective coating composition for forming an anti-reflective coating as an undercoating layer is provided, comprising a crosslinking agent, which is at least one compound selected from nitrogen-containing compounds having an amino group(s) and/or an imino group(s) at least two hydrogen atoms of which are substituted by a hydroxyalkyl group(s) and/or an alkoxyalkyl group(s), and an acidic compound, wherein the crosslinking agent is such that the proportion of its low-molecular-weight component not larger than a trimer is adjusted to be 15 wt % or less; a multilayer photoresist material using the composition; and a method for forming a pattern. According to the present invention, even in the formation of a hyperfine pattern, it is possible to provide a photoresist pattern having a rectangular cross-sectional profile in relation to the substrate without causing any undesirable phenomena, such as footing, undercutting, etc. at is bottom.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid coating composition for forming a top antireflective film that contains a polymer, the polymer containing, as a structural unit, a (meth)acrylate unit that has at least one polycyclic hydrocarbon group on its side chain and becomes more soluble to alkali by the action of an acid, the liquid coating composition comprising: (a) a water-soluble, film-forming component; (b) at least one fluorine-based compound selected from a perfluoroalkylcarboxylic acid having 4 or more carbon atoms and a perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid having 5 or more carbon atoms; and (c) a fluoroalkylsulfonic acid having 1-4 carbon atoms and/or an acidic compound consisting of a hydrocarbon having 1-4 carbon atoms in which one or more hydrogen atoms are substituted with a fluoloalkylsulfonyl group(s), with the proviso that one or more carbon atoms therein may be substituted with a nitrogen atom(s).

Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution which comprises (a) a salt of hydrofluoric acid with a base free from metal ions: (b) a water-soluble organic solvent; (c) a basic substance; and (d) water; and a method comprising etching a substrate using a photoresist pattern formed on the substrate as a mask, ashing the photoresist pattern, stripping the ashed photoresist pattern using the photoresist stripping solution as described above, and then rinsing the substrate with water. Thus, there are disclosed a photoresist stripping solution which is excellent not only in stripping away post-ashing residue (modified photoresist films) and post-etching residue (metal deposition) but also in protecting substrates from corrosion in the step of rinsing with water; and a method for stripping photoresists using the same.

Abstract: The invention discloses an improvement in the photolithographic patterning method of a photoresist layer formed on a substrate surface with intervention of an anti-reflection coating film, in which the refractive index and the light-absorption coefficient of the anti-reflection coating film are controlled in such a way that, in a graph prepared by plotting the thickness of the anti-reflection coating film taken as the abscissa values and the reflectivity of the light for patterning exposure at the interface between the anti-reflection coating film and the photoresist layer thereon taken as the ordinate values, the range of the variation in the film thickness corresponding to an increment of 0.01 in the reflectivity in the vicinity of the minimum point on the thickness vs. reflectivity curve does not exceed ±0.01 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution comprising (a) a specified quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, methyltributylammonium hydroxide or methyltripropylammonium hydroxide, (b) a water-soluble amine, (c) water, (d) a corrosion inhibitor and (e) a water-soluble organic solvent, the compounding ratio of component (a) to component (b) being in the range of from 1:3 to 1:10 by mass, as well as a method of stripping photoresists using the solution. The stripping solution of the invention assures effective protection of Al, Cu and other wiring metal conductors against corroding as well as efficient stripping of the photoresist film, post-ashing residues such as modified photoresist film and metal depositions. It also assures efficient stripping of Si-based residues and effective protection of the substrate (particularly the reverse side of a Si substrate) from corroding.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a photoresist stripping solution comprising (a) a nitrogen-containing organic hydroxyl compound, (b) a water soluble organic solvent, (c) water, and (d) a specific benzotriazole compound, and a method of stripping photoresists using the same. According to the invention, there are provided a photoresist stripping solution, which is particularly suitable for SiO2 substrates utilized in liquid-crystal panel devices, and is excellent not only in preventing substrates from corrosion having metallic conductor patterns, particularly copper (Cu) conductor patterns, formed thereon, or substrates having metallic conductor patterns and overlying inorganic material layers formed thereon, but also in stripping photoresist layers as well as modified photoresist films, and a method for removing a photoresist using said stripping solution.

Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution which comprises (a) a salt of hydrofluoric acid with a base free from metal ions, (b) a water-soluble organic solvent, (c) a mercapto group containing corrosion inhibitor, and (d) water, and a method of stripping photoresists with the use of the same are disclosed. In case of using ammonium fluoride as component (a), the photoresist stripping solution may further contain (e) a salt of hydrofluoric acid with a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, etc., and/or an alkanolamine. The photoresist stripping solution of the present invention has an excellent effect of protecting both Al- and Cu-based metal wiring conductors from corrosion, of efficiently stripping photoresist films and post-ashing residues, and is free from the precipitation of the corrosion inhibitor.

Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution comprising (a) a carboxyl group-containing acidic compound, (b) at least one basic compound (for example, monoethanolamine, tetraalkylammonium) selected from among alkanolamines and specific quaternary ammonium hydroxides, (c) a sulfur-containing corrosion inhibitor and (d) water, and having a pH value of 3.5-5.5; and a method of stripping photoresists using the same are disclosed. The present invention provides a photoresist stripping solution which is excellent in the effect of protecting metal wirings (in particular, Cu wirings) from corrosion, never damages interlevel films, such as low dielectric layers or organic SOG layers, and shows excellent strippability of photoresist films and post-ashing residues.

Abstract: A material for forming a protective film comprising an organic solvent and a compound having at least two alicyclic structures.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a method for processing a coating film comprising the steps of forming a silica group coating film having a low dielectric constant on a substrate, conducting an etching process to the silica group coating film through a photoresist pattern, processing the silica group coating film with plasma induced from helium gas. With this, it is possible to prevent the silica group coating film from being damaged when a wet stripping process is conducted to the photoresist pattern as a subsequent process, and to maintain the low dielectric constant of the coating film.

Abstract: A photo-resist mask is ashed after the pattern transfer, and is, thereafter, treated with liquid photo-resist remover, wherein photo-resist remover comprises salt produced through interaction between hydrofluoric acid and a base without metal ion, water, water soluble organic solvent and a derivative of benztriazole expressed by the general formula: 1

Abstract: A composition includes a copolymer of vinylimidazole with a water-soluble film-forming monomer other than vinylimidazole, and a fluorine-containing surfactant. A resist laminate is obtained by forming an anti-reflection coating on the surface of a photoresist film, which anti-refection coating is composed of a coating solution obtained by dissolving the composition in water. The composition for lithographic anti-reflection coating has balanced compatibility with conventional photoresist compositions. By using the composition, a semiconductor device can be efficiently produced without the clogging of waste fluids in a waste fluid pipe, even when the application of the photoresist composition and the formation of the anti-reflection coating are sequentially performed using one coater. This composition is also advantageous for saving space in a clean room.

Abstract: The invention discloses a protective coating solution suitable for forming a resinous protective coating layer on a patterned resist layer in the manufacture of semiconductor devices having, in particular, crowdedly hole-patterned areas and areas of an isolated hole pattern. The essential ingredients of the solution are (A) a resinous compound such as an acrylic resin and (B) a crosslinking compound such as a triazine compound which are combined in such a proportion of 2:8 to 4:6 by weight that the overall weight-average molecular weight of the components (A) and (B) is in the range from 1300 to 4500. This inventive coating solution is advantageous in a respect of evenness in the thickness of the coating layer even on a patterned resist layer having a crowdedly hole-patterned area and an isolatedly hole-patterned area and absence of unfilled voids within the hole patterns.

Abstract: Disclosed is an anti-reflective coating composition for forming an anti-reflective coating as an undercoating layer is provided, comprising a crosslinking agent, which is at least one compound selected from nitrogen-containing compounds having an amino group(s) and/or an imino group(s) at least two hydrogen atoms of which are substituted by a hydroxyalkyl group(s) and/or an alkoxyalkyl group(s), and an acidic compound, wherein the crosslinking agent is such that the proportion of its low-molecular-weight component not larger than a trimer is adjusted to be 15 wt % or less; a multilayer photoresist material using the composition; and a method for forming a pattern. According to the present invention, even in the formation of a hyperfine pattern, it is possible to provide a photoresist pattern having a rectangular cross-sectional profile in relation to the substrate without causing any undesirable phenomena, such as footing, undercutting, etc. at is bottom.

Abstract: The invention discloses an improvement in the photolithographic patterning method of a photoresist layer formed on a substrate surface with intervention of an anti-reflection coating film, in which the refractive index and the light-absorption coefficient of the anti-reflection coating film are controlled in such a way that, in a graph prepared by plotting the thickness of the anti-reflection coating film taken as the abscissa values and the reflectivity of the light for patterning exposure at the interface between the anti-reflection coating film and the photoresist layer thereon taken as the ordinate values, the range of the variation in the film thickness corresponding to an increment of 0.01 in the reflectivity in the vicinity of the minimum point on the thickness vs. reflectivity curve does not exceed ±0.01 &mgr;m.

Abstract: The present invention provides a rinsing solution for lithography with which finely processed parts of a resist pattern can be well rinsed without corroding a metallic film made of Al, Al—Si, Al—Si—Cu, etc. and which is economically advantageous and has a high safety; and a method for processing a substrate with the use of the same. The rinsing solution contains at least one selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether and ethyl lactate.

Abstract: A composition includes a copolymer of vinylimidazole with a water-soluble film-forming monomer other than vinylimidazole, and a fluorine-containing surfactant. A resist laminate is obtained by forming an anti-reflection coating on the surface of a photoresist film, which anti-refection coating is composed of a coating solution obtained by dissolving the composition in water. The composition for lithographic anti-reflection coating has balanced compatibility with conventional photoresist compositions. By using the composition, a semiconductor device can be efficiently produced without the clogging of waste fluids in a waste fluid pipe, even when the application of the photoresist composition and the formation of the anti-reflection coating are sequentially performed using one coater. This composition is also advantageous for saving space in a clean room.