Abstract: A chemically amplified negative resist composition is provided comprising (A) an alkali-soluble base polymer, (B) an acid generator, and (C) a nitrogen-containing compound, the base polymer (A) turning alkali insoluble under the catalysis of acid. A polymer having a fluorinated carboxylic acid onium salt on a side chain is included as the base polymer. Processing the negative resist composition by a lithography process may form a resist pattern with advantages including uniform low diffusion of acid, improved LER, and reduced substrate poisoning.

Abstract: There is disclosed a sulfonium salt shown by the following general formula (1). There can be a sulfonium salt capable of introducing an acid-generating unit generating an acid having an appropriate acid strength and not impairing adhesion with a substrate into a base polymer; a polymer using the said sulfonium salt; a chemically amplified resist composition using the said polymer as a base polymer; and a patterning process using the said chemically amplified resist composition.

Abstract: A polymer comprising 0.5-10 mol % of recurring units having acid generating capability and 50-99.5 mol % of recurring units providing for dissolution in alkaline developer is used to formulate a chemically amplified negative resist composition. When used in a lithography process, the composition ensures an effective sensitivity, makes more uniform the distribution and diffusion of the acid generating component in a resist film, and suppresses deactivation of acid at the substrate interface. The pattern can be formed to a profile which is improved in LER and undercut.

Abstract: There is disclosed a negative resist composition comprising at least: (A) a base polymer that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by action of an acid; (B) an acid generator; and (C) a basic component, wherein the base polymer at least contains a polymer including repeating units represented by the following general formula (1) and general formula (2) and having a weight average molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000. There can be a negative resist composition hardly causing a bridge in forming a pattern and providing a high resolution and a patterning process using the same.

Abstract: A polymer comprising 0.5-10 mol % of recurring units having acid generating capability and 50-99.5 mol % of recurring units providing for dissolution in alkaline developer is used to formulate a chemically amplified negative resist composition. When used in a lithography process, the composition exhibits a high resolution and forms a negative resist pattern of a profile with minimized LER and undercut.

Abstract: There is disclosed a sulfonium salt represented by the following general formula (1). In the formula, X and Y each represents a group having a polymerizable functional group; Z represents a divalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 33 carbon atoms optionally containing a hetero atom; R1 represents a divalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 36 carbon atoms optionally containing a hetero atom; and R2 and R3 each represents a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms optionally containing a hetero atom or R2 and R3 may be bonded with each other to form a ring together with a sulfur atom in the formula. There can be provided a sulfonium salt usable as a resist composition providing high resolution and excellent in LER in photolithography using a high energy beam such as an ArF excimer laser, an EUV light and an electron beam as a light source, a polymer obtained from the sulfonium salt, a resist composition containing the polymer and a patterning process using the resist composition.

Abstract: A resist pattern is formed by coating a chemically amplified positive resist composition onto a substrate and prebaking to form a resist film, exposing to high-energy radiation, baking and developing with a developer to form a resist pattern, and heating the pattern for profile correction to such an extent that the line width may not undergo a change of at least 10%. An amount of a softening accelerator having a molecular weight of up to 800 is added to the resist composition comprising (A) a base resin, (B) an acid generator, (C) a nitrogen-containing compound, and (D) an organic solvent.

Abstract: There is disclosed a negative resist composition comprising at least: (A) a base polymer that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by action of an acid; (B) an acid generator; and (C) a basic component, wherein the base polymer at least contains a polymer including repeating units represented by the following general formula (1) and general formula (2) and having a weight average molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000. There can be a negative resist composition hardly causing a bridge in forming a pattern and providing a high resolution and a patterning process using the same.

Abstract: A polymer comprising recurring units having a fluorinated carboxylic acid onium salt structure on a side chain is used to formulate a chemically amplified positive resist composition. When the composition is processed by lithography to form a positive pattern, the diffusion of acid in the resist film is uniform and slow, and the pattern is improved in LER.

Abstract: There is disclosed a negative resist composition comprising at least: (A) a base polymer that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by action of an acid; (B) an acid generator; and (C) a basic component, wherein the base polymer at least contains a polymer including repeating units represented by the following general formula (1) and general formula (2) and having a weight average molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000. There can be a negative resist composition hardly causing a bridge in forming a pattern and providing a high resolution and a patterning process using the same.

Abstract: A negative resist composition comprises a base polymer comprising recurring units having an alkylthio group and having a Mw of 1000-2500, an acid generator, and a basic component, typically an amine compound containing a carboxyl group, but not active hydrogen. A 45-nm line-and-space pattern with a low value of LER can be formed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a negative resist composition comprising at least (A) a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by action of an acid, and/or a combination of a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by reaction with a crosslinker by action of an acid, with a crosslinker, (B) an acid generator, and (C) a compound containing a nitrogen as a basic component, and forming a resist film having the film thickness X (nm) of 50 to 100 nm, wherein, in the case that the resist film is formed from the negative resist composition under the film-forming conditions for the pattern formation, a dissolution rate of the resist film into the alkaline developer used in the development treatment for the pattern formation is 0.0333X?1.0 (nm/second) or more and 0.0667X?1.6 (nm/second) or less.

Abstract: A chemically amplified positive resist composition is provided comprising a polymer PB having an amine structure bound thereto and a polymer PA comprising recurring units having an acidic side chain protected with an acid labile protective group and recurring units having an acid generating moiety on a side chain.

Abstract: A polymer comprising recurring units having an acid-eliminatable group on a side chain and aromatic ring-bearing cyclic olefin units is used to formulate a chemically amplified negative resist composition. Any size shift between the irradiated pattern and the formed resist which can arise in forming a pattern including isolated feature and isolated space portions is reduced, and a high resolution is obtained.

Abstract: A chemically amplified negative resist composition is provided comprising (A) an alkali-soluble polymer, (B) an acid generator, and (C) a nitrogen-containing compound as a basic component, the polymer (A) turning alkali insoluble under the catalysis of acid. A basic polymer having a secondary or tertiary amine structure on a side chain serves as components (A) and (C). Processing the negative resist composition by EB or EUV lithography process may form a fine size resist pattern with advantages including uniform diffusion of base, improved LER, controlled deactivation of acid at the substrate interface, and a reduced degree of undercut.

Abstract: A polymer is provided comprising recurring units having a N,N?-bis(alkoxymethyl)tetrahydropyrimidinone or N,N?-bis(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyrimidinone structure on a side chain. When a chemically amplified negative resist composition is formulated using the polymer and processed by lithography, a fine resist pattern can be formed with the advantages of improved LER and high resolution.

Abstract: There is disclosed a negative resist composition wherein a base resin contains at least repeating units represented by the following general formula (1) and general formula (2) and has a weight average molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000, and the compound containing a nitrogen atom as a basic component contains one or more kinds of amine compounds having a carboxyl group and not having a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a base-center nitrogen atom. There can be a negative resist composition in which a bridge hardly occurs, substrate dependence is low and a pattern with a high sensitivity and a high resolution can be formed, and a patterning process using the same.

Abstract: A chemically amplified positive resist composition for EB or EUV lithography is provided comprising (A) a polymer or a blend of polymers wherein a film of the polymer or polymer blend is insoluble in alkaline developer, but turns soluble under the action of acid, (B) an acid generator, (C) a basic compound, and (D) a solvent. The basic compound (C) is a polymer comprising recurring units bearing a side chain having a secondary or tertiary amine structure as a basic active site and constitutes a part or the entirety of the polymer or polymers as component (A).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a positive resist composition and to a pattern forming process using the same. The present invention provides: a positive resist composition having an enhanced etching resistance and an excellent resolution and being capable of providing an excellent pattern profile even at a substrate-side boundary face of resist, in photolithography for fine processing, and particularly in lithography adopting, as an exposure source, KrF laser, extreme ultraviolet rays, electron beam, X-rays, or the like; and a pattern forming process utilizing the positive resist composition.

Abstract: Provided are a preparation method of a resist composition which enables stabilization of a dissolution performance of a resist film obtained from the resist composition thus prepared; and a resist composition obtained by the preparation process and showing small lot-to-lot variations in degradation over time. The process of the present invention is for preparing a chemically amplified resist composition containing a binder, an acid generator, a nitrogenous basic substance and a solvent and it has steps of selecting, as the solvent, a solvent having a peroxide content not greater than an acceptable level, and mixing constituent materials of the resist composition in the selected solvent.