Abstract: Provided are a polymer compound having high transparency for use in a photoresist composition for microfabrication of the next generation, a resist composition using the polymer compound as a base polymer, and a dissolution inhibitor agent composed of the polymer compound. To ensure etching resistance, an alicyclic group is introduced into a side chain portion. Hydrogen atoms on the ring of the alicyclic group are highly fluorinated to ensure transparency to light of 157 nanometer wavelength, represented by an adsorption coefficient equal to or less than 3.0 ?m?1. As the alicyclic group, a polycyclic group is preferably used. Hydrogen atoms are highly fluorinated by preferably substituting all hydrogen atoms on the ring by fluorine atoms, that is, forming a perfluoroalicyclic group. The resist composition is formed by using the polymer compound as a base polymer and further, the dissolution inhibitor agent is formed of the polymer compound.

Abstract: An acquisition unit of a user terminal acquires an initiator ID including a user ID and a computer ID. The initiator ID is transmitted by a transmitter unit, and then, received by a transmitter/receiver unit of a storage device. A LUDB stores information determining a LU corresponding to each user ID of several users. A masking unit refers to the LUDB to determine the LU corresponding to the user ID. If the received initiator ID differs from an initiator ID stored in a table corresponding to the determined LU, an access control unit refuses access to the LU by the user terminal.

Abstract: A distributed system of this invention forms multiplexing by n computers, and permits up to f computers to fail and halt. Respective computers exchange input candidates via an internal network B, and generate lists of input candidates. Each computer repeats generation of the list until (n?f) identical input candidates appear in that list. A computer which satisfies this condition executes its process irrespective of the states of other computers. This distributed system never generates a split brain in principle, and never interrupts a process upon occurrence of a failure due to time-out since it does not perform any failure detection.

Abstract: A resist composition for liquid immersion lithography process, which comprises: (A) a polymer comprising (a1) alkali-soluble constitutional units each comprising an alicyclic group having both (i) a fluorine atom or a fluoroalkyl group and (ii) an alcoholic hydroxyl group, wherein the polymer changes in alkali-solubility due to the action of acid; and (B) an acid generator which generates acid due to exposure to light, and a method for forming a resist pattern using the resist composition. By the resist composition or the method, an adverse effect of the immersion liquid can be avoided while achieving high resolution and high depth of focus.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a positive-type resist composition for liquid immersion lithography and a method of forming a resist pattern, in particular, a positive-type resist composition for liquid immersion lithography that exhibits superior liquid immersion resistance to water; and a method for forming a resist pattern by thereof. The positive-type resist composition for liquid immersion lithography according to the present invention includes a resin component (A) increasing alkali-solubility by acid action; and an acid generator generating acid by exposure; in which, the resin component (A) contains at least one acrylic ester constitutional unit (a1), and one (meth)acrylic ester constitutional unit (a2) having acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting group, and the constitutional unit (a1) consists of a cyclic group bonded to the acrylic ester of the constitutional unit (a1), and a fluoro organic group bonded to the cyclic group.

Abstract: A photoresist composition is provided, that includes (A) a polymer component including an alkaline-soluble constitutional unit that contains an aliphatic cyclic group having both (i) a fluorine atom or a fluorinated alkyl group and (ii) an alcoholic hydroxide group; in which the alkaline solubility of the polymer component may be changed by action of an acid; and (B) an acid generating component, capable of generating an acid by way of exposure, that contains at least a sulfonium compound expressed by the general formula (1) below; in the formula (1), X represents a C2 to C6 alkylene group of which at least a hydrogen atom is substituted by a fluorine atom; R1 to R3 represent independently of each other an aryl or alkyl group, and at least one of R1 to R3 represents an aryl group.

Abstract: The resist protective film forming material for liquid immersion lithography is provided, which is suitable when the non-aqueous solution with a high transparency and high refractive index exemplified by the fluorinated liquid is used. The resist protective film forming material includes at least one component selected from water-soluble and alkali-soluble film forming components. The liquid immersion lithography process improves the resolution of resist patterns by irradiating a light beam on a resist film interposing a given thickness of the non-aqueous solution with a refractive index higher than that of the air at least on the resist film in a path, along where the lithography exposing light beam passes to the resist film.

Abstract: A cluster management unit provided in each of two servers carries out a state-transition in accordance with a state transition diagram both in cases where a fault occurs in at least one of the two servers and where the server is restored from the fault. A state writing processor provided in a server priority process unit of the each server stores, into a disk drive, a server priority determined based on a server state indicated by state change information. When faults occur in the two servers and at least one of the two servers is thereafter restored from the fault, a comparing processor in the server priority process unit of the one server determines whether or not the priority of the one server is higher than the priority of the other server, based on at least the priority of the one server. The cluster management unit of the one server carries out a corresponding state-transition based on this determination result and state transition diagram.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to non-self imageable and imageable norbornene-type polymers useful for immersion lithographic processes, methods of making such polymers, compositions employing such polymers and the immersion lithographic processes that make use of such compositions. More specifically the embodiments of the present invention are related to norbornene-type polymers useful for forming imaging layer and top-coat layers for overlying such imaging layers in immersion lithographic process and the process thereof.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to non-self imageable and imageable norbornene-type polymers useful for immersion lithographic processes, methods of making such polymers, compositions employing such polymers and the immersion lithographic processes that make use of such compositions. More specifically the embodiments of the present invention are related to norbornene-type polymers useful for forming imaging layer and top-coat layers for overlying such imaging layers in immersion lithographic process and the process thereof.

Abstract: A high-molecular compound and a low-molecular compound or both having an alkali-soluble site (i) wherein at least a part of the alkali-soluble site (i) is protected with (ii) a halogen atom-containing acetal type acid-dissociative, dissolution inhibiting group, as well as a photoresist composition comprising the same. The photoresist composition is highly stable during storage and can give a resist pattern excellent in sectional rectangular shape and having high transparency to an exposure light, particularly a light having a wavelength of 300 nm or less.

Abstract: In a distributed system in which a plurality of resources execute a distributed transaction, each of the resources changes the state of an own updating process in accordance with an notification from a coordinator. In addition, each of the resources includes a termination protocol unit which collects states of updating processes of the resources, and executes a termination protocol by determining whether to commit or abort the own updating process, on the basis of the collected states of the updating processes, regardless of the notification from the coordinator.

Abstract: A photoresist composition containing a polymer (A) containing an alkali-soluble constituent unit (a1) containing an alicyclic group having both a fluorine atom or a fluorinated alkyl group (i) and an alcoholic hydroxyl group (ii), whose alkali-solubility is changeable by an action of an acid; an acid generator (B) which generates an acid by light irradiation; and a dissolution inhibitor (C) having a fluorine atom(s) and/or a nitrogen-containing compound (D) selected from a tertiary amine (d1) having a polar group, a tertiary alkylamine (d2) having 7 or more and 15 or less of carbon atoms or an ammonium salt (d3). The composition has a resist property capable of accomplishing line and space (1:1) of 90 nm or less in good shape as a pattern processing accuracy of a semiconductor integrated circuit by lithography.

Abstract: A resist composition for liquid immersion lithography process, which comprises: (A) a polymer comprising (a1) alkali-soluble constitutional units each comprising an alicyclic group having both (i) a fluorine atom or a fluoroalkyl group and (ii) an alcoholic hydroxyl group, wherein the polymer changes in alkali-solubility due to the action of acid; and (B) an acid generator which generates acid due to exposure to light, and a method for forming a resist pattern using the resist composition. By the resist composition or the method, an adverse effect of the immersion liquid can be avoided while achieving high resolution and high depth of focus.

Abstract: A distributed system using a quorum redundancy method in which a redundancy process is executed by at least Q processing elements of N processing elements communicable with each other, each of N processing elements includes a resynchronization determining unit for determining that an execution state of the processing element itself can be resynchronized with a latest execution state in the distributed system in the case where the processing element can communicate with at least F+1 elements (F=N?Q) already synchronized of the N processing elements at the time of rebooting the processing element, and a resynchronizing unit for resynchronizing the execution state of the processing element itself to the latest one of the execution states of the at least F+1 processing elements in accordance with the result of determination by the resynchronizing unit.

Abstract: Provided are a polymer compound having high transparency for use in a photoresist composition for microfabrication of the next generation, a resist composition using the polymer compound as a base polymer, and a dissolution inhibitor agent composed of the polymer compound. To ensure etching resistance, an alicyclic group is introduced into a side chain portion. Hydrogen atoms on the ring of the alicyclic group are highly fluorinated to ensure transparency to light of 157 nanometer wavelength, represented by an adsorption coefficient equal to or less than 3.0 ?m?1. As the alicyclic group, a polycyclic group is preferably used. Hydrogen atoms are highly fluorinated by preferably substituting all hydrogen atoms on the ring by fluorine atoms, that is, forming a perfluoroalicyclic group. The resist composition is formed by using the polymer compound as a base polymer and further, the dissolution inhibitor agent is formed of the polymer compound.

Abstract: The invention discloses a novel ester compound of an unsaturated carboxylic acid represented by the general formula in which R1 is preferably a hydrogen atom or methyl group, R2 is preferably a trifluoromethyl group, R3 is a non-aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbon group or, preferably, an adamantyl group and R4 is preferably a hydrogen atom or methyl group. This unsaturated ester compound is polymerizable to give a (co)polymeric resin which can be used as a base resinous ingredient in a photoresist composition for light exposure with ultraviolet light of a very short wavelength by virtue of the high transparency to the short-wavelength light. A synthetic method for the preparation of the novel ester compound is disclosed.

Abstract: A cluster system managing a plurality of disk drives as a component of a virtual RAID comprises a cluster manager and a control unit. The cluster manager converts a global command G into local commands and a parity calculate command. The control unit comprises a command conversion function means, a disk control means, a parity calculation means, and a command transfer means. The command conversion function means makes the cluster manager convert the command G into the commands. The disk control means reads/writes from/to the units to according to the commands. The parity calculation means calculates the parity according to the command. The command transfer means transfers the command to one of the computer, the disk control means and the parity calculation means according to the commands.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing a program that is executed on one of a plurality of computers in a distributed computer system by using a reliable ordered multicast, comprising the steps of generating a new process comprising a program and the status in execution on a computer, and transferring the new process through the reliable ordered multicast to the computers, respectively.

Abstract: The invention discloses a novel ester compound of an unsaturated carboxylic acid represented by the general formula 1