Abstract: In the exposure and development of available deep ultraviolet (DUV) sensitive photoresist it has been observed that following the standard prior art methods of exposure and development results in a high density of undesirable remnants (denoted as Blob Defects) of various components of photoresist material remaining on the semiconductor substrate (body). A method of exposing and developing the photoresist material which results in a reduced incidence of these Blob Defects consists of using a Puddle Development technique to develop the photoresist material, and subsequently exposing the semiconductor wafer to at least one Puddle Rinse cycle which uses water.

Abstract: A photoresist binder composition comprising a homogeneous blend of (i) a hydroxystyrene copolymer comprising a first monomer that is optionally substituted hydroxystyrene and a second monomer containing an acid labile group, preferably pendant to the polymer backbone, and (ii) and a phenolic polymer, that is optionally partially or wholly protected, such as polyhydroxystyrene, poly(hydroxystyrene-co-styrene), poly(hydroxystyrene-co-styrene-co-t-butyl acrylate), novolac, and the like. Also provided is a lithographic resist composition comprising the homogeneous blend of the photoresist binder composition, and a radiation-sensitive acid generator which generates an acid upon exposure to radiation, and a process for using the resist composition to generate resist images on a substrate, such as in the manufacture of integrated circuits or the like.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a high-performance irradiation sensitive resists and to a polymer resin composition useful for making the same. In accordance to the present invention, the polymer resin comprises a dual blocked polymer resins. Specifically, the dual blocked polymer resin comprises at least two different acid labile protecting groups which block some, but not all, of the polar functional groups of the polymer resin. a chemically amplified resist system comprising said dual blocked polymer resin; at least one acid generator; and a solvent is also provided herein.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a high-performance irradiation sensitive positive-tone resist and to a method of formulating the same. In one aspect, the polymer resin composition of the present invention comprises a blend of at least two miscible aqueous base soluble polymer resins, wherein one of said aqueous base soluble polymer resins of said blend is partially protected with a high activation energy protecting group and the other aqueous base soluble polymer resin of said blend is partially protected with a low activation energy protecting group. A chemically amplified resist system comprising said polymer resin composition; at least one acid generator; and a solvent is also provided herein.

Abstract: The invention provides new photoresist compositions that contain a resin binder and a blend of photoacid generators. Photoacid generator blends of the invention produce photoacids that differ in acid strength and/or size. A specific composition comprises a terpolymer having units of hydroxystyrene, styrene and t-butyl acrylate with the photoacid generators di-(4-tbutylphenyl)iodonium camphorsulfonate and di-(4-t-butylphenyl)iodonium o-trifluoromethylbenzene sulfonate.

Abstract: A photo resist composition contains at least one photoacid generator (PAG), wherein at least two photoacids are produced upon exposure of the photo resist to actinic energy and wherein the photo resist is capable of producing a hybrid response. The function of providing generation of two photoacids in a hybrid resist is to optimize the use of hybrid resist by varying the hybrid space width. The at least two photoacids may differ in their effectiveness at catalyzing at least one mechanism of the hybrid response. In particular, one photoacid may be a weaker acid and another may be a stronger acid, wherein there exists a difference of at least four orders of magnitude between the acid dissociation constant (Ka) of the weaker acid and the stronger acid.

Abstract: The present invention is an admixture of an electrically conductive material and an energy sensitive material resulting in a conductive energy sensitive composition. The structures are useful for lithography in microelectronic fabrication to avoid the effects of charging on resists from electron beams. The compositions are also useful in applications of scanning electron metrology and static dissipation.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a high-performance irradiation sensitive positive-tone resist and to a method of formulating the same. In one aspect, the polymer resin composition of the present invention comprises a blend of at least two miscible aqueous base soluble polymer resins, wherein one of said aqueous base soluble polymer resins of said blend is partially protected with a high activation energy protecting group and the other aqueous base soluble polymer resin of said blend is partially protected with a low activation energy protecting group. A chemically amplified resist system comprising said polymer resin composition; at least one acid generator; and a solvent is also provided herein.