Abstract: An silicon-containing antireflective coating (SiARC) material is applied on a substrate. The SiARC material which includes a base polymer and may include a boron silicate polymer including silsesquioxane. An etch sequence is utilized, which includes a first wet etch employing a basic solution, a second wet etch employing an acidic solution, and a third wet etch employing another basic solution. The first wet etch can be employed to break up the boron silicate polymer, and the second wet etch can remove the base polymer material, and the third wet etch can remove the residual boron silicate polymer and other residual materials. The SiARC material can be removed from a substrate employing the etch sequence, and the substrate can be reused for monitoring purposes.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition for forming a titanium-containing underlayer film comprising: as a component (A), a titanium-containing compound obtained by reacting a divalent or a trivalent alcohol represented by the following general formula (A-2) to one or more kinds of compounds selected from a titanium compound represented by the following general formula (A-1) and a titanium-containing compound obtained by hydrolysis and/or condensation of the titanium compound and as a component (C), solvent. There can be provided a composition for forming a titanium-containing underlayer film that is excellent in storage stability without changes in characteristics, pattern adhesiveness relative to a fine pattern, and etching selectivity relative to conventional organic film and silicon-containing film.

Abstract: Embodiments include a silicon-containing antireflective material including a silicon-containing base polymer, a non-polymeric silsesquioxane material, and a photoacid generator. The silicon-containing base polymer may contain chromophore moieties, transparent moieties, and reactive sites on an SiOx background, where x ranges from approximately 1 to approximately 2. Exemplary non-polymeric silsesquioxane materials include polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes having acid labile side groups linked to hydrophilic groups Exemplary acid labile side groups may include tertiary alkyl carbonates, tertiary alkyl esters, tertiary alkyl ethers, acetals and ketals, Exemplary hydrophilic groups may include phenols, alcohols, carboxylic acids, amides, and sulfonamides.

Abstract: The invention provides an acetal compound containing an adamantane ring having an alcoholic hydroxyl group which is protected with an acetal group having a carbonyl moiety of branched structure. A photoresist film comprising a polymer comprising recurring units derived from the acetal compound and an acid generator is characterized by a high dissolution contrast when it is subjected to exposure and organic solvent development to form an image via positive/negative reversal.

Abstract: An acid-labile ester monomer of spirocyclic structure has formula (1) wherein Z is a monovalent group having a polymerizable double bond, X is a divalent group which forms a cyclopentane, cyclohexane or norbornane ring, R2 is H or monovalent hydrocarbon, R3 and R4 are H or monovalent hydrocarbon, or R3 and R4, taken together, stand for a divalent group which forms a cyclopentane or cyclohexane ring, and n is 1 or 2. A polymer obtained from the acid-labile ester monomer has so high reactivity in acid-catalyzed elimination reaction that the polymer may be used to formulate a resist composition having high resolution.

Abstract: A sulfonium salt having a 4-fluorophenyl group is introduced as recurring units into a polymer comprising hydroxyphenyl (meth)acrylate units and acid labile group-containing (meth)acrylate units to form a polymer which is useful as a base resin in a resist composition. The resist composition has a high sensitivity, high resolution and minimized LER.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition for forming a titanium-containing resist underlayer film comprising: as component (A), a silicon-containing compound obtained by hydrolysis and/or condensation of one or more kinds of silicon compounds shown by the following general formula (A-I) and, as component (B), a titanium-containing compound obtained by hydrolysis and/or condensation of one or more kinds of hydrolysable titanium compounds shown by the following general formula (B-I). There can be provided a composition for forming a titanium-containing resist underlayer film to form a resist underlayer film having an excellent adhesiveness in fine patterning and an excellent etching selectivity relative to a conventional organic film and a silicon-containing film.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition for forming a metal oxide-containing film comprising, as a component (A), a metal oxide-containing compound A1 obtained by hydrolysis and/or condensation of one or more kinds of hydrolysable metal compounds shown by the following general formula (A-1), as a component (B), an aromatic compound shown by the following general formula (B-1), the compound generating a hydroxyl group by thermal and/or an acid. There can be provided a composition for a resist lower layer film, which has high etching selectivity, capable of subjecting to stripping under mild conditions than the conventional process, has excellent pattern adhesiveness, and fine pattern formation can be performed.

Abstract: A patterning process includes (1) forming, on a body to be processed on which a titanium-containing hard mask is formed, an organic underlayer film; (2) forming, on the organic underlayer film, a titanium-containing resist underlayer film having a titanium content of 10% to 60% by mass; (3) forming a photoresist film on the titanium-containing resist underlayer film; (4) forming a photoresist pattern by exposing the photoresist film and developing; (5) pattern-transferring onto the titanium-containing resist underlayer film by using the photoresist pattern as a mask; (6) pattern-transferring onto the organic underlayer film by using the titanium-containing resist underlayer film as a mask; and (7) removing the titanium-containing hard mask and the titanium-containing resist underlayer film by wet stripping method. A patterning process including removing a resist underlayer film using a wet stripper having a milder condition than the conventional stripper without causing damage to a body to be processed.

Abstract: A composition comprising a polymer comprising repeat units selected from formulae (1) to (4), an aromatic ring-containing polymer, a near-infrared absorbing dye, and a solvent is used to form a near-infrared absorptive film. R1, R7, R9, and R14 are H, methyl, fluorine or trifluoromethyl, R2 to R6 are H, F, trifluoromethyl, —C(CF3)2OR16, alkyl or alkoxy, at least one of R2 to R6 being F or a fluorinated group, R16, R8 and R13 are H or a monovalent organic group, L1 is a single bond or —C(?O)O—, m is 0 or 1, L2 is a di- or trivalent hydrocarbon group, n is 1 or 2, R10 to R12 are H, hydroxyl, halogen or a monovalent organic group, and R15 is a fluorinated C2-C15 hydrocarbon group.

Abstract: The invention provides a compound for forming an organic film having a partial structure represented by the following formula (i) or (ii), wherein the ring structures Ar1, Ar2 and Ar3 each represent a substituted or unsubstituted benzene ring or naphthalene ring; e is 0 or 1; R0 represents a hydrogen atom or a linear, branched or cyclic monovalent organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; L0 represents a linear, branched or cyclic divalent organic group having 1 to 32 carbon atoms; and the methylene group constituting L0 may be substituted by an oxygen atom or a carbonyl group. There can be provided an organic film composition for forming an organic film having high dry etching resistance as well as advanced filling/planarizing characteristics.

Abstract: The invention provides an organic film composition comprises (A) a heat-decomposable polymer, (B) an organic solvent, and (C) an aromatic ring containing resin, with the weight reduction rate of (A) the heat-decomposable polymer from 30° C. to 250° C. being 40% or more by mass. There can be provided an organic film composition having not only a high dry etching resistance but also an excellent filling-up or flattening characteristics.

Abstract: A positive resist composition comprising a polymer having a tetrahydrobenzocycloheptane-substituted secondary or tertiary carboxyl group ester as an acid labile group exhibits a high contrast of alkaline dissolution rate before and after exposure, a high resolution, a good pattern profile and minimal edge roughness after exposure, a significant effect of suppressing acid diffusion rate, and improved etching resistance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a near-infrared (NIR) film composition for use in vertical alignment and correction in the patterning of integrated semiconductor wafers and a pattern forming method using the composition. The NIR absorbing film composition includes a NIR absorbing dye having a polymethine cation and a crosslinkable anion, a crosslinkable polymer and a crosslinking agent. The patterning forming method includes aligning and focusing a focal plane position of a photoresist layer by sensing near-infrared emissions reflected from a substrate containing the photoresist layer and a NIR absorbing layer formed from the NIR absorbing film composition under the photoresist layer. The NIR absorbing film composition and the pattern forming method are especially useful for forming material patterns on a semiconductor substrate having complex buried topography.

Abstract: A positive resist composition comprising as a base resin a polymer having carboxyl groups whose hydrogen is substituted by an acid labile group of fluorene structure exhibits a high contrast of alkaline dissolution rate before and after exposure, a high resolution, a good pattern profile and minimal LER after exposure, a significant effect of suppressing acid diffusion rate, and improved etching resistance.

Abstract: There is disclosed a positive resist composition comprising (A) a specific resin (B) a photo acid generator, (C) a basic compound, and (D) a solvent. There can be a positive resist composition having, in a photolithography using a high energy beam such as an ArF excimer laser beam as a light source, an excellent resolution, especially excellent depth of focus (DOF) characteristics with an excellent pattern profile, and in addition, in formation of a contact hole pattern, giving a pattern having excellent circularity and high rectangularity; and a patterning process using this positive resist composition.

Abstract: A near-infrared absorbing dye has an anion of formula (1) wherein A1 is H or CF3, R0 is OH or —OC(?O)—R?, and R? is a monovalent hydrocarbon group. The dye has excellent solvent solubility as well as good optical properties and heat resistance, offering the advantages of easy coating and effective working during film formation. The dye free of heavy metal in its structure is advantageously used in the process of fabricating semiconductor devices.

Abstract: A composition comprising a polymer comprising repeat units selected from formulae (1) to (4), an aromatic ring-containing polymer, a near-infrared absorbing dye, and a solvent is used to form a near-infrared absorptive film. R1, R7, R9, and R14 are H, methyl, fluorine or trifluoromethyl, R2 to R6 are H, F, trifluoromethyl, —C(CF3)2OR16, alkyl or alkoxy, at least one of R2 to R6 being F or a fluorinated group, R16, R8 and R13 are H or a monovalent organic group, L1 is a single bond or —C(?O)O—, m is 0 or 1, L2 is a di- or trivalent hydrocarbon group, n is 1 or 2, R10 to R12 are H, hydroxyl, halogen or a monovalent organic group, and R15 is a fluorinated C2-C15 hydrocarbon group.

Abstract: A composition comprising (A) a fluorinated polymer having k=0.01-0.4 and n=1.4-2.1 and (B) an aromatic ring-bearing polymer having k=0.3-1.2 is used to form an antireflective coating. The ARC-forming composition can be deposited by the same process as prior art ARCs. The resulting ARC is effective in preventing reflection of exposure light in photolithography and has an acceptable dry etching rate.

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).