Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer edge protection film having dry etching resistance superior to those of the previously-known wafer edge protection films, as well as excellent film forming property even at wafer edge portions, which are difficult to coat: a wafer edge protection film forming method for forming a protection film on a wafer edge of a substrate, including the steps of (i) coating a peripheral edge of the substrate with a composition for forming a protection film including an aromatic ring-containing resin (A) having an organic group represented by the following general formula (1), and a solvent; and (ii) curing the applied composition for forming a protection film by heat or optical irradiation to form the protection film on the peripheral edge of the substrate. wherein RA is a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and * represents a bonding site.

Abstract: A composition for forming an organic film contains a polymer having a partial structure shown by the following general formula (1A) as a repeating unit, and an organic solvent, where AR1 and AR2 each represent a benzene ring or a naphthalene ring which optionally have a substituent; each R represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms and an unsaturated bond; R? represents a single bond or W1; and W1 represents a divalent organic group having 6 to 80 carbon atoms and one or more aromatic rings. This invention provides: a composition for forming an organic film, the composition containing a polymer having an indenofluorene structure with high carbon content and thermosetting property as to enable high etching resistance and excellent twisting resistance; a patterning process using this composition; and a polymer for providing such a composition for forming an organic film.

Abstract: The present invention is a composition for forming a silicon-containing metal hard mask, including: (A) a metal oxide nanoparticle; (B) a thermally crosslinkable polysiloxane (Sx) having no aromatic-ring-containing organic group; and (C) a solvent. This provides a composition for forming a silicon-containing metal hard mask that has a high effect of inhibiting collapse of an ultrafine pattern in a multilayer resist method, that can form a resist pattern having excellent LWR, that has more excellent dry etching resistance and wet removability than a conventional silicon-containing underlayer film material, and that has more excellent filling ability than a conventional metal hard mask material.

Abstract: The present invention is a composition for forming a metal oxide film, comprising (A) a metal oxide nanoparticle, (B) a flowability accelerator, which is a compound and/or a polymer having a molecular weight of 5000 or less represented by one or more selected from the following general formulae (I), (II) and (III), and (C) an organic solvent, wherein a weight ratio of the (A) metal oxide nanoparticle to the (B) flowability accelerator is 10/90 to 90/10. This makes it possible to provide a composition for forming a metal oxide film having excellent dry etching resistance relative to a previously-known organic underlayer film composition and also has high filling and planarizing properties, a patterning process using the composition, and a method for forming a metal oxide film (resist underlayer film).

Abstract: The present invention is a planarizing agent for forming an organic film, including an aromatic-group-containing compound having a molecular weight represented by a molecular formula of 200 to 500, wherein a blended composition that includes the planarizing agent and a preliminary composition containing an organic film-forming resin and a solvent, and having a complex viscosity of 1.0 Pa·s or more in a temperature range of 175° C. or higher has a temperature range in which a complex viscosity of the blended composition is less than 1.0 Pa·s in a temperature range of 175° C. or higher. This provides a planarizing agent for forming an organic film to yield a composition for forming an organic film having a high planarizing ability; a composition for forming an organic film containing this planarizing agent; a method for forming an organic film using this composition; and a patterning process.

Abstract: A resist underlayer film material contains (A) a resin having a compound shown in the following general formula (1A), and (B) an organic solvent. Mw/Mn of the compound shown in the general formula (1A) is 1.00?Mw/Mn?1.25. This provides: a resist underlayer film material having all of favorable dry etching resistance, heat resistance to 500° C. or higher, and high filling and planarizing properties; and methods for forming a resist underlayer film and patterning processes which use the material.

Abstract: A material for forming a filling film for inhibiting semiconductor substrate pattern collapse contains: (A) a polymer having a structural unit shown by the following general formula (1); (B) a residual-solvent removal promoter containing a compound shown by the following general formula (2); and (C) an organic solvent. A ratio Mw/Mn of a weight-average molecular weight Mw and a number-average molecular weight Mn of the polymer (A) in terms of polystyrene by a gel permeation chromatography method is 2.50?Mw/Mn?9.00. The residual-solvent removal promoter (B) is contained in an amount of 0.1 to 40 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the polymer (A). The material for forming a filling film for inhibiting semiconductor substrate pattern collapse contains no acid generator.

Abstract: The present invention provides a resist underlayer film material used in a multilayer resist method, the material containing: (A) a resin having a structural unit shown by the following general formula (1); and (B) an organic solvent. The resin content is 20 mass % or more. This provides: a resist underlayer film material having excellent filling property and adhesiveness, and favorable planarizing property; and a patterning process and a method for forming a resist underlayer film which use the material.

Abstract: A thermosetting silicon-containing compound contains one or more of structural units shown by the following general formulae (Sx-1), (Sx-2), and (Sx-3): where R1 represents a monovalent organic group containing both a phenyl group optionally having a substituent and a non-aromatic ring having 3 to 10 carbon atoms; and R2, R3 each represent the R1 or a monovalent organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms. Thus, the present invention provides a thermosetting silicon-containing compound usable in a silicon-containing resist underlayer film material capable of achieving contradictory properties of having both alkaline developer resistance and improved solubility in an alkaline stripping liquid containing no hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract: A composition for forming an organic film contains a polymer having a partial structure shown by the following general formula (1A) as a repeating unit, and an organic solvent, where AR1 and AR2 each represent a benzene ring or a naphthalene ring which optionally have a substituent; each R represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms and an unsaturated bond; R? represents a single bond or W1; and W1 represents a divalent organic group having 6 to 80 carbon atoms and one or more aromatic rings. This invention provides: a composition for forming an organic film, the composition containing a polymer having an indenofluorene structure with high carbon content and thermosetting property as to enable high etching resistance and excellent twisting resistance; a patterning process using this composition; and a polymer for providing such a composition for forming an organic film.

Abstract: A thermosetting silicon-containing compound contains one or more of structural units shown by the following general formulae (Sx-1), (Sx-2), and (Sx-3): where R1 represents a monovalent organic group containing both a phenyl group optionally having a substituent and a non-aromatic ring having 3 to 10 carbon atoms; and R2, R3 each represent the R1 or a monovalent organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms. Thus, the present invention provides a thermosetting silicon-containing compound usable in a silicon-containing resist underlayer film material capable of achieving contradictory properties of having both alkaline developer resistance and improved solubility in an alkaline stripping liquid containing no hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract: A patterning process includes: (1) forming on a substrate an organic underlayer film, a silicon-containing middle layer film thereon, and further an upper layer resist film thereon; (2) subjecting the upper layer resist film to exposure and development to form an upper layer resist pattern; (3) transferring the upper layer resist pattern to the silicon-containing middle layer film by dry etching, and further transferring the upper layer resist pattern to the organic underlayer film to form an organic underlayer film pattern; (4) forming an inorganic silicon film by a CVD method or an ALD method; (5) removing a portion of the inorganic silicon film by dry etching to expose an upper portion of the organic underlayer film pattern; and (6) removing the organic underlayer film pattern with a stripping liquid to form an inorganic silicon film pattern. The process can solve problems of poor product performance and yield decrease.

Abstract: The invention provides a compound for forming an organic film having a partial structure represented by the following formula (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 a compound for forming an organic film having a partial structure represented by the following formula (vii-2), wherein R1 represents a linear, branched or cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and a methylene group constituting R1 may be substituted by an oxygen atom; a+b is 1, 2 or 3; c and d are each independently 0, 1 or 2; x represents 0 or 1, when x=0, then a=c=0; L7 represents a linear, branched or cyclic divalent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, L8? represents the partial structure represented by the following formula (i), 0?o<1, 0<p?1 and o+p=1, wherein the ring structures Ar3 represent a substituted or unsubstituted benzene ring or naphthalene ring; R0 represents a hydrogen atom or a linear, branched or cyclic monovalent organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; and L0 represents a divalent organic group.

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: 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 a compound for forming an organic film having a partial structure represented by the following formula (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 a compound for forming an organic film having a partial structure represented by the following formula (vii-2), wherein R1 represents a linear, branched or cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and a methylene group constituting R1 may be substituted by an oxygen atom; a+b is 1, 2 or 3; c and d are each independently 0, 1 or 2; x represents 0 or 1, when x=0, then a=c=0; L7 represents a linear, branched or cyclic divalent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, L8? represents the partial structure represented by the following formula (i), 0?o<1, 0<p?1 and o+p=1, wherein the ring structures Ar3 represent a substituted or unsubstituted benzene ring or naphthalene ring; R0 represents a hydrogen atom or a linear, branched or cyclic monovalent organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; and L0 represents a divalent organic group.

Abstract: The invention provides a patterning process for forming a negative pattern by lithography, comprising at least the steps of: using a composition for forming silicon-containing film, containing specific silicon-containing compound (A) and an organic solvent (B), to form a silicon-containing film; using a silicon-free resist composition to form a photoresist film on the silicon-containing film; heat-treating the photoresist film, and subsequently exposing the photoresist film to a high energy beam; and using a developer comprising an organic solvent to dissolve an unexposed area of the photoresist film, thereby obtaining a negative pattern. There can be a patterning process, which is optimum as a patterning process of a negative resist to be formed by adopting organic solvent-based development, and a composition for forming silicon-containing film to be used in the process.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition for forming a silicon-containing resist underlayer film comprising: (A) a silicon-containing compound obtained by a hydrolysis-condensation reaction of a mixture containing, at least, one or more hydrolysable silicon compound shown by the following general formula (1) and one or more hydrolysable compound shown by the following general formula (2), and (B) a silicon-containing compound obtained by a hydrolysis-condensation reaction of a mixture containing, at least, one or more hydrolysable silicon compound shown by the following general formula (3) and one or more hydrolysable silicon compound shown by the following general formula (4).