Abstract: A composition suitable for use as a planarizing underlayer in a multilayer lithographic process is disclosed. The inventive composition comprises a polymer containing heterocyclic aromatic moieties. In another aspect, the composition further comprises an acid generator. In yet another aspect, the composition further comprises a crosslinker. The inventive compositions provide planarizing underlayers having outstanding optical, mechanical and etch selectivity properties. The present invention also encompasses lithographic structures containing the underlayers prepared from the compositions of the present invention, methods of making such lithographic structures, and methods of using such lithographic structures to pattern underlying material layers on a substrate.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a composition suitable for use as a top antireflective coating and barrier layer for immersion lithography. The inventive composition is soluble in aqueous base solutions and insoluble in water. The inventive composition comprises a polymer having at least one hydrophobic moiety, at least one acidic moiety with a pKa of 1 or less, and at least one aqueous base soluble moiety. The present invention also discloses a method of forming a patterned layer on a substrate by using the inventive composition in lithography.

Abstract: A new underlayer composition that exhibits high etch resistance and improved optical properties is disclosed. The underlayer composition comprises a vinyl or acrylate polymer, such as a methacrylate polymer, the polymer comprising at least one substituted or unsubstituted naphthalene or naphthol moiety, including mixtures thereof. The compositions are suitable for use as a planarizing underlayer in a multilayer lithographic process, including a trilayer lithographic process.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a composition suitable for use as a top antireflective coating and barrier layer for 193 nm lithography. The inventive composition is soluble in aqueous base solutions and has low refractive index at 193 nm. The inventive composition comprises an aqueous base-soluble polymer having a backbone and a fluorinated half ester moiety. The fluorinated half ester moiety is pendant from the backbone. The present invention also discloses a method of forming a patterned layer on a substrate by using the inventive composition in lithography.

Abstract: A top anti-reflective coating material (TARC) and barrier layer, and the use thereof in lithography processes, is disclosed. The TARC/barrier layer may be especially useful for immersion lithography using water as the imaging medium. The TARC/barrier layer comprises a polymer which comprises at least one silicon-containing moiety and at least one aqueous base soluble moiety. Suitable polymers include polymers having a silsesquioxane (ladder or network) structure, such as polymers containing monomers having the structure: where R1 comprises an aqueous base soluble moiety, and x is from about 1 to about 1.95, more preferably from about 1 to about 1.75.

Abstract: The resist compositions having an acid sensitive imaging polymer and a radiation sensitive acid generator component comprising: (i) a first radiation sensitive acid generator selected from the group consisting of dissolution-inhibiting acid generators, and (ii) a second radiation sensitive acid generator selected from the group consisting of unprotected acidic group-functionalized acid generators and acid labile group-protected acidic group-functionalized radiation sensitive acid generators; enables formation of high sensitivity resists suitable for use in EPL, EUV, soft x-ray, and other low energy intensity lithographic imaging applications. The resist compositions may be useful in other lithographic processes as well.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a chemically amplified (CA) resist composition for printing features having a dimension of about 30 nm or less and a method of forming a material structure having a pattern containing features having a dimension of about 30 nm or less by using the inventive CA resist. The CA resist composition comprises (a) about 1 to about 50 weight % of a copolymer, (b) about 0.02 to about 25 weight % of a photoacid generator, (c) about 47 to about 99 weight % of a solvent, and (d) about 0.004 to about 25 weight % of a base additive. The copolymer comprises at least one hydrophilic monomer unit containing one or more polar functional groups and at least one hydrophobic monomer unit containing one or more aromatic groups. Some, but not all, of the one or more polar functional groups in the copolymer are protected with acid labile moieties having a low activation energy.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a resist composition and a method of forming a material structure having a pattern containing features having a dimension of about 40 nm or less by using the inventive resist. The inventive resist comprises a polymer and a photoacid generator. The polymer of the present invention comprises pendant polar moieties, pendant fluoroalcohol moieties, and a backbone containing SiO moieties. In the present invention, at least a portion of the polar moieties are protected with acid labile moieties having a low activation energy. It is preferred that some, but not all, of the pendant fluoroalcohol moieties are protected with acid labile moieties having a low activation energy.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a chemically amplified (CA) resist composition for printing features having a dimension of about 30 nm or less and a method of forming a material structure having a pattern containing features having a dimension of about 30 nm or less by using the inventive CA resist. The CA resist composition comprises (a) about 1 to about 50 weight % of a copolymer, (b) about 0.02 to about 25 weight % of a photoacid generator, (c) about 47 to about 99 weight % of a solvent, and (d) about 0.004 to about 25 weight % of a base additive. The copolymer comprises at least one hydrophilic monomer unit containing one or more polar functional groups and at least one hydrophobic monomer unit containing one or more aromatic groups. Some, but not all, of the one or more polar functional groups in the copolymer are protected with acid labile moieties having a low activation energy.

Abstract: Antireflective compositions characterized by the presence of an Si-containing polymer having pendant chromophore moieties are useful antireflective coating/hardmask compositions in lithographic processes. These compositions provide outstanding optical, mechanical and etch selectivity properties while being applicable using spin-on application techniques. The compositions are especially useful in lithographic processes used to configure underlying material layers on a substrate, especially metal or semiconductor layers.

Abstract: Antireflective compositions characterized by the presence of an Si-containing polymer having pendant chromophore moieties are useful antireflective coating/hardmask compositions in lithographic processes. These compositions provide outstanding optical, mechanical and etch selectivity properties while being applicable using spin-on application techniques. The compositions are especially useful in lithographic processes used to configure underlying material layers on a substrate, especially metal or semiconductor layers.

Abstract: Compositions characterized by the presence of an aqueous base-soluble polymer having aromatic moieties and a refractive index value n of less than 1.5 with respect to a radiation wavelength of 193 nm have been found which are especially useful as top antireflective coatings in 193 nm dry lithographic processes. Polymers with an ethylenic backbone and having fluorine and sulfonic acid moieties have been found to be especially useful. The compositions enable top reflection control at 193 nm while providing ease of use by virtue of their solubility in aqueous alkaline developer solutions.

Abstract: The present invention includes a packaged coated workpiece. The packaged coated workpiece has: (1) a workpiece coated with a resist film sensitive to optical radiation, particulates or chemical contaminants; (2) an inner barrier sealed to enclose the coated workpiece and optionally a first getter agent, to produce a sealed first enclosure; and (3) an outer barrier sealed to enclose the sealed first enclosure and optionally a second getter agent, provided that the packaged coated workpiece has at least one getter agent, to produce a packaged coated workpiece suitable for storage for a period of at least one week without substantial loss of sensitivity, resolution or performance. The present invention also includes a process for preparing a packaged coated workpiece and a method of increasing the storage time of a coated workpiece to at least one week without substantial loss of sensitivity, resolution or performance.

Abstract: A composition suitable for use as a planarizing underlayer in a multilayer lithographic process is disclosed. The inventive composition comprises a polymer containing heterocyclic aromatic moieties. In another aspect, the composition further comprises an acid generator. In yet another aspect, the composition further comprises a crosslinker. The inventive compositions provide planarizing underlayers having outstanding optical, mechanical and etch selectivity properties. The present invention also encompasses lithographic structures containing the underlayers prepared from the compositions of the present invention, methods of making such lithographic structures, and methods of using such lithographic structures to pattern underlying material layers on a substrate.

Abstract: Non-chemically amplified radiation sensitive resist compositions containing silicon are especially useful for lithographic applications, especially E-beam lithography. More particularly, radiation-sensitive resist compositions comprising a polymer having at least one silicon-containing moiety and at least one radiation-sensitive moiety cleavable upon radiation exposure to form aqueous base soluble moiety can be used to pattern sub-50 nm features with little or no blur.

Abstract: A nonpolymeric silsesquioxane is provided wherein at least one silicon atom of the silsesquioxane is directly or indirectly bound to an acid-cleavable substituent RCL. The silsesquioxane has a glass transition temperature Tg of greater than 50° C., and the RCL substituent can be cleaved from the silsesquioxane at a temperature below Tg, generally at least 5° C. below Tg. The remainder of the silicon atoms within the silsesquioxane structure may be bound to additional acid-cleavable groups, acid-inert polar groups RP, and/or acid-inert nonpolar groups RNP. The nonpolymeric silsesquioxane can be a polyhedral silsesquioxane optionally having one to three open vertices, such that the polyhedron appears to be a “partial cage” structure, or a macromer of two to four such polyhedral silsesquioxanes. Photoresist compositions containing the novel nonpolymeric silsesquioxanes are also provided, as is a method for using the compositions in preparing a patterned substrate.

Abstract: The invention is to provide a method for determining an optimum writing strategy for an optical disk drive to record data onto a recordable optical disk. According to a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, a pre-stored third type datum is retrieved from the recordable optical disk. Then, a step of judgment is performed to judge if the third type datum matches one of the plurality of first type data stored in the optical disk drive, and each of the plurality of first type data maps one of the first writing strategies. If the result is NO, a second writing strategy, of which the mapped second type datum matches the third type datum, is loaded from a remote server, and the loaded second writing strategy is determined as the optimum writing strategy.

Abstract: Lithographic imaging of 50 nm (or less) half-pitch features in chemically amplified resists (commonly used in the manufacture of integrated circuits) is enabled by the use of reduced temperature post-exposure processing and low activation energy chemically amplified resists. The post-exposure processing preferably involves ambient to moderately elevated temperature and the presence of a deprotection reaction-dependent co-reactant (e.g., water).

Abstract: A new underlayer composition that exhibits high etch resistance and improved optical properties is disclosed. The underlayer composition comprises a vinyl or acrylate polymer, such as a methacrylate polymer, the polymer comprising at least one substituted or unsubstituted naphthalene or naphthol moiety, including mixtures thereof. Examples of the polymer of this invention include: where each R1 is independently selected from an organic moiety or a halogen; each A is independently a single bond or an organic moiety; R2 is hydrogen or a methyl group; and each X, Y and Z is an integer of 0 to 7, and Y+Z is 7 or less. The organic moiety mentioned above may be a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of a linear or branched alkyl, halogenated linear or branched alkyl, aryl, halogenated aryl, cyclic alkyl, and halogenated cyclic alkyl, and any combination thereof.

Abstract: A new underlayer composition that exhibits high etch resistance and improved optical properties is disclosed. The underlayer composition comprises a vinyl or acrylate polymer, such as a methacrylate polymer, the polymer comprising at least one substituted or unsubstituted naphthalene or naphthol moiety, including mixtures thereof. Examples of the polymer of this invention include: where each R1 is independently selected from an organic moiety or a halogen; each A is independently a single bond or an organic moiety; R2 is hydrogen or a methyl group; and each X, Y and Z is an integer of 0 to 7, and Y+Z is 7 or less. The organic moiety mentioned above may be a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of a linear or branched alkyl, halogenated linear or branched alkyl, aryl, halogenated aryl, cyclic alkyl, and halogenated cyclic alkyl, and any combination thereof.