Shin-etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Akihiro Seki

Katsuya Takemura

Youichi Ohsawa

Tomohiro Kobayashi

Masayoshi Sagehashi

Jun Watanabe

Takanobu Takeda

Takeshi Kinsho

Masaki Ohashi

Tsunehiro Nishi

Masahiro Fukushima

Kenji Funatsu

Kentaro Kumaki

Shigeo Tanaka

Koji Hasegawa

Takeru Watanabe

Satoshi Watanabe

Osamu Watanabe

Shigehiro Nagura

Tatsushi Kaneko

Ryosuke Taniguchi

Katsuhiro Kobayashi

Kazuhiro Hirahara

Wataru Kusaki

Eiji Fukuda

Yoshinori Matsui

A positive resist composition is provided comprising two onium salts, a base polymer comprising acid labile group-containing recurring units, and an organic solvent. The positive resist composition forms a pattern having PED stability and improved properties including DOF, LWR, and controlled footing profile.

Positive resist composition and patterning process

A resist composition comprising a polymer comprising recurring units having an acid labile group of cyclopentyl with tert-butyl or tert-amyl pendant is coated onto a substrate, baked, exposed to high-energy radiation, PEB and developed in an organic solvent to form a negative pattern. A fine hole pattern can be formed from the resist composition with advantages including high dissolution contrast, good size control and wide depth of focus.

Patterning process and resist composition

A sulfonium salt used in a resist composition which gives a pattern having a high resolution, and small roughness in the photolithography using a high energy beam as a light source, and further difficultly eluted in water in the immersion lithography, and a resist composition containing the sulfonium salt, and a patterning process using the resist composition, wherein the sulfonium salt is represented by the following general formula (1a), wherein R represents a linear, branched, or cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms at least one or more of the hydrogen atoms of which are substituted by a fluorine atom, Rrepresents a hydrogen atom, or a linear, branched, or cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms which may be substituted by a halogen atom, or interposed by a heteroatom.

Sulfonium salt, resist composition and patterning process

The present invention provides a sulfonium salt used in a resist composition that can give a pattern having a high resolution, especially an excellent rectangularity of a pattern form and a small roughness, while not readily generating a defect, in the photolithography using a high energy beam as a light source; a resist composition that contains the sulfonium salt; and a patterning process using this resist composition, wherein the sulfonium salt is shown by the following general formula (1a),  wherein each of R and Rindependently represents a hydrogen atom, or a linear, branched, or cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms which may be optionally substituted by a heteroatom or interposed by a heteroatom.

Sulfonium salt, resist composition, and patterning process

There is disclosed a positive resist composition comprising (A) a resin having repeating units shown by the following general formulae (1) and (2) as repeating units that contain acid labile groups and being capable of increasing its alkaline solubility by an acid, (B) a photoacid generator, (C) a compound shown by the following general formula (3), and (D) a solvent. There can be a positive resist composition having high resolution, and at the same time giving an excellent pattern profile; and a patterning process in which an immersion lithography is carried out using a formed top coat. 

A negative pattern is formed by applying a resist composition onto a substrate, baking, exposing to high-energy radiation, baking (PEB), and developing the exposed resist film in an organic solvent developer to selectively dissolve the unexposed region of resist film. The resist composition comprising a hydrogenated ROMP polymer comprising recurring units having an acid labile group-protected carboxyl group and recurring units having a lactone structure displays a high dissolution contrast in organic solvent development, and exhibits high dry etch resistance even when the acid labile group is deprotected through exposure and PEB.

Patterning process

A positive resist composition comprises (A) a resin component which becomes soluble in an alkaline developer under the action of an acid and (B) an acid generator. The resin (A) is a polymer comprising specific recurring units. When processed by ArF lithography, the composition is improved in resolution and forms a pattern with a minimal line edge roughness.

Positive resist compositions and patterning process

A positive resist composition comprises (A) a resin component which becomes soluble in an alkaline developer under the action of an acid and (B) an acid generator. The resin (A) is a polymer comprising specific recurring units. The acid generator (B) is a specific sulfonium salt compound. When processed by lithography, the composition is improved in resolution, and forms a pattern with a minimal line edge roughness.

A photoacid generator has formula (1) wherein R is H, F, Cl, nitro, alkyl or alkoxy, n is 0 or 1, m is 1 or 2, r is an integer of 0-4, and r' is an integer of 0-5. A chemically amplified resist composition comprising the photoacid generator has advantages including a high resolution, focus latitude, long-term PED dimensional stability, and a satisfactory pattern profile shape. When the photoacid generator is combined with a resin having acid labile groups other than those of the acetal type, resolution and top loss are improved. The composition is suited for deep UV lithography. 

Photoacid generators, chemically amplified resist compositions, and patterning process

Provided is a contact hole forming method, wherein in a thermal flow step the contact hole size can be fixed after thermal flow even if the resist material lot changes, or, wherein at the same bake temperature the contracted size, namely the flow amount, can be fixed. More specifically, provided is a contact hole forming method comprising a step of coating a resist material onto a substrate, a step of heating the coated resist material, a step of exposing the heated resist material to light through a photo mask adapted for a contact hole pattern, a step of heating the exposed resist material, a step of forming the contact hole pattern subsequently by developing with a developing fluid and a step of thermal flow treatment for heating the obtained contact hole pattern, wherein the resist material comprises an organic compound which does not react with the other components within the resist material and does not change a resolution property, and wherein when the resist material lot is changed, an amount of the organic compound to be added is changed so as to keep the contact hole pattern identical before and after the lot change.

Fine contact hole forming method employing thermal flow process

Resist compositions comprising nitrogen-containing organic compounds having a benzimidazole structure and a specific ether chain moiety have an excellent resolution, form precisely configured patterns with minimized roughness of sidewalls and are useful in microfabrication using electron beams or deep-UV light.

Nitrogen-containing organic compound, resist composition and patterning process

A chemical amplification, positive resist composition is provided comprising (A) a photoacid generator and (B) a resin which changes its solubility in an alkali developer under the action of acid and has substituents of the formula: CH&#x2014;(CH)OCH(CHCH)&#x2014; wherein CHis cyclohexyl and n=0 or 1. The composition has many advantages including improved focal latitude, improved resolution, minimized line width variation or shape degradation even on long-term PED, minimized defect left after coating, development and stripping, and improved pattern profile after development and is suited for microfabrication by any lithography, especially deep UV lithography.

Chemical amplification, positive resist compositions

A chemical amplification positive resist composition comprising a polymeric mixture of a polyhydroxystyrene derivative having a Mw of 1000-500,000 and a copolymer of hydroxystyrene and (meth)acrylate having a Mw of 1000-500,000, as a base resin, has improved dry etching resistance, high sensitivity, high resolution, and process adaptability, and is suppressed in the slimming of pattern films after development with aqueous base.

Chemical amplification resist compositions

A chemical amplification, positive resist composition is provided comprising (A) a photoacid generator and (B) a resin which changes its solubility in an alkali developer under the action of acid and has substituents of the formula: Ph&mdash;(CH ) OCH(CH CH )&mdash; wherein Ph is phenyl and n&equals;1 or 2. The composition has many advantages including improved focal latitude, improved resolution, minimized line width variation or shape degradation even on long-term PED, minimized defect left after coating, development and stripping, and improved pattern profile after development and is suited for microfabrication by any lithography, especially deep UV lithography.

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Joetsu, Japan

Akihiro Seki