Rohm & Haas Electronic Materials LLC

Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Shipley Company LLC

Rohm and Haas Electronics Materials LLC

Dupont Electronic Materials International, LLC

Chunyi Wu

Deyan Wang

Cheng-Bai Xu

Cong Liu

Mingqi Li

George G Barclay

Gerhard Pohlers

Gregory P Prokopowicz

Doris H Kang

Robert D Mikkola

Irvinder Kaur

Joshua A Kaitz

Phillip Dene Hustad

Jong Keun Park

Shintaro Yamada

Vipul Jain

Jin Wuk Sung

Thomas Cardolaccia

Choong-Bong Lee

Xisen Hou

Jason A DeSisto

Tomas Marangoni

Joon-Seok Oh

Gerhard Polhers

Doris Kang

Photoresist topcoat compositions, comprising: a first polymer that is aqueous base soluble and is present in an amount of from 70 to 99 wt % based on total solids of the composition; a second polymer comprising a repeat unit of general formula (IV) and a repeat unit of general formula (V): wherein: Rindependently represents H, halogen atom, C1-C3 alkyl, or C1-C3 haloalkyl; Rrepresents linear, branched or cyclic C1 to C20 fluoroalkyl; Rrepresents linear, branched or cyclic C1 to C20 fluoroalkyl; Lrepresents a multivalent linking group; and m is an integer of from 1 to 5; wherein the second polymer is free of non-fluorinated side chains; and wherein the second polymer is present in an amount of from 1 to 30 wt % based on total solids of the composition and a solvent. The invention finds particular applicability in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Photoresist topcoat compositions and methods of processing photoresist compositions

Photoresist topcoat compositions comprise: a matrix polymer and a surface active polymer, wherein the surface active polymer comprises polymerized units of the following general formula (I): wherein: Rrepresents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a C1-C4 alkyl group, or a C1-C4 haloalkyl group; Rindependently represents a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted alkyl group, wherein at least one Ris not a hydrogen atom, wherein the Rgroups taken together optionally form a cyclic structure, and wherein the total number of carbon atoms for the Rgroups taken together is from 2 to 20; Rrepresents an optionally substituted C1-C4 alkylene group, wherein an Rgroup optionally forms a cyclic structure with R; and Rindependently represents C1-C4 fluoroalkyl groups; wherein the total polymerized units of general formula (I) are present in the surface active polymer in an amount of 95 wt % or more based on total polymerized units of the surface active polymer; and wherein the surface active polymer is present in the composition in an amount of from 0.1 to 30 wt % based on total solids of the composition; and an organic-based solvent system comprising a plurality of organic solvents. The invention finds particular applicability in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Topcoat compositions are provided that can be used in immersion lithography to form photoresist patterns. The topcoat compositions include a solvent system that comprises 1) a first organic solvent represented by formula (I),

Topcoat compositions and photolithographic methods

A photoresist composition comprises a first polymer formed by free radical polymerization. The first polymer comprises polymerized units formed from a monomer that comprises an ethylenically unsaturated double bond and an acid-labile group; a photoacid generator; a quencher of formula (1): and a solvent.

Photoresist compositions and pattern formation methods

New photoresist compositions are provided that comprise a component that comprises an amide group and multiple hydroxyl groups. Preferred photoresists of the invention may comprise a resin with photoacid-labile groups; a photoacid generator compound; and an amide component with multiple hydroxyl groups that can function to decrease undesired photogenerated-acid diffusion out of unexposed regions of a photoresist coating layer.

Photoresists comprising amide component

New photoresist compositions are provided that are useful for immersion lithography. Preferred photoresist compositions of the invention comprise one or more materials that have sulfonamide substitution. Particularly preferred photoresists of the invention can exhibit reduced leaching of resist materials into an immersion fluid contacting the resist layer during immersion lithography processing.

Compositions comprising sulfonamide material and processes for photolithography

New photoresist compositions are provided that comprise a component that comprises a radiation-insensitive ionic compound. Preferred photoresists of the invention may comprise a resin with photoacid-labile groups; a photoacid generator compound; and a radiation-insensitive ionic compound that can function to decrease undesired photogenerated-acid diffusion out of unexposed regions of a photoresist coating layer.

Photoresists comprising ionic compound

A pattern treatment method, comprising: (a) providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a patterned feature on a surface thereof; (b) applying a pattern treatment composition to the patterned feature, wherein the pattern treatment composition comprises: a block copolymer and an organic solvent, wherein the block copolymer comprises: (i) a first block comprising a first unit formed from 4-vinyl-pyridine, and (ii) a second block comprising a first unit formed from a vinyl aromatic monomer; and (c) removing residual pattern shrink composition from the substrate, leaving a coating of the block copolymer over the surface of the patterned feature, thereby providing a reduced pattern spacing as compared with a pattern spacing of the patterned feature prior to coating the pattern treatment composition. The methods find particular applicability in the manufacture of semiconductor devices for providing high resolution patterns.

Pattern treatment methods

New photoresist compositions are provided that are useful for immersion lithography. In one preferred aspect, photoresist composition are provided that comprise: (i) one or more resins that comprise photoacid-labile groups, (ii) a photoactive component, and (iii) one or more materials that comprise photoacid labile groups and that are distinct from the one or more resins; wherein the deprotection activation energy of photoacid-labile groups of the one or more materials is about the same as or lower than the deprotection activation energy of photoacid-labile groups of the one or more resins. In another preferred aspect, photoresist compositions are provided that comprise (i) one or more resins, (ii) a photoactive component, and (iii) one or more materials that comprise a sufficient amount of acidic groups to provide a dark field dissolution rate of at least one angstrom per second.

Compositions and processes for photolithography

New nitrogen-containing compounds are provided that comprise multiple hydroxyl moieties and photoresist compositions that comprise such nitrogen-containing compounds. Preferred nitrogen-containing compounds comprise 1) multiple hydroxyl substituents (i.e. 2 or more) and 2) one or more photoacid-labile groups.

Photoresist comprising nitrogen-containing compound

New photoresist compositions are provided that comprise one or more materials that have base-reactive groups and are particularly useful for dry lithography. Particularly preferred photoresists of the invention can exhibit reduced defects following development of a coating layer of the resist.

Compositions comprising base-reactive component and processes for photolithography

Topcoat layer compositions are provided that are applied above a photoresist composition. The compositions find particular applicability to immersion lithography processing.

Topcoat layer compositions suitable for use in forming a topcoat layer over a layer of photoresist include: a matrix polymer which is aqueous alkali soluble; a first additive of mer which is aqueous alkali soluble and comprises polymerized units of a monomer of the following general formula (I): wherein: Ris hydrogen or a C1 to C6 alkyl or fluoroalkyl group; Ris a C3 to C8 branched alkylene group; and Ris a C1 to C4 fluoroalkyl group; and wherein the first additive polymer is present in the composition in an amount less than the matrix polymer, and the first additive polymer has a lower surface energy than a surface energy of the matrix polymer; wherein a layer of the topcoat composition in a dried state has a water receding contact angle of from 75 to 85&#xb0;. The compositions find particular applicability to immersion lithography processing.

A polymer includes the polymerized product of monomers including a nitrogen-containing monomer comprising formula (Ia), formula (Ib), or a combination of formulas (Ia) and (Ib), and an acid-deprotectable monomer having the formula (II): wherein a, L, LN, R, R, R, and X are defined herein. The polymer is a useful component of a photoresist composition.

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Shrewsbury, MA, United States of America

Chunyi Wu