Jsr Corporation

Hiroshi Dougauchi

Hiroki Nakagawa

Hiroshi Ikeda

Toru Kimura

Yukio Nishimura

Hiromitsu Nakashima

Hirokazu Sakakibara

Takayuki Tsuji

Takashi Chiba

Tomohiro Utaka

Daita Kouno

A resin composition for forming a top coat which can be formed on a photoresist film without causing intermixing with the photoresist film, can maintain a stable film coating which is not eluted into a medium during immersion lithography, does not impair pattern profiles during dry exposure (which is not immersion lithography), and can be easily dissolved in an alkaline developer. The resin is a copolymer which includes at least one recurring unit (I) selected from the group consisting of a recurring unit having a group shown by the following formula (1), a recurring unit having a group shown by the following formula (2), and a recurring unit having a carboxyl group, and a recurring unit (II) having a sulfo group, the copolymer having a weight average molecular weight determined by gel permeation chromatography of 2,000 to 100,000. 

Copolymer and top coating composition

An upper layer-forming composition includes a resin, and a solvent. The resin is dissolvable in a developer for a photoresist film which is to be covered by the upper layer-forming composition to form a pattern by exposure to radiation. The solvent dissolves the resin in the solvent. The solvent includes a compound shown by a formula (1). Each of Rand Rindependently represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms or a halogenated hydrocarbon group.R&#x2014;O&#x2014;R&#x2003;&#x2003;(1)

Upper layer-forming composition and photoresist patterning method

An upper layer-forming composition formed on a photoresist while causing almost no intermixing with the photoresist film and a photoresist patterning method are provided. The upper layer-forming composition is stably maintained without being eluted in a medium such as water during liquid immersion lithography and is easily dissolved in an alkaline developer. The upper layer-forming composition covers a photoresist film for forming a pattern by exposure to radiation. The composition comprises a resin dissolvable in a developer for the photoresist film and a solvent in which the resin is dissolved. The solvent has a viscosity of less than 5.2&#xd7;10Pa&#xb7;s at 20&#xb0; C. In addition, the solvent does not cause intermixing of the photoresist film and the upper layer-forming composition. The solvent contains an ether or a hydrocarbon.

A resin composition for forming a top coat which can be formed on a photoresist film without causing intermixing with the photoresist film, can maintain a stable film coating which is not eluted into a medium during immersion lithography, does not impair pattern profiles during dry exposure (which is not immersion lithography), and can be easily dissolved in an alkaline developer. The resin is a copolymer which comprises at least one recurring unit (I) selected from the group consisting of a recurring unit having a group shown by the following formula (1), a recurring unit having a group shown by the following formula (2), and a recurring unit having a carboxyl group, and a recurring unit (II) having a sulfo group, the copolymer having a weight average molecular weight determined by gel permeation chromatography of 2,000 to 100,000, wherein at least one of Rand Ris a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and Rin the formula (2) represents a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hiroshi Dougauchi