Shin-etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Kenji Funatsu

Jun Hatakeyama

Koji Hasegawa

Tsunehiro Nishi

Tomohiro Kobayashi

Kazuhiro Katayama

Seiichiro Tachibana

Katsuya Takemura

Masashi Iio

Hiroyuki Urano

Teppei Adachi

Akihiro Seki

Naoya Inoue

Takeru Watanabe

Tohru Kubota

Mutsuo Nakashima

Keiichi Masunaga

Shigehiro Nagura

Mikio Endo

Ryosuke Taniguchi

Katsuhiro Kobayashi

Masaaki Kotake

Junji Tsuchiya

Kentaro Kumaki

Akihiko Seki

A chemically amplified resist composition contains (A) a polymer compound containing one or two or more kinds of repeating units, at least one kind of the repeating units is polymerized from a polymerizable monomer with not more than 1000 ppm of a residual oligomer in a form of dimer to hexamer. An object of the present invention is to provide: a chemically amplified resist composition capable of achieving favorable resolution, pattern profile, and line edge roughness, and simultaneously suppressing development-residue defect, which would otherwise cause mask defect; and a method for forming a resist pattern by using this composition.

Chemically amplified resist composition, photomask blank, method for forming resist pattern, and method for producing polymer compound

A negative resist composition comprising a base polymer comprising repeat units derived from a triple bond-containing maleimide compound is provided. A pattern with a high resolution and reduced edge roughness is formed therefrom.

Negative resist composition and pattern forming process

A polymer of a polyimide precursor which includes a structural unit represented by the following general formula (7), where Xrepresents a tetravalent organic group, Xrepresents a divalent organic group, and Rrepresents a group represented by the following general formula (2), where the dotted line represents a bonding, Yrepresents an organic group with a valency of k+1, Rs represents a group containing at least one silicon atom, 'k' represents 1, 2 or 3, and 'n' represents 0 or 1.

Tetracarboxylic acid diester compound, polymer of polyimide precursor and method for producing same, negative photosensitive resin composition, patterning process, and method for forming cured film

A polymer comprising recurring units having an acid generator bound to the backbone, and recurring units having an optionally acid labile group-substituted carboxyl group and/or recurring units having an optionally acid labile group-substituted hydroxyl group is obtained by polymerizing corresponding monomers under such illumination that the quantity of light of wavelength up to 400 nm is up to 0.05 mW/cm. The polymer avoids photo-decomposition of the acid generator during polymerization and concomitant deprotection reaction of the acid labile group when used in positive resist compositions. A pattern with high dissolution contrast and rectangularity is formed after development.

Polymer, resist composition, and pattern forming process

The present invention provides a tetracarboxylic acid diester compound represented by the following general formula (1),  

A polymer comprising recurring units having an acid generator bound to the backbone, and recurring units having an optionally acid labile group-substituted carboxyl group and/or recurring units having an optionally acid labile group-substituted hydroxyl group is obtained by polymerizing corresponding monomers in a solution of a non-polymerizable compound containing a nitrogen atom to which an acid labile group is bound. This prevents deprotection reaction of the acid labile group in the case of positive resist-forming polymer or crosslinking reaction in the case of negative resist-forming polymer.

Method for producing polymer

A positive resist composition is provided comprising (A) a resin comprising recurring units having adamantane ring and recurring units having cyclopentyl so that the resin may increase its alkali solubility under the action of acid, (B) a mixture of sulfonium salts, and (C) a solvent. By coating the resist composition as a resist film, forming a protective film thereon, and effecting immersion lithography, a pattern of good profile is formed at a high resolution.

Positive resist composition and patterning process

A negative pattern is formed by applying a resist composition onto a substrate, exposing the resist film, and developing the exposed resist film in an organic solvent developer. The process further involves coating the negative pattern with a shrink agent solution of a polymer comprising recurring units having an acid labile group-substituted hydroxyl and/or carboxyl group in a C-Cester or C-Cketone solvent, baking the coating, and removing the excessive shrink agent via organic solvent development for thereby shrinking the size of spaces in the pattern.

Pattern forming process and shrink agent

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 polymer capable of increasing alkali solubility under the action of acid, as a base resin is blended with a copolymer comprising recurring units derived from acenaphthylene, indene, benzofuran or benzothiophene and fluorine-containing recurring units, as a polymeric additive to formulate a resist composition. The photoresist film formed using the resist composition is effective for minimizing outgassing therefrom during the EUV lithography. The resist film has a hydrophilic surface and is effective for suppressing formation of blob defects after development.

Resist composition and patterning process

A negative pattern is formed by coating a resist composition comprising a branched polymer having chains extending in at least three directions and an optional acid generator onto a substrate, prebaking, exposing to high-energy radiation, baking, and developing in an organic solvent developer so that the unexposed region of resist film is dissolved away and the exposed region of resist film is not dissolved. The resist composition exhibits a high dissolution contrast and no swell during organic solvent development, and forms a pattern without collapse and bridging defects.

A negative pattern is formed by applying a resist composition comprising (A) a polymer comprising recurring units (a1) having a carboxyl group protected with an acid labile group and recurring units (a2) having an amino group, amide bond, carbamate bond or nitrogen-containing heterocycle, (B) a photoacid generator, and (C) an organic solvent onto a substrate, prebaking, exposing, baking, and selectively dissolving an unexposed region of the resist film in an organic solvent-based developer.

Negative pattern forming process

A polymer capable of increasing alkali solubility under the action of acid, as a base resin is blended with a copolymer comprising recurring units derived from (meth)acrylate, vinyl ether, vinylfluorene, vinylanthracene, vinylpyrene, vinylbiphenyl, stilbene, styrylnaphthalene or dinaphthylethylene, and fluorine-containing recurring units, as a polymeric additive to formulate a resist composition. The photoresist film formed using the resist composition is effective for minimizing outgassing therefrom during the EUV lithography. The resist film has a hydrophilic surface and is effective for suppressing formation of blob defects after development.

An additive polymer comprising recurring styrene units having an ester group bonded to a CF&#x2014;C(OR)&#x2014;Rgroup (wherein Ris H, acyl or acid labile group, Ris H, CHor CF) such as 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol is added to a polymer capable of increasing alkali solubility under the action of acid to formulate a resist composition. The resist composition can minimize outgassing from a resist film during the EUV lithography and form a resist film having a hydrophilic surface sufficient to prevent formation of blob defects on the film after development.

Resist composition, patterning process and polymer

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. 

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Joetsu, Japan

Kenji Funatsu