Clariant Finance (bvi) Limited

Az Electronic Materials USA Corp.

Other

Satoru Funato

Yuko Yamaguchi

Yoshiaki Kinoshita

Hatsuyuki Tanaka

Yusuke Takano

Georg Pawlowski

Hiroshi Okazaki

Yoshio Murakami

Koji Shimomura

Kazuyo Ijima

Kazuyo Ono

A composition for reducing development defects comprising an acidic composition containing, for example, a surfactant applied onto a chemically amplified photoresist coating formed on a substrate having a diameter of 8 inches or more. By this process, the surface of the resist is rendered hydrophilic and the formation of slightly soluble layer in a developer on the surface of the resist is prevented. In addition, by proper diffusion amount of acid from the composition for reducing development defects, the amount of reduction in thickness of the chemically amplified photoresist coating after development is increased by 10 &#x212b; to 500 &#x212b; in comparison with the case of not applying the composition for reducing development defects to form a resist pattern not having a deteriorated pattern profile such as T-top or round top.

Development defect preventing process and material

A method of forming resist patterns comprises the steps of (a) applying and forming a chemically amplified photoresist film, (b) applying a treating agent with a pH value of 1.3 to 4.5 onto said chemically amplified photoresist film, (c) baking said chemically amplified photoresist film after at least one of the steps of applying and forming said chemically amplified photoresist film and applying said treating agent, (d) selectively exposing said chemically amplified photoresist film, (e) post exposure-baking said chemically amplified photoresist film, and (f) developing said chemically amplified photoresist film, wherein the contact angle of a non-exposed portion of said chemically amplified photoresist film to a developing solution after wash with water to remove the treating agent on the photoresist and spin-drying before development is made lower by 10&#xb0; to 110&#xb0; than that in the case where said treating agent is not applied. In this method, the wetting property of the developing solution to the photoresist film are improved and the influence of floating basic species are reduced by the action of an acid component such as organic acid contained in the treating agent to form resist patterns with good shape.

Method for forming pattern and treating agent for use therein

A resist composition is prepared by reacting an alkali-soluble polymer having a phenolic hydroxyl or carboxyl groups with a vinyl ether compound in an aprotic solvent, such as propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, in the presence of an acid catalyst, suspending the reaction by the addition of a base, and directly adding a photoacid generator to the reaction solution. When a dialkyl dicarbonate is used in stead of the vinyl ether compound, a resist composition is prepared by carrying out the reaction in the presence of a basic catalyst and adding a photoacid generator directly to the reaction. Thus resist compositions can be prepared without isolating or purifying an alkali-soluble polymer which has been substituted by a catalytic reaction.

Process for preparing resists

A method of forming a pattern in which production of reaction products in the interface between an organic anti-reflective coating and a radiation sensitive material coating is suppressed, the number of residues of an etchable layer formed after etching is decreased, and which provides a etched pattern having high resolution and good dimensional accuracy. According to the method, an etchable layer ( ) composed of polysilicon coating an organic anti-reflective coating ( ), and a radiation sensitive material coating ( ) composed of a chemically amplified resist material containing as acid generators both (a) onium salt compound and (b) at least one of a sulfone compound and a sulfonate compound are formed on a semiconductor substrate ( ), the radiation sensitive material coating ( ) is imagewise exposed through the mask ( ) and developed to form a patterned radiation sensitive material coating ( ). Thereafter, preferably the anti-reflective coating is etched using a mixture gas of SO and O , further the etchable layer is dry-etched to form a pattern of the etchable layer.

Pattern forming method

A chemically amplified resist composition is disclosed which shows a high sensitivity, high resolution, excellent processing adaptability and excellent processing stability, which can form good pattern profile and which is suited as a finely processable material for use in manufacturing integrated circuit elements or the like. The chemically amplified resist composition comprises at least (a) an organic material containing a substituent or substituents capable of being released in the presence of an acid and (b) compounds capable of generating an acid upon exposure to radiation (acid-generators), composed of at least one onium salt and at least one of sulfone compounds and sulfonate compounds. This chemically amplified resist composition preferably further contains a basic compound.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Satoru Funato