Maruzen Petrochemical Company, Limited

Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Tomo Oikawa

Takanori Yamagishi

Masaru Takeshita

Takahiro Nakamura

Masaaki Muroi

Kota Atsuchi

Ichiro Kato

Kazuhiko Mizuno

Takayoshi Okada

Masakazu Yamada

Kensuke Saisyo

Satoshi Yamaguchi

Satoshi Kakuta

Toshiyuki Fukudome

Masaaki Kudo

Eiichi Ikawa

Hideki Ohmori

Hidenobu Oda

Tomonori Hakozaki

A method is provided for purifying a resin for photolithography wherein, from an insufficiently purified resin (also referred to as 'crude resin'), low molecular weight impurities such as an unreacted monomer and a polymerization initiator, which cause a development defect of a resist pattern or deterioration of the storage stability of the resin for photolithography can be removed more effectively. The method for purifying a resin for photolithography includes an operation (a) wherein a slurry in which a resin is dispersed in a solution containing a good solvent and a poor solvent is stirred, and then an operation (b) wherein, to said slurry, a poor solvent is added to lower the ratio of the good solvent to the poor solvent, and then, the resin is separated from the solution.

Method for purifying resin for photolithography

[Task to Be Achieved] To provide a chemically amplified type positive copolymer for semiconductor lithography, which has eliminated the problems of prior art, has a high development contrast, and has excellent resolution in fine-pattern formation; a composition for semiconductor lithography which contains the copolymer; and a process for producing the copolymer. [Means for Achievement] The copolymer for semiconductor lithography according to the present invention is a copolymer which has at least (A) a repeating unit having a structure which has an alkali-soluble group protected by an acid-labile, dissolution-suppressing group, (B) a repeating group having a lactone structure and (C) a repeating group having an alcoholic hydroxyl group and which is characterized by having an acid value of 0.01 mmol/g or less as determined by dissolving the copolymer in a solvent and subjecting the solution to neutralization titration with a solution of an alkali metal hydroxide using Bromothymol Blue as an indicator.

Copolymer and composition for semiconductor lithography and process for producing the copolymer

A method for producing a resist copolymer having a weight-average molecular weight of not less than 3000 and not more than 6000, in which copolymer the contents of an oligomer having a molecular weight of not more than 1000 and a byproduct derived from a polymerization initiator are small, is provided. The method for producing a resist copolymer comprises the step of continuously supplying a solution containing a monomer and a solution containing a polymerization initiator to a heated solvent to carry out a radical polymerization, wherein the variation range of the concentration of the polymerization initiator in polymerization solution is within &#xb1;25% of the median value between the maximum concentration and the minimum concentration during specific time; and the variation range of the concentration of unreacted monomer in the polymerization solution is within &#xb1;35% of the median value between the maximum concentration and the minimum concentration during specific time.

Method for producing resist copolymer having low molecular weight

The present invention provides a method for production of a copolymer for photoresists in which the bias of the monomer composition ration is small. This method for production is a method for production of a copolymer for photoresists, which copolymer containing at least two types of repeating units, the method having a supplying step of supplying a monomer solution and a solution containing a polymerization initiator into a polymerization reaction system, wherein the range of fluctuation of the monomer composition ratio of unreacted monomers is within the range between minus 15% and plus 15% or the standard deviation of the monomer composition ratio of unreacted monomers is within 2 in the polymerization reaction system during the period from the start of the polymerization reaction to the end of supplying of the monomer solution.

Method for producing a copolymer for photoresist

The present invention provides a copolymer which can prevent problems associated with immersion lithography (including occurrence of a pattern defect such as water mark, and variation in sensitivity or abnormal patterning due to elution of an additive such as a radiation-sensitive acid-generator) and which provides surface characteristics suitable for immersion lithography, and a composition containing the copolymer. The copolymer for immersion lithography has, at least, a repeating unit (A) that generates an alkali-soluble group by removing protecting group through action of an acid, and a repeating unit (B) having a lactone structure, wherein, when a solution of the copolymer in propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (hereinafter may be abbreviated as 'PGMEA') is applied to a wafer and then heated to form a thin film, and a 15-&#x3bc;L droplet of pure water is added onto the thin film, the inclination of the wafer at the time when the water droplet starts to move is 35&#xb0; or less, or the contact angle of the top edge of the water droplet at the time when the water droplet starts to move is 64&#xb0; or more.

Copolymer for immersion lithography and compositions

Solving problems in the prior art, provided are a resist polymer which is small in lot-to-lot, reactor-to-reactor and scale-to-scale variations, and contains no high polymer, is excellent in solubility and storage stability, and is suitable for fine pattern formation, and a method for production thereof. The present invention provides the resist polymer at least having a repeating unit having a structure which is decomposed by an acid to become soluble in an alkali developer and a repeating unit having a polar group to enhance adhesion to a substrate, characterized in that a peak area of a high molecular weight component (high polymer) with molecular weight of 100,000 or more is 0.1% or less based on an entire peak area in a molecular weight distribution determined, by gel permeation chromatography (GPC).

Resist polymer and method for producing the polymer

Provided are a positive resist composition and a resist pattern forming method having fewer defects and superior lithographic characteristics. The positive resist composition includes a resin component (A) which has on a main chain a structural unit derived from an (&#x3b1;-lower alkyl)acrylate ester and exhibits increased alkali solubility under the action of an acid, and an acid generating component (B) which generates the acid upon irradiation with radiation, in which the resin component (A) is a copolymer having at least two structural units which is obtained by incorporating an acid when polymerizing at least one monomer for the production thereof.

Positive resist composition and method of forming resist pattern

A copolymer for semiconductor lithography, comprising at least a recurring unit (A) having a carboxylic acid ester structure whose solubility in alkali increases by the action of an acid and a carboxyl group-containing recurring unit (B), which copolymer is obtained via a step (P) of (co)polymerizing at least a monomer giving a recurring unit (A) and a step (Q) of forming a recurring unit (B) in the co-presence of a recurring unit (A)-containing (co)polymer and/or a monomer giving a recurring unit (A), and an acid. The copolymer is used in production of semiconductor as a resist polymer which is small in roughness, little in development defect and superior in lithography properties such as DOF and the like.

Copolymer for semiconductor lithography and process for production thereof

Provided are a preparation process of a copolymer for semiconductor lithography, suited for a film forming composition used for the formation of minute patterns necessary for semiconductor fabrication, which comprises carrying out radical polymerization of at least two monomers having an ethylenic double bond in the presence of a polymerization initiator in a polymerization solvent, while causing to exist, in the solution containing the monomers, a polymerization inhibitive component; and a copolymer for semiconductor lithography prepared by the above-described process, and contains no high polymer, has excellent storage stability and generates remarkably less defects in resist pattern when used for semiconductor lithography.

Preparation process of copolymer for semiconductor lithography and a copolymer for semiconductor lithography available by this process

A process for producing an N-vinyllactam by reacting a lactam with acetylene in the presence of a particular catalyst (an alkali metal alcoholate between an alicyclic alcohol and an alkali metal) in a nonaqueous system at an acetylene partial pressure of 0 to 10 kg/cm.sup.2 .multidot.G. In the above process, the vinylation of lactam with acetylene is conducted at a low acetylene partial pressure in one step while the formation of by-product is kept minimum, whereby a high conversion and a high selectivity of lactam can be achieved.

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Ichihara, Japan

Tomo Oikawa