Clariant Finance (bvi) Limited

Clariant International Ltd

Wen-Bing Kang

Hatsuyuki Tanaka

Ken Kimura

Munirathna Padmanaban

Georg Pawlowski

Yoshinori Nishiwaki

Shoko Matsuo

Takanori Kudo

Syoko Matsuo

A composition for forming a radiation absorbing coating which comprises an organic solvent, a radiation absorbing polymer or a radiation absorbing material dissolved therein and a crosslinking agent having blocked isocyanate groups. Since the isocyanate groups of the crosslinking agent have been blocked, the composition containing the crosslinking agent has excellent storage stability. When the composition applied to a substrate and then baked, crosslinking proceeds to give an antireflective coating, which does not intermix with a resist layer to be formed thereon by coating and is free from diffusion of a photo-generated acid thereinto from the resist layer. As a result, a resist image free from footing or scum can be formed.

Blocked isocyanate compound-containing composition for forming a radiation absorbing coating and anti-reflective coating formed therefrom

A composition for an anti-reflective coating or a radiation absorbing coating which can form an anti-reflective coating or a radiation absorbing coating having high absorption to exposed radiation in the range of 100 to 450 nm, no diffusion of photo-generated acid to anti-reflective coating and so on, no intermixing of resist and anti-reflective coating layer, good shelf-life stability, and good step coverage and novel compounds and polymers being preferably used in the composition are disclosed. The composition contains an acrylic or methacrylic compound or polymer with an isocyanate or thioisocyanate group bonded through an alkylene group to a side chain thereof or with an amino or hydroxyl group-containing organic chromophore which absorbs radiation in the range of 100 to 450 nm wavelength and is bonded, for example, through an alkylene group to the isocyanate or thioisocyanate group. Resist patters with high resolution are formed on a substrate. A composition for an anti-reflective coating or a radiation absorbing coating are applied on the substrate and baked to form an anti-reflective coating or a radiation absorbing coating layer. Then, a chemically amplified resist is coated thereon and after patternwize exposure, developed. During baking of the anti-reflective coating or radiation absorbing coating, hardening or curing of the coating takes place by the presence of the isocyanate or thioisocyanate group. On the other hand, the exposed radiation having wavelength in the range of 100 to 450 nm is absorbed by organic chromophore.

Composition for anti-reflective coating or radiation absorbing coating and compounds used in the composition

A radiation absorbing polymer having chemically bonded thereto a radiation absorbing dye, which has high absorption at a predetermined wavelength radiation, which shows good adhesion to a substrate and good thin film-forming, which has no dependence upon resists, which is soluble in a solvent for photoresists but becomes insoluble after being baked; a composition for radiation absorbing coating containing this polymer, and a radiation absorbing coating such as an anti-reflective coating formed from this composition are disclosed. The radiation absorbing polymer comprises a copolymer containing at least both a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing a keto group and a divalent group (preferably a methylene group) in its side chain and a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing an organic chromophore bonded directly or through a linkage group to the main chain. This radiation absorbing polymer is dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol, aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ester, etc., and the resulting solution is applied to a wafer and baked to form a radiation absorbing coating such as an anti-reflective coating. On this coating is coated, for example, a chemically amplified resist. This coated substrate is then exposed to deep UV rays and is developed to form a fine resist pattern excluding the influence of standing wave.

Radiation absorbing polymer, composition for radiation absorbing coating, radiation absorbing coating and application thereof as anti-reflective coating

Composition for light absorption film formation containing blocked isocyanate compound and antireflection film formed therefrom

In a process for manufacturing integrated circuit elements or the like by photolithography, a method for reducing detrimental influence on resist shape due to properties of a substrate or acidity of substrate surface in case where a chemically amplified resist or the like is used as a photoresist, and a substrate-treating agent composition to be used for this method are described. The substrate-treating agent composition comprises a solution containing a salt between at least one basic compound selected from among primary, secondary and tertiary amines and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds and an organic acid such as a sulfonic acid or a carboxylic acid. This composition is coated on a substrate surface having thereon a bottom anti-reflective coating such as SiON layer, baked and, if necessary washed, then a chemically amplified resist is coated on the thus-treated substrate, exposed and developed to form a resist pattern on the substrate.

Method for forming resist pattern

A composition for an anti-reflective coating or a light absorbing coating, which shows good light absorption for lights of 100-450 nm in wavelength, suffers neither footing nor intermixing, and has excellent storage stability and step coverage, and novel copolymers to be used therein. The novel polymers comprise acrylic or methacrylic copolymers or terpolymers, at least having both recurring units (1) wherein an amino group- or hydroxyl-group containing organic chromophore capable of absorbing lights of 100 to 450 nm in wavelength is chemically bound to the carbonyl group bound to a carbon atom in the main chain, directly or through &mdash;R,NHCXY&mdash; (wherein R,represents an alkylene group, X represents O or S, Y represents O or NR,, R,represents H, a substituted or non-substituted, straight chain or cyclic alkyl group or a phenylene group) and for example recurring units (2) wherein a double bond-or epoxy group-containing alkyl group is chemically bound to the carboxyl or oxygen group bound to a carbon atom in the main chain. The composition containing the copolymer is coated on a wafer to form a bottom anti-reflective coating and, after coating thereon a photoresist, deep UV exposure and development are conducted to form a resist image with high resolution.

Antireflection or light-absorbing coating composition and polymer therefor

As a bottom anti-reflective coating material for use in photolithography, polymer dyes represented by following general formula are used. The polymer dyes are able to form a bottom anti-reflective coating having good film formation properties, good absorption properties at exposure wavelength, good step coverage, non-intermixing with photoresist and high etch rate.

Composition for bottom reflection preventive film and novel polymeric dye for use in the same

A high-performance anti-reflective coating which highly absorbs a given light, e.g., deep ultraviolet rays, tenaciously adheres to substrates upon coating formation, is satisfactory in covering, and eliminates the influence of standing waves in the production of integrated circuits; novel light-absorbing polymers for forming the anti-reflective coating; and a process for producing the polymers. One of the polymers is produced by esterifying a copolymer comprising carboxylic anhydride groups and/or dicarboxylic acid groups such as maleic acid as basic recurring units with a hydroxylated aromatic chromophore. The unreacted carboxylic acid groups or acid anhydride groups remaining in the esterified light-absorbing polymer may be amidated and/or imidized with an aminated aromatic compound. Each of these polymers is dissolved in an organic solvent comprising an alcohol, aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ester, or combination of these, and the solution is applied to a substrate and then baked to form an anti-reflective coating.

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Shizuoka, Japan

Wen-Bing Kang