A method of forming at least one lithography feature, the method including: providing at least one lithography recess on a substrate, the or each lithography recess having at least one side-wall and a base, with the at least one side-wall having a width between portions thereof; providing a self-assemblable block copolymer having first and second blocks in the or each lithography recess; causing the self-assemblable block copolymer to self-assemble into an ordered layer within the or each lithography recess, the ordered layer including at least a first domain of first blocks and a second domain of second blocks; causing the self-assemblable block copolymer to cross-link in a directional manner; and selectively removing the first domain to form lithography features of the second domain within the or each lithography recess.

Provided herein are encoded microcarriers for analyte detection in multiplex assays. The microcarriers are encoded with an analog code for identification and include a capture agent for analyte detection. Also provided are methods of making the encoded microcarriers disclosed herein. Further provided are methods and kits for conducting a multiplex assay using the microcarriers described herein.

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a blind hole of an insulating substrate for an electronic device. The method includes following steps. A patterned photoresist layer is formed over the insulating substrate. The patterned photoresist layer has an opening exposing a portion of the insulating substrate. A wet etching process is performed to remove the exposed insulating substrate to form a blind hole in the opening.

A method, apparatus, and system for processing a material stack. A hydrogen silsesquioxane layer is deposited on the material stack. A diffusion barrier layer is deposited on the hydrogen silsesquioxane layer to form a bilayer. The diffusion barrier layer comprises a material having a thickness that increases an amount of time before the hydrogen silsesquioxane layer ages to change a dose in an electron beam needed to expose the hydrogen silsesquioxane layer for a selected feature geometry with a desired width. The electron beam is directed through a surface of the bilayer to form an exposed portion of the bilayer. The electron beam applies the dose that is selected based on a pattern density of features for the material stack to have a desired level of exposure of the hydrogen silsesquioxane layer for the selected feature geometry. The hydrogen silsesquioxane layer is developed. The exposed portion remains on material stack.

The present invention is a compound for forming a metal-containing film, containing: at least one metal atom selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, and Hf; and a ligand coordinated to the metal atom via an oxygen atom, where the ligand has a cyclic structure (t) selected from a ring having 4 or more carbon atoms and containing 1 or more oxygen atoms, a ring having 3 or more carbon atoms and containing 2 or more oxygen atoms, and a ring having 3 or more carbon atoms and containing 1 or more oxygen atoms and 1 or more heteroatoms other than oxygen atoms. This can provide: a compound for forming a metal-containing film that gives a resist middle layer film that makes it possible to obtain an excellent pattern profile, has high adhesiveness to a resist upper layer film, and suppresses fine-pattern collapse in a fine patterning process of a semiconductor device manufacturing process; a composition for forming a metal-containing film, containing the compound; and a patterning process using the composition.

Provided are a semiconductor photoresist composition including an organometallic compound; a salt compound including an anion represented by Chemical Formula 1; and a solvent, and a method of forming patterns using the same. The details of Chemical Formula 1 are as described in the specification.

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An optical device is fabricated with a higher resolution of features in a patterned lattice. A photoresist is applied to a device layer for the optical device. Several photomasks offset from one another are used in different exposure steps to expose the photoresist with features. The features in each exposure can have different characteristic dimensions, such as different diameters for posts or holes to be produced in the device layer. Once the exposures are complete, the patterned lattice of the features are produced in the device layer. For example, the photoresist is developed, and reactive ion etching is used to produce the features in the device layer.

A substrate processing method includes performing, on a substrate having a resist film formed thereon, a reduction processing of reducing hydrocarbons contained in the resist film. The resist film includes a metal oxide resist, exposed to light, and developed to have a pattern. The method further includes performing a processing of reducing roughness of the resist film after being subjected to the reduction processing.

A resist topcoat composition and a method of forming patterns using the resist topcoat composition. The resist topcoat composition includes an acrylic copolymer including a first structural unit represented by Chemical Formula M-1, and a second structural unit represented by Chemical Formula M-2; an acid compound; and a solvent ##STR00001##