An ionic salt includes a polyvalent ion (a) having a metal cluster structure or a metal oxide cluster structure and an organic ion (b), a radiation-sensitive resist composition including the ionic salt, and a pattern forming method, wherein the polyvalent ion (a) includes at least one metal atom selected from the group consisting of tin, indium, antimony, tellurium, and bismuth, and the organic ion (b) is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a carboxylate anion having 4 or more carbon atoms; a sulfonate anion having 4 or more carbon atoms; a phosphonate anion having 4 or more carbon atoms; a phenoxide anion having 6 or more carbon atoms; an iodonium cation having 4 or more carbon atoms; a sulfonium cation having 4 or more carbon atoms; an ammonium cation having 4 or more carbon atoms; and a pyridinium cation having 5 or more carbon atoms.

Techniques described herein relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for promoting adhesion between a substrate and a metal-containing photoresist. For instance, the method may include receiving the substrate in a reaction chamber, the substrate having a first material exposed on its surface, the first material including a silicon-based material and/or a carbon-based material; generating a plasma from a plasma generation gas source that is substantially free of silicon, where the plasma includes chemical functional groups; exposing the substrate to the plasma to modify the surface of the substrate by forming bonds between the first material and chemical functional groups from the plasma; and depositing the metal-containing photoresist on the modified surface of the substrate, where the bonds between the first material and the chemical functional groups promote adhesion between the substrate and the metal-containing photoresist.

A method of forming a pattern in a photoresist layer includes forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, and reducing moisture or oxygen absorption characteristics of the photoresist layer. The photoresist layer is selectively exposed to actinic radiation to form a latent pattern, and the latent pattern is developed by applying a developer to the selectively exposed photoresist layer to form a pattern.

A heat treatment device includes: a heating plate configured to support and heat a substrate on which a resist film is formed; a chamber configured to cover a processing space above the heating plate; a gas supply configured to supply a gas into the chamber along a gas flow path connected to an inside of the chamber, the gas flow path beginning from an outer periphery of the heating plate and extending along an upper surface of the heating toward an end portion on an outer periphery of the substrate; and an exhaust port configured to evacuate inside of the chamber through exhaust holes that are formed above the processing space and open downwards.

A method for forming a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes applying a photoresist composition over a substrate, thereby forming a photoresist layer over the substrate; performing a first baking process to the photoresist layer; exposing the photoresist layer to an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, thereby forming a pattern therein; performing a second baking process to the photoresist layer; and developing the photoresist layer having the pattern therein using a developer, thereby forming a patterned photoresist layer. The first baking process and the second baking process are conducted under an ambient atmosphere having a humidity level ranging from 55% to 100%.

Embodiments disclosed herein include methods of developing a metal oxo photoresist. In an embodiment, the method comprises providing a substrate with the metal oxo photoresist into a vacuum chamber, where the metal oxo photoresist comprises exposed regions and unexposed regions. In an embodiment, the unexposed regions comprise a higher carbon concentration than the exposed regions. The method may further comprise vaporizing a halogenating agent into the vacuum chamber, where the halogenating agent reacts with either the unexposed regions or the exposed regions to produce a volatile byproduct. In an embodiment, the method may further comprise purging the vacuum chamber.

Stabilized precursor solutions can be used to form radiation inorganic coating materials. The precursor solutions generally comprise metal suboxide cations, peroxide-based ligands and polyatomic anions. Design of the precursor solutions can be performed to achieve a high level of stability of the precursor solutions. The resulting coating materials can be designed for patterning with a selected radiation, such as ultraviolet light, x-ray radiation or electron beam radiation. The radiation patterned coating material can have a high contrast with respect to material properties, such that development of a latent image can be successful to form lines with very low line-width roughness and adjacent structures with a very small pitch.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first resist layer over a substrate, and forming a second resist layer over the first resist layer. The second resist layer is patterned to expose a portion of the first resist layer to form a second resist layer pattern. The first resist layer is exposed to extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation diffracted by the second resist layer pattern. Portions of the first resist layer exposed to the XUV radiation diffracted by the second resist layer are removed.

Organotin compounds are presented that are represented by the formula RSnL.sub.3, wherein R is a deuterated hydrocarbyl group and L is a hydrolysable ligand. Two different synthesis techniques are described for synthesizing these compositions. A first method involves reacting a primary halide hydrocarbyl compound (R—X, where X is a halide atom) with an organometallic composition comprising SnL3 moieties associated with metal cations M, where M is an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, and/or pseudo-alkaline earth metal (Zn, Cd, or Hg), and L is either an amide ligand resulting in an alkali metal tin triamide compound or an acetylide ligand resulting in an alkali metal tin triacetylide, to form correspondingly a monohydrocarbyl tin triamide (RSn(NR′.sub.2).sub.3) or a monohydrocarbyl tin triacetylide (RSn(C≡CR.sub.s).sub.3). An alternative approach involves reacting a Grignard reagent RMgX with SnL.sub.4 in a solution comprising an organic solvent to form a monoorgano tin tralkylamide, a monoorgano tin trialkoxide, monoorgano tin tri acetylide or monoorgano tin tricarboxylate. The compositions are useful for radiation patterning, especially with EUV radiation.

Provided are a resist compound, a method of forming a pattern by using the same, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the same. According to the present disclosure, the compound may be represented by Formula 1:

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