There is provided a mask blank including on a substrate: a thin film for forming a transfer pattern; a resist underlayer formed on the thin film and made of a resist underlayer composition containing a polymer having a unit structure having a lactone ring and a unit structure having a hydroxyl group; a resist film formed on the resist underlayer film and made of a resist composition; and a mixed film formed so as to be interposed between the resist underlayer film and the resist film and made of a mixed component containing the resist underlayer composition and the resist composition.

Provided are a metasurface primary mirror, a metasurface secondary mirror, a method for manufacturing a metasurface primary mirror, a method for manufacturing a metasurface secondary mirror, and an optical system. The metasurface primary mirror, manufactured by using the method for manufacturing a metasurface primary mirror, includes a transparent substrate which includes a primary mirror metasurface pattern on the transparent substrate. The primary mirror metasurface is configured to satisfy a primary mirror phase distribution such that incident light reflected by a metasurface secondary mirror onto the metasurface primary mirror is reflected and focused.

A pattern is formed on a substrate with forming a layer of a curable composition (A1) containing a component (a1) serving as a polymerizable compound and a component (e1) on a surface of the substrate, then dispensing droplets of a curable composition (A2) containing at least a component (a2) serving as a polymerizable compound dropwise discretely onto the layer of the curable composition (A1), subsequently sandwiching a mixture layer of the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) between a mold and the substrate, then irradiating the mixture layer with light to cure the layer, and releasing the mold from the mixture layer after the curing, a surface tension of a composition of components of the curable composition (A1) except a solvent being higher than a surface tension a composition of components of the curable composition (A2) except a solvent.

A chemically amplified positive-type photosensitive resin composition that can be well developed with an aqueous basic solution having low pH, a substrate with a photosensitive film formed from the composition, and a method for patterned resist film formation using the composition. The composition includes an acid generator that produces an acid upon irradiation with an active ray or radiation; a resin whose solubility in alkali increases under the action of acid; and an organic solvent, in which a predetermined amount of an alkali-soluble resin soluble in an aqueous basic solution having a pH of 12 and containing alkali-soluble groups with hydrogen atoms in at least a part thereof is substituted with an acid-dissociative dissolution-controlling group contained in the resin.

A composition for forming an interlayer insulating film including a polymerizable monomer, an imide compound represented by general formula (z-1), a reaction promoter which promotes the polymerization of the polymerizable monomer and the imide compound, and a polymerization initiator, an interlayer insulating film containing a polymerized product thereof, a method for forming an interlayer insulating film pattern, and a device including the interlayer insulating film on a support. In the formula (z-1), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms. R.sub.Z.sup.00 represents a divalent organic group containing an aliphatic hydrocarbon group and/or an aromatic hydrocarbon group, R.sub.z.sup.01 and R.sub.z.sup.02 represent an alkyl group or an alkoxy group, and n.sub.1 and n.sub.2 are 0 or 1.

##STR00001##

According to one embodiment, a polymer material is disclosed. The polymer material contains a polymer. The polymer contains a first monomer unit having a lone pair and an aromatic ring at a side chain, and a second monomer unit including a crosslinking group at a terminal of the side chain, with its molar ratio of 0.5 mol % to 10 mol % to all monomer units in the polymer. The polymer material can be used for manufacturing a composite film as a mask pattern for processing a target film on a substrate. The composite film can be formed by a process including, forming an organic film on the target film with the polymer material, patterning the organic film, and forming the composite film by impregnating a metal compound into the patterned organic film.

A processing liquid supplying apparatus supplies a processing liquid to a process object via a discharging part. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes: a processing liquid source that supplies a processing liquid; an intermediate tank connected to the processing liquid source via a transport line; a feed line provided between the intermediate tank and the discharging part; an evacuating unit that evacuates an interior of the intermediate tank to transport the processing liquid from the processing liquid source to the intermediate tank through the transport line; and a pressure adjusting unit that supplies a gas into the intermediate tank to return a pressure in the evacuated intermediate tank from a reduced pressure to a normal pressure, thereby to place the intermediate tank ready for feeding the processing liquid, having been transported into the intermediate tank, into the feed line.

Methods are disclosed to prepare permanent materials that can be coated onto microelectronic substrates or used for other structural or optical applications. The permanent materials are thermally stable to at least 300° C., cure using a photo or thermal process, exhibit good chemical resistance (including during metal passivation), and have a lifespan of at least 5 years, preferably at least 10 years, in the final device. Advantageously, these materials can also be bonded at room temperature. The materials exhibit no movement or squeeze-out after bonding and adhere to a variety of substrate types. A chip-to-chip, chip-to-wafer, and/or wafer-to-wafer bonding method utilizing this material is also described.

A substrate transport apparatus includes transport hands that clamp substrates by vacuum pressures, respectively, and that are located at different heights, a vacuum pressure supply unit that supplies the vacuum pressures to the transport hands, and a controller that controls the vacuum pressure supply unit to supply the vacuum pressures to the transport hands or interrupt the supply of the vacuum pressures to the transport hands. The controller controls the vacuum pressure supply unit such that the vacuum pressures of the transport hands are turned off at the same height from a substrate support member.

Embodiments of a photomask removal apparatus for removing photoresist off of a photomask are provided herein. In some embodiments, a nozzle head for removing photoresist off of a photomask includes: a nozzle portion having a first side and an opposing second side and a flow path extending from the first side to the second side, wherein the flow path includes an orifice disposed between the first side and the second side and a nozzle that extends from the orifice to a nozzle exit on the second side, and wherein the flow path in the nozzle increases in width at an angle from the orifice to the second side; and a vacuum portion coupled to the nozzle portion, wherein the vacuum portion includes a first side and an opposing second side that faces the nozzle exit, wherein the vacuum portion includes a vacuum port extending from the second side.