A method for reducing resist consumption (RRC) is provided. The method includes treating a surface of a substrate using a RRC composition and forming a photoresist layer comprising a metal-containing material on the RRC composition treated surface. The RRC composition includes a solvent and an acid or a base. The solvent has a dispersion parameter between 10 and 25. The acid has an acid dissociation constant between -20 and 6.8. The base having an acid dissociation constant between 7.2 and 45.

In general, according to one embodiment, there is provided a semiconductor device including a substrate, an insulating layer formed above the substrate, and a conductive layer provided in the insulating layer. The insulating layer includes at least one cellulose fiber.

A 3D nanoprinter electron beam lithography module for a lithography system, such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an environmental SEM (ESEM) with a beam blanker and electron beam lithography attachment, but generally applicable to any electron beam lithography capable system. The module is comprised of an in-situ spin-coating stage that is compatible with a cooling-SEM stage, with a spin-coating motor, a spin-coating sample stub, a liquid waste collector cup, a liquid dispensing arm holding a tube bundle that is connected via tubing to micro-syringe pumps or a pressure driven flow controller or pumps connected to fluid reservoirs, an electron beam scan generator control box, electrical feedthroughs, control electronics, and a computing system responsible for controlling the entire module. The dispensing arm can be controlled by a servo motor.

Techniques for low- or zero-misaligned vias are disclosed. In one embodiment, a high-photosensitivity and low-photosensitivity photoresist are applied to a substrate and exposed at the same time with use of a dual-tone mask. After being developed, one photoresist forms an overhang over a sheltered region. The mold formed by the photoresists is filled with copper and then etched. The overhang prevents the top of the copper infill below the overhang region from being etched. As such, the sheltered region forms a pillar or column after etching, which can be used as a via. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A monitoring apparatus for a substrate processing apparatus includes: an imaging unit that captures an image of a nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus and a surface of a substrate held by a substrate holder of the substrate processing apparatus; a monitoring data generation unit that generates monitoring video data based on imaging video data captured by the imaging unit during an execution of a substrate process performed by the substrate processing apparatus including a first process and a second process; and a monitoring condition changing unit that changes a generation condition of the monitoring video data during the execution of the substrate process so that at least a resolution or a number of frames of the monitoring video data during an execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during an execution of the first process.

A photoresist coating device includes a liquid vaporization module and a photoresist coating module. The liquid vaporization module is for converting a liquid photoresist into a gaseous photoresist and conveying the gaseous photoresist to a photoresist coating module. The photoresist coating module comprises a vapor coating unit, a cover plate and a carrying table, in which the vapor coating unit comprises a vapor channel and a vapor spray hole, in which the vapor spray hole is provided through the cover plate; the carrying table is for loading a substrate; and the cover plate is provided on a side of the carrying table close to the substrate. The vapor coating unit acquires the gaseous photoresist through the vapor channel and conveys the gaseous photoresist to a surface to be coated of the substrate on the carrying table through the vapor spray hole to form a photoresist coating.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first protective layer over an edge portion of a first main surface of a semiconductor substrate. A metal-containing photoresist layer is formed over the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate. The first protective layer is removed, and the metal-containing photoresist layer is selectively exposed to actinic radiation. A second protective layer is formed over the edge portion of the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate. The selectively exposed photoresist layer is developed to form a patterned photoresist layer, and the second protective layer is removed.

A resist composition comprising a base polymer and an acid generator in the form of a sulfonium or iodonium salt of a fluorinated sulfonic acid having a phenylene group which is substituted with a fluorinated cyclic group and a nitro group is provided. The resist composition offers a high sensitivity, reduced LWR and improved CDU independent of whether it is of positive or negative tone.

A method for processing a substrate is described. The method includes forming a metal containing resist layer onto a substrate, patterning the metal containing resist layer, and performing a post exposure bake on the metal containing resist layer. The post exposure bake on the metal containing resist layer is a field guided post exposure bake operation and includes the use of an electric field to guide the ions or charged species within the metal containing resist layer. The field guided post exposure bake operation may be paired with a post development field guided bake operation.

An apparatus for cleaning a bowl includes a base plate, and a blade coupled to the base plate. The blade extends in a curve on a surface of the base plate in a direction receding from a center of the base plate in a plan view. An inner side surface of the blade includes a curved surface concavely recessed toward an inside of the blade in a cross-sectional view taken along a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the blade.