A positive resist composition comprising a base polymer comprising recurring units having a nitrogen-containing tertiary ester structure exhibits a high sensitivity, high resolution, low edge roughness (LER, LWR) and small size variation, and forms a pattern of good profile after exposure and development.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes forming a protective layer over substrate having a plurality of protrusions and recesses. The protective layer includes polymer composition including polymer having repeating units of one or more of:

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Wherein a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, and i are each independently H, —OH, —ROH, —R(OH).sub.2, —NH.sub.2, —NHR, —NR.sub.2, —SH, —RSH, or —R(SH).sub.2, wherein at least one of a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, and i on each repeating unit is not H. R, R.sub.1, and R.sub.2 are each independently a C1-C10 alkyl group, a C3-C10 cycloalkyl group, a C1-C10 hydroxyalkyl group, a C2-C10 alkoxy group, a C2-C10 alkoxy alkyl group, a C2-C10 acetyl group, a C3-C10 acetylalkyl group, a C1-C10 carboxyl group, a C2-C10 alkyl carboxyl group, or a C4-C10 cycloalkyl carboxyl group, and n is 2-1000. A resist layer is formed over the protective layer, and the resist layer is patterned.

A resist underlayer composition and a method of forming patterns, the composition including a solvent; and a polymer that includes a structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 1 and a structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 2, ##STR00001##

A resist composition comprising a base polymer and a quencher in the form of an ammonium salt consisting of an ammonium cation having an iodized aromatic ring bonded to the nitrogen atom via a C.sub.1-C.sub.20 hydrocarbylene group which may contain an ester bond or ether bond and a carboxylate anion having an iodized or brominated hydrocarbyl group offers a high sensitivity and minimal LWR or improved CDU, independent of whether it is of positive or negative tone.

A photoresist composition, including an acid-sensitive polymer and photoacid generator compound having Formula (I):

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wherein, EWG, Y, R, and M.sup.+ are the same as described in the specification.

An object of the present invention is to provide a solution which contains an organic solvent as a main component (content: equal to or greater than 98% by mass) and has an excellent defect inhibition ability. Another object of the present invention is to provide a solution storage body storing the solution, an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition containing the solution, and a pattern forming method and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device using the solution. The solution of the present invention is a solution containing at least one kind of organic solvent having a boiling point lower than 200° C. and an organic impurity having a boiling point equal to or higher than 250° C., in which a content of the organic solvent with respect to a total mass of the solution is equal to or greater than 98% by mass, and a content of the organic impurity with respect to the total mass of the solution is equal to or greater than 0.1 mass ppm and less than 100 mass ppm.

A substrate treatment method for treating a substrate, includes: (a) applying a coating solution to a front surface of the substrate by a spin coating method to form a coating film; (b) supplying a solvent for the coating solution to a projection of the coating film formed at a front surface peripheral edge of the substrate at (a); and (c) rotating the substrate in a state where the supply of the solvent is stopped, to move a top of the projection to an outside in a radial direction of the substrate. (b) and (c) are repeatedly performed. The projection is a buildup of the coating solution protruding from the coating film.

A hardmask composition, a hardmask layer including a cured product of the hardmask composition, and a method of forming patterns from the hardmask composition, the hardmask composition includes a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, and a solvent,

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A temperature control device and a temperature control method are provided. The temperature control device is located at an interface between a photoresist coating and developing machine and a lithography machine and includes: a temperature detection device, a gas flow generator and a controller. The temperature detection device and the gas flow generator are respectively connected to the controller. The temperature detection device is configured to detect an actual temperature at the interface in real time. The gas flow generator is at least configured to generate a gas flow sealing knife around the interface. The controller is configured to control the gas flow generator to generate the gas flow sealing knife responsive to that the actual temperature detected by the temperature detection device is not equal to the target temperature, to control the actual temperature at the interface to reach the target temperature through the gas flow sealing knife.

Various embodiments described herein relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for treating metal-containing photoresist to modify material properties of the photoresist. For instance, the techniques herein may involve providing a substrate in a process chamber, where the substrate includes a photoresist layer over a substrate layer, and where the photoresist includes metal, and treating the photoresist to modify material properties of the photoresist such that etch selectivity in a subsequent post-exposure dry development process is increased. In various embodiments, the treatment may involve exposing the substrate to elevated temperatures and/or to a remote plasma. One or more process conditions such as temperature, pressure, ambient gas chemistry, gas flow/ratio, and moisture may be controlled during treatment to tune the material properties as desired.