A patterning process, including steps of: forming the first resist film from the first resist material containing a thermosetting compound having a hydroxy group and/or a carboxy group each protected by an acid-labile group, an acid generator, and a sensitizer; irradiating the first resist film with a high energy beam or an electron beam to perform pattern exposure to deprotect the hydroxy group and/or carboxy group in a pattern exposed portion; forming the second resist film from second resist material containing (A) metal compound on the first resist film, and forming a crosslinked portion wherein the component (A) and deprotected hydroxy group and/or deprotected carboxy group are crosslinked on the pattern exposed portion; and developing the second resist film with a developer to give a metal film pattern composed of the crosslinked portion. This provides a method for forming a thin film resist pattern with higher resolution and higher sensitivity.

A compound represented by Formula (1). [In the formula, X represents a halogen atom or an alkoxy group, R.sup.1 represents any one group selected from an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a group represented by Formula (R2-1), and a group represented by Formula (R2-2), R.sup.2 represents a group represented by Formula (R2-1) or (R2-2), n0 represents an integer of 0 or greater, n1 represents an integer of 0 to 5, and n2 represents a natural number of 1 to 5.] ##STR00001##

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for enhancing carbon hardmask to have improved etching selectivity and profile control. In some embodiments, a method of treating a carbon hardmask layer is provided and includes positioning a workpiece within a process region of a processing chamber, where the workpiece has a carbon hardmask layer disposed on or over an underlying layer, and treating the carbon hardmask layer by exposing the workpiece to a sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) process to produce an aluminum oxide carbon hybrid hardmask which is denser than the carbon hardmask layer. The SIS process includes exposing and infiltrating the carbon hardmask layer with an aluminum precursor, purging to remove gaseous remnants, exposing and infiltrating the carbon hardmask layer to an oxidizing agent to produce an aluminum oxide coating disposed on inner surfaces of the carbon hardmask layer, and purging the process region to remove gaseous remnants.

A photosensitive resin composition which gives a cured film having high light shielding properties and enables stable curing by baking at low temperature, a cured film obtained by curing the composition, a display device provided with the cured film, and a pattern forming method using the composition. A light shielding film-forming process which does not impart thermal damage to a light-emitting element with respect to a substrate provided with a light-emitting element. In a photosensitive resin composition including a binder resin, a photopolymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, a coloring agent, and a thermosetting compound, a carbon black and/or an inorganic black pigment, and an organic pigment are used in combination as the coloring agent, and a photosensitive resin composition in which T2/T1 is 0.80 or more is used.

According to one embodiment, a pattern formation material includes a first monomer. The first monomer includes a first molecular chain, a first group, and a second group. The first molecular chain includes a first end and a second end. The first group has an ester bond to the first end. The second group has an ester bond to the second end. The first group is one of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. The second group is one of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. The first molecular chain includes a plurality of first elements bonded in a straight chain configuration. The first elements are one of carbon or oxygen. The number of the first elements is 6 or more. A film including the first monomer is caused to absorb a metal compound including a metallic element.

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.

[Problem] To provide a surface treatment composition having excellent coating properties and also having capabilities of improving heat resistance of a resist pattern and of making a resist pattern less soluble in a solvent; a resist pattern-surface treatment method using the composition; and a resist pattern formation method using the composition. [Solution] The present invention provides a surface treatment composition comprising a solvent and a polysiloxane compound soluble in the solvent. A silicon atom which is constituent atom of the polysiloxane connects to a nitrogen-substituted hydrocarbon group provided that the silicon atom directly binds to a carbon atom in the hydrocarbon group. The invention also provides a resist pattern-surface treatment method using the composition and a resist pattern formation method using the composition.

A composition applied over a resist pattern includes a modified polysiloxane in which some of silanol groups of a polysiloxane containing a hydrolysis condensate of a hydrolyzable silane are capped, and a solvent, wherein a ratio of silanol groups to all Si atoms contained in the modified polysiloxane is 40 mol % or less. The modified polysiloxane ratio of the silanol groups is adjusted to a desired ratio by reacting the silanol groups of the polysiloxane with an alcohol. A method for producing a semiconductor device having the steps of forming a resist film on a substrate, forming a resist pattern by exposing and developing the resist film, applying the composition over the resist pattern during or after development, and reversing a pattern by removing the resist pattern by etching.

We describe a method for patterning of colloidal nanocrystals films that combines a high energy beam treatment with a step of cation exchange. The high energy irradiation causes cross-linking of the ligand molecules present at the nanocrystal surface, and the cross-linked molecules act as a mask for the subsequent cation exchange reaction. Consequently, in the following step of cation exchange, the regions that have not been exposed to beam irradiation are chemically transformed, while the exposed ones remain unchanged. This selective protection allows the design of patterns that are formed by chemically different nanocrystals, yet in a homogeneous nanocrystal film.

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.