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.

Organometallic radiation resist compositions are described based on tin ions with alkyl ligands. Some of the compositions have branched alkyl ligands to provide for improved patterning contrast while maintaining a high degree of solution stability. Blends of compounds with distinct alkyl ligands can provide further improvement in the patterning. High resolution patterning with a half-pitch of no more than 25 nm can be achieved with a line width roughness of no more than about 4.5 nm. Synthesis techniques have been developed that allow for the formation of alkyl tin oxide hydroxide compositions with very low metal contamination.

In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a device having at least two features of differing heights comprises: depositing a resist over a substrate; determining a topography pattern for the at least two features of the device; determining an exposure pattern for the at least two features of the device; exposing a first area of the resist with a first dose of light, the first area corresponding to a first feature of the at least two features; exposing a second area of the resist with a second dose of light that is different from the first dose of light, the second area corresponding to a second feature of the at least two features; and developing the resist.

Photolithography overlay errors are a source of patterning defects, which contribute to low wafer yield. An interconnect formation process that employs a patterning photolithography/etch process with self-aligned interconnects is disclosed herein. The interconnection formation process, among other things, improves a photolithography overlay (OVL) margin since alignment is accomplished on a wider pattern. In addition, the patterning photolithography/etch process supports multi-metal gap fill and low-k dielectric formation with voids.

A system and method for manufacturing a micropillar array (20). A carrier (11) is provided with a layer of metal ink (20i). A high energy light source (14) irradiates the metal ink (20i) via a mask (13) between the carrier (11) and the light source. The mask is configured to pass a cross-section illuminated image of the micropillar array onto the metal ink (20i), thereby causing a patterned sintering of the metal ink (20i) to form a first subsection layer (21) of the micropillar array (20) in the layer of metal ink (20i). A further layer of the metal ink (20i) is applied on top of the first subsection layer (21) of the micropillar array (20) and irradiated via the mask (13) to form a second subsection layer (21) of the micropillar array on top. The process is repeated to achieve high aspect ratio micropillars 20p.

A radiation-sensitive composition includes an organic acid, particles including a metal oxide as a principal component, and an acid generating agent that is capable of generating an acid upon irradiation with a radioactive ray. A pKa, which is a logarithmic value of a reciprocal of an acid dissociation constant Ka, of the acid generated from the acid generating agent is less than a pKa of the organic acid. The acid generating agent satisfies at least one of conditions (i) and (ii): (i) a van der Waals volume of the acid is no less than 2.1×10.sup.−28 m.sup.3; and (ii) the acid generating agent includes a plurality of groups that are capable of generating an acid.

A spin on carbon composition, comprises: a carbon backbone polymer; a first crosslinker; and a second crosslinker. The first crosslinker reacts with the carbon backbone polymer to partially crosslink the carbon backbone polymer at a first temperature, and the second crosslinker reacts with the carbon backbone polymer to further crosslink the carbon backbone polymer at a second temperature higher than the first temperature. The first crosslinker is a monomer, oligomer, or polymer. The second crosslinker is a monomer, oligomer, or polymer. The first and second crosslinkers are different from each other. When either of the first crosslinker or the second crosslinker is a polymer, the polymer is a different polymer than the carbon backbone polymer.

Disclosed is a photosensitive resin composition for an optical waveguide containing a resin component and a photoacid generator. In the photosensitive resin composition, the resin component is constituted of an epoxy resin component containing both an aromatic epoxy resin and an aliphatic epoxy resin, and the content of the aromatic epoxy resin is 55 wt. % or more and less than 80 wt. % of the entirety of the epoxy resin component and the content of the aliphatic epoxy resin is more than 20 wt. % and 45 wt. % or less of the entirety of the epoxy resin component. Accordingly, for example, when a core layer of an optical waveguide is formed using the disclosed photosensitive resin composition for an optical waveguide, a core layer of an optical waveguide having satisfactorily low tackiness and high transparency while maintaining satisfactory roll-to-roll compatibility and a high resolution patterning property can be formed.

Vacuum-integrated photoresist-less methods and apparatuses for forming metal hardmasks can provide sub-30 nm patterning resolution. A metal-containing (e.g., metal salt or organometallic compound) film that is sensitive to a patterning agent is deposited on a semiconductor substrate. The metal-containing film is then patterned directly (i.e., without the use of a photoresist) by exposure to the patterning agent in a vacuum ambient to form the metal mask. For example, the metal-containing film is photosensitive and the patterning is conducted using sub-30 nm wavelength optical lithography, such as EUV lithography.

Provided is a method of trimming an inorganic resist in an integration scheme, the method comprising: disposing a substrate in a process chamber, the substrate having an inorganic resist layer and an underlying layer comprising an oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, and a base layer, the inorganic resist layer having an inorganic structure pattern; performing an inorganic resist trimming process to selectively remove a portion of the inorganic resist structure pattern on the substrate, the trimming process using a first etchant gas mixture and generating a first pattern; controlling selected two or more operating variables of the integration scheme in order to achieve target integration objectives; wherein the first etchant gas mixture comprises a fluorine-containing gas and a diluent gas; and wherein the target integration objectives include a target critical dimension (CD), a target line edge roughness (LER), a target line width roughness (LWR) and a target substrate throughput.