A radiation-sensitive composition includes particles including a metal oxide as a principal component, a radiation-sensitive acid generator, and an organic solvent. A metal atom constituting the metal oxide includes a first metal atom that is a zinc atom, a boron atom, an aluminum atom, a gallium atom, a thallium atom, a germanium atom, an antimony atom, a bismuth atom, a tellurium atom, or a combination thereof. A van der Waals volume of an acid generated from the radiation-sensitive acid generator is no less than 2.0×10.sup.−28 m.sup.3. A percentage content of the first metal atom with respect to total metal atoms in the radiation-sensitive composition is no less than 50 atomic %.

A radiation-sensitive composition includes particles including a metal oxide as a principal component, and an organic solvent. A metal atom constituting the metal oxide includes a first metal atom that is a zinc atom, a boron atom, an aluminum atom, a gallium atom, a thallium atom, a germanium atom, an antimony atom, a bismuth atom, a tellurium atom, or a combination thereof. A percentage content of the first metal atom with respect to total metal atoms in the radiation-sensitive composition is no less than 50 atomic %. A pattern-forming method includes applying the radiation-sensitive composition to form a film on a substrate, exposing the film, and developing the film exposed.

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.

Various embodiments herein relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for baking metal-containing on a semiconductor substrate in the presence of a reactive gas species. For example, the method may include receiving the substrate in a process chamber, the substrate having a photoresist layer thereon, where the photoresist layer includes a metal-containing photoresist material; flowing a reactive gas species from a gas source, through a gas delivery line, into the process chamber, and exposing the substrate to the reactive gas species in the process chamber; and baking the photoresist layer while the substrate is exposed to the reactive gas species.

This disclosure relates generally to a patterning structure including an underlayer and an imaging layer, as well as methods and apparatuses thereof. In particular embodiments, the underlayer provides an increase in radiation absorptivity and/or patterning performance of the imaging layer.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a spin on carbon layer comprising a spin on carbon composition over a semiconductor substrate. The spin on carbon layer is first heated at a first temperature to partially crosslink the spin on carbon layer. The spin on carbon layer is second heated at a second temperature to further crosslink the spin on carbon layer. An overlayer is formed over the spin on carbon layer. The second temperature is higher than the first temperature.

According to one embodiment, a photosensitive composition includes a great number of photosensitive core-shell type nano-particles each including a core and a shell and having a structure that the core is metal oxide particle and covered by the shell. The shell includes a) unsaturated carboxylic acid or unsaturated carboxylate, which is a negatively ionized unsaturated carboxylic acid, and b) silylated unsaturated carboxylic acid or unsaturated carboxylate which is negatively ionized silylated unsaturated carboxylic acid.

Provided is a material composition and method for that includes providing a substrate and forming a resist layer over the substrate. In various embodiments, the resist layer includes a multi-metal complex including an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) absorption element and a bridging element. By way of example, the EUV absorption element includes a first metal type and the bridging element includes a second metal type. In some embodiments, an exposure process is performed to the resist layer. After performing the exposure process, the exposed resist layer is developed to form a patterned resist layer.

A method is described for modifying the mechanical properties of NIL materials. The method includes applying an imprint mask to a nano-imprint lithography (NIL) material layer to create an imprinted NIL material layer, with the NIL material layer comprised of a NIL material. The method further includes detaching the imprinted NIL material layer from the imprint mask, with the modulus level of the NIL material below a flexibility threshold to cause a shape of the imprinted NIL material layer to remain unchanged after detachment. The modulus level of the NIL material of the imprinted NIL material layer is increased beyond a strength threshold to create a first imprint layer, with the imprint layer having a structure that remains unaffected by a subsequent process to form a second imprint layer matching a master mold pattern.

High etch contrast materials provide the basis for using pre-patterned template structure with a template hardmask having periodic holes and filler within the holes that provides the basis for rapidly obtaining high resolution patterns guided by the template and high etch contrast resist. Methods are described for performing the radiation lithography, e.g., EUV radiation lithography, using the pre-patterned templates. Also, methods are described for forming the templates. The materials for forming the templates are described.