There is provided a method of forming a patterned structure on a substrate. The method includes: forming a resist layer on the substrate, the resist layer being a negative tone resist; exposing a first portion of the resist layer to a focused electron beam to form a modified first portion, the modified first portion defining a boundary of a second portion of the resist layer; performing a plasma treatment on a surface of the resist layer, including on a surface of the second portion of the resist layer to form a modified surface portion of the second portion of the resist layer, resulting in a plasma treated resist layer; and performing development of the plasma treated resist layer to form the patterned structure on the substrate corresponding the second portion of the resist layer.

A polymer composition comprises a polymer having a main chain and pendant photobase generator (PBG) groups, pendant thermal base generator (TBG) groups, or a combination of pendant PBG and pendant TBG groups.

This base proliferating agent is represented by formula (1) or (2), where, in formula (1) and (2), R1, R2, and R3 independently represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent and n independently represents an integer from 1 to 4. A base-reactive resin composition can include this base proliferating agent and a base-reactive compound.

##STR00001##

A method for manufacturing a low-angle blazed grating on a semiconductor or silicon substrate, includes spin-coating the substrate with resist layer or hydrogen or polysilsesquioxane, being 100-1000 nm or few hundred nanometers thick, applying grayscale irradiation lithography exposure to the resist layer, generating a dose modulated pattern therein, varying in response to absorbed energy density from irradiation lithography exposure. The coated, irradiated substrate is developed in solution, such as TMAH or NaOH, enabling a blazed profile having structures of thickness-dependent diffusion barriers or SiO.sub.2, with 0-1000 nm height to emerge. Thermal oxidation in oxygen atmosphere at elevated temperature with the developed substrate, converts the upper silicon substrate layer into SiO.sub.2 to a depth depending on the thickness of the pattern in the resist layer above. Hydrofluoric acid fluid removes the SiO.sub.2, creating low-angle low-roughness blazed grating structure on silicon substrate.

A curable composition for imprinting satisfies the following A to C: A: the curable composition includes a polyfunctional polymerizable compound having a polymerizable group equivalent of 150 or higher; B: the curable composition includes a photopolymerization initiator; and C: the curable composition satisfies at least one of a condition that the content of an ultraviolet absorber in which the light absorption coefficient at a maximum emission wavelength of an irradiation light source is 1/2 or higher of the light absorption coefficient of the photopolymerization initiator is 0.5 to 8 mass % with respect to non-volatile components or a condition that the content of a polymerization inhibitor is 0.1 to 5 mass % with respect to the non-volatile components. The non-volatile components refer to components in the curable composition for imprinting other than a solvent.

To provide a negative photosensitive resin composition which exhibits satisfactory resolution even when shifts occur in focus depth, and which has satisfactory adhesion to a mold resin and exhibits a low dielectric constant; a method for producing a polyimide using the photosensitive resin composition; a method for producing a cured relief pattern; and a semiconductor device including the cured relief pattern.

Disclosed is a negative photosensitive resin composition including a polyimide precursor having a structure represented by general formula (A1), (B) a photopolymerization initiator, and (C) a solvent.

##STR00001##

A resin composition comprising the following component (A), the following component (B), and one or more selected from the group consisting of the following component (C) and the following component (D).

(A) polyimide, a polyimide precursor, polybenzoxazole, or a polybenzoxazole precursor
(B) one or more selected from the group consisting of a compound represented by the following formula (11), a compound represented by the following formula (21), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone
(C) a rust inhibitor
(D) a silane coupling agent

##STR00001##

A curable resin composition comprising (A) a silicone-based polymer, the surface, and (C) a solvent.

Intermittently photobleached mask with photobleachable and photobleached regions are described, as well as their fabrication and use to selectively release components from a substrate. Intermittently photobleached mask may allow a plurality of select components to be released simultaneously from a donor plate comprising a release layer, thereby facilitating component transfer.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a resist underlayer over a substrate. The resist underlayer includes an underlayer composition, including: a polymer with pendant photoacid generator (PAG) groups, pendant thermal acid generator (TAG) groups, a combination of pendant PAG and pendant TAG groups, pendant photobase generator (PBG) groups, pendant thermal base generator (TBG) groups, or a combination of pendant PBG and pendant TBG groups. A photoresist layer including a photoresist composition is formed over the resist underlayer. The photoresist layer is selectively exposed to actinic radiation. The selectively exposed photoresist layer is developed to form a pattern in the photoresist layer.