To provide a resist material that can form a film with high smoothness and uniformity and has high patterning performance, such as resolution, a resist material is provided that contains a calixarene compound (A) with a molecular structure represented by the following structural formula (1) and a resin component (B); ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.1 denotes a perfluoroalkyl group or a structural moiety with a perfluoroalkyl group; R.sup.2 denotes a hydrogen atom, a polar group, a polymerizable group, or a structural moiety with a polar group or a polymerizable group; R.sup.3 denotes a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic hydrocarbon group that optionally has a substituent, or an aryl group that optionally has a substituent; n denotes an integer in the range of 2 to 10; and * denotes a bonding point with an aromatic ring.

Methods of forming structures including a photoresist absorber layer and structures including the photoresist absorber layer are disclosed. Exemplary methods include forming the photoresist absorber layer that includes at least two elements having an EUV cross section (σα) of greater than 2×10.sup.6 cm.sup.2/mol.

In one preferred embodiment, polymers are provided that comprise a structure of the following Formula (I): ##STR00001##
Photoresists that comprises such polymers also are provided.

A resist underlayer film forming composition which has high storage stability, has a low film curing start temperature, can cause the generation of a sublimated product in a reduced amount, and enables the formation of a film that is rarely eluted into a photoresist solvent; a method for forming a resist pattern using the resist underlayer film forming composition; and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The resist underlayer film forming composition includes a crosslinkable resin, a crosslinking agent, a crosslinking catalyst represented by formula (I) and a solvent. (A-SO.sub.3).sup.−(BH).sup.+[wherein A represents a linear, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, an aryl group which may be substituted by a group other than a hydroxy group, or a heteroaryl group which may be substituted; and B represents a base having a pKa value of 6.5 to 9.5.]

Methods of forming structures including a photoresist absorber layer and structures including the photoresist absorber layer are disclosed. Exemplary methods include forming the photoresist absorber layer that includes an element having a relatively high extreme ultraviolet (EUV) sensitivity on a mass basis while having a relatively low EUV sensitivity on a mole basis.

Disclosed herein are techniques for fabricating a straight or slanted surface-relief grating with a uniform or non-uniform grating depth. According to certain embodiments, a gray-tone photoresist includes a novolac resin, a diazonaphthoquinone (DNQ) dissolution inhibitor, and one or more crosslinking agents for crosslinking the novolac resin at an elevated temperature to increase a glass transition temperature of the gray-tone photoresist and/or lower an etch rate of the gray-tone photoresist. After gray-tone photo exposure and development, the gray-tone photoresist is baked at the elevated temperature to crosslink. The crosslinked gray-tone photoresist has a higher density and a higher glass transition temperature, and thus would not become flowable to cause ripples or other surface roughness during the etching.

A composition for forming an organic film contains a polymer having a partial structure shown by the following general formula (1) as a repeating unit, and an organic solvent. Each of AR1 and AR2 represents a benzene ring or naphthalene ring which optionally have a substituent; W.sub.1 represents a particular partial structure having a triple bond, and the polymer optionally contains two or more kinds of W.sub.1; and W.sub.2 represents a divalent organic group having 6 to 80 carbon atoms and at least one aromatic ring. This invention provides: a polymer curable even under film formation conditions in an inert gas and capable of forming an organic film which has not only excellent heat resistance and properties of filling and planarizing a pattern formed in a substrate, but also favorable film formability onto a substrate with less sublimation product; and a composition for forming an organic film, containing the polymer. ##STR00001##

The present invention pertains to a method of manufacturing segregated layers above a substrate. The invention also pertains to methods of manufacturing a photoresist layer, photoresist patterns, a processed substrate and a device.

The invention relates to a crosslinkable prepolymer composition for use as a contrast layer. It also relates to a method for structuring an interface material. This method is characterized in particular by the following steps:

depositing, on a block copolymer film, a prepolymer composition layer comprising a plurality of functional monomers and at least one crosslinkable functional group within its polymer chain and, on the other hand, two chemically different crosslinking agents, each agent being capable of initiating the crosslinking of said prepolymer in response to a stimulation specific thereto,

subjecting the stack to a first stimulation localized on first areas, so as to cause a crosslinking reaction of the molecular chains of said prepolymer, and subjecting the stack to a second stimulation, so as to cause crosslinking of the molecular chains of said prepolymer by the action of said second crosslinking agent in secondary areas.

A composition for forming resist underlayer film for nanoimprinting includes novolac resin that has a repeating unit structure represented by formula (1). In formula (1), group A represents organic group having an aromatic ring, a condensed aromatic ring, or a condensed aromatic heterocycle, group B represents organic group having an aromatic ring or a condensed aromatic ring, group E represents a single bond or a branched or straight-chain C1-10 alkylene group that may be substituted and may include an ether bond and/or a carbonyl group, group D represents organic group that has 1 to 15 carbon atoms and is represented by formula (2) (in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 each independently represent a fluorine atom, or a straight-chain, branched-chain, or cyclic alkyl group, and any two of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 may be bonded to one another to form a ring), and n represents a number from 1 to 5.