A chemically amplified negative resist composition is defined as comprising (A) an onium salt having an anion moiety which is a nitrogen-containing carboxylate of fused ring structure, (B) a base resin, and (C) a crosslinker. The resist composition is effective for controlling acid diffusion during the exposure step, exhibits a very high resolution during pattern formation, and forms a pattern with minimal LER.

The present invention relates to an electron beam (eBeam) resist composition, particularly an (eBeam) resist composition for use in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Such resist compositions include an anti-scattering compound which minimises scattering and secondary electron generation, thus affording extremely high resolution lithography. Such high resolution lithography may be used directly upon silicon-based substrates to produce integrated circuits, or may alternatively be used to produce a lithographic mask (e.g. photomask) to facilitate high-resolution lithography.

Techniques disclosed herein include methods for creating a directed self-assembly tunable neutral layer that works with multiple different block copolymer materials. Techniques herein can include depositing a neutral layer and then post-processing this neutral layer to tune its characteristics so that the neutral layer is compatible with a particular block copolymer scheme or schemes. Post-processing herein of such a neutral layer can modify a ratio of pi and sigma bonds in a given carbon film or other film to approximate a given self-assembly film that will be deposited on this neutral layer. Accordingly, a generic or single material can be used for a neutral layer and modified to match a given block copolymer to be deposited.

Techniques regarding lithographic processes for fabricating Josephson junctions are provided. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can comprise a method that can include depositing a first resist layer onto a second resist layer. The first resist layer can include a bridge portion that defines an opening for forming a Josephson junction. The method can also comprise depositing a third resist layer onto the bridge portion. The third resist layer can shield the opening from an angled deposition of a superconducting material during fabrication of the Josephson junction.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flat polymeric stack, said stack comprising one or more first and one second layer of (co)polymer (20, 30) stacked one on the other, the first underlying (co)polymer layer (20) not having undergone any prior treatment allowing its crosslinking, at least one of the (co)polymer layers initially being in a liquid or viscous state, said method being characterized in that the upper layer (30), known as the top coat (TC), is deposited on the first layer (20) in the form of a prepolymer composition (pre-TC), comprising one or more monomer(s) and/or dimer(s) and/or oligomer(s) and/or polymer(s) in solution, and in that it is then subjected to a heat treatment capable of causing a crosslinking reaction of the molecular chains within said layer (30, TC).

Disclosed herein is a pattern forming method comprising providing a substrate devoid of a layer of a brush polymer; disposing upon the substrate a composition comprising a block copolymer comprising a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other; and an additive polymer where the additive polymer comprises a bottlebrush polymer; where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymeric chain backbone and a grafted polymer that are bonded to each other; and where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that is chemically and structurally the same as one of the polymers in the block copolymer or where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that has a preferential interaction with one of the blocks of the block copolymers; and a solvent; and annealing the composition to facilitate domain separation between the first polymer and the second polymer.

The present invention provides a conductive polymer composition which contains (A) a polyaniline-based conductive polymer having a repeating unit represented by the general formula (1), (B) a polyanion, and (C) an amino acid, ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.A1 to R.sup.A4 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a linear, branched, or cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and optionally containing a heteroatom; and R.sup.A1 and R.sup.A2, or R.sup.A3 and R.sup.A4 may be bonded to each other to form a ring. There can be provided a conductive polymer composition that has excellent antistatic performance and applicability, dose not adversely affect a resist, and can be suitably used in lithography using electron beam or the like.

A nanomaterial ribbon patterning method includes: forming a first nanomaterial layer having a first threshold strain on an upper surface of a substrate; forming a second nanomaterial layer on an upper surface of the first nanomaterial layer; forming a thin layer having a second threshold strain smaller than the first threshold strain on an upper surface of the second nanomaterial layer; generating plural cracks on the thin layer and the second nanomaterial layer by applying tensile force to the substrate; placing a mask on an upper surface of the thin layer; removing the mask and peeling off the sacrificial layer on the upper surface of the thin layer; and removing the sacrificial layer to form a nanomaterial ribbon pattern.

There is provided a pattern forming method, including: (1) forming a film using an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition, (2) exposing the film with actinic ray or radiation, (3) developing the film exposed by using a developer containing an organic solvent, wherein the actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition contains (A) a resin having a repeating unit (R) with a structural moiety capable of decomposing upon irradiation with an actinic ray or radiation to generate an acid, and (B) a solvent, and the developer contains an additive that causes at least one interaction selected from the group consisting of an ionic bond, a hydrogen bond, a chemical bond and a dipole interaction with respect to a polar group contained in the resin (A) after the exposing.

A positive-type resist composition which generates an acid upon exposure and whose solubility in an alkali developing solution increases under the action of an acid, the composition including a base material component whose solubility in an alkali developing solution increases under the action of an acid; and a compound represented by the following general formula (m0): ##STR00001## Z.sup.01 to Z.sup.04 each independently represent a substituent having electron withdrawing properties, Rb.sup.21 and Rb.sup.22 each independently represent an alkyl group, an alicyclic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, or a hydroxyl group, Rb.sup.1 represents an aryl group which may have a substituent, an alkyl group, or an alkenyl group, n1 and n2 represent an integer of 0 to 3, and X0.sup.− represents an organic anion.