The present invention is configured to: form, on a substrate, a neutral layer having an intermediate affinity to a hydrophilic polymer and a hydrophobic polymer; form a resist pattern by performing exposure processing on a resist film formed on the neutral layer and then developing the resist film after the exposure processing; perform a surface treatment on the resist pattern by supplying an organic solvent having a polarity to the resist pattern; apply the block copolymer onto the neutral layer; and phase-separate the block copolymer on the neutral layer into the hydrophilic polymer and the hydrophobic polymer.

A new primer for electroless plating for use in a pretreatment process of electroless plating, is environmentally friendly, can be treated in fewer process steps, and can facilitate formation of fine-pitch wiring with a width of a few μm by photolithography. A photosensitive primer for forming a metal plating film on a base material through an electroless plating process has (a) a hyperbranched polymer having an ammonium group at a molecular terminal and a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 to 5,000,000, (b) metal fine particles, (c) a polymerizable compound having three or more (meth)acryloyl groups in a molecule, and (d) a photopolymerization initiator.

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.

A surface-modified structure and a method of modifying a surface are provided. The surface-modified structure includes a surface having a carboxylate group, a modifier represented by NH2-SO2- and an R group. A hydrogen bond is formed between the carboxylate group of the surface and the modifier. The R group is covalently bonded to the modifier.

[Problem]

To provide a composition capable of improving surface roughness of resist patterns, and also to provide a pattern formation method employing the composition.

[Solution]

The present invention provides a composition containing a particular nitrogen-containing compound, an anionic surfactant having a sulfo group, and water; and also provides a pattern formation method containing a step of applying the composition to a resist pattern beforehand developed and dried.

A lithography method is provided in accordance with some embodiments. The lithography method includes forming a patterned photoresist on a material layer, applying a first bonding material to a side surface of the patterned photoresist, performing a treatment on the first bonding material to bond the first bonding material to the side surface of the patterned photoresist, wherein the treatment creates a bonding site on the first bonding material configured to bond to a second bonding material, applying the second bonding material to a side surface of the first bonding material, and patterning the material layer by selectively processing a portion of the material layer exposed by the patterned photoresist, the first bonding material, and the second bonding material.

Provided is a material composition and method for inhibiting the printing of SRAFs onto a substrate including coating a substrate with a resist layer. After coating the substrate, the resist layer is patterned to form a main feature pattern and at least one sub-resolution assist feature (SRAF) pattern within the resist layer. The main feature pattern may include resist sidewalls and a portion of a layer underlying the patterned resist layer. In various examples, a material composition is deposited over the patterned resist layer and into each of the main feature pattern and the at least one SRAF pattern. Thereafter, a material composition development process is performed to dissolve a portion of the material composition within the main feature pattern and to expose the portion of the layer underlying the patterned resist layer.

A photoresist layer is formed over a patternable layer. The photoresist layer containing a negative tone photoresist material. An exposure process is performed to the photoresist layer. A post-exposure bake (PEB) process is performed to the photoresist layer. The photoresist layer is rinsed to develop a photoresist pattern. A primer material is applied to the photoresist pattern. The primer material is configured to: straighten a profile of the photoresist pattern, or to increase a number of deprotected acid labile group (ALG) units of the photoresist material, or to bond with the deprotected ALG units of the photoresist material. After the primer material is applied, the photoresist pattern is enlarged by coating a shrink material over the photoresist pattern, baking the shrink material, and removing portions of the shrink material. The patternable layer is patterned using the enlarged photoresist pattern as a mask.

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.

The present disclosure provides resist rinse solutions and corresponding lithography techniques that achieve high pattern structural integrity for advanced technology nodes. An example lithography method includes forming a resist layer over a workpiece, exposing the resist layer to radiation, developing the exposed resist layer using a developer that removes an unexposed portion of the exposed resist layer, thereby forming a patterned resist layer, and rinsing the patterned resist layer using a rinse solution. The developer is an organic solution, and the rinse solution includes water.