A method of patterning a substrate by selective deprotection via dye diffusion. The method includes forming a photoresist pattern on the substrate from a layer of photoresist deposited on the substrate, depositing a first overcoat on the photoresist pattern, the first overcoat filling openings defined by the photoresist pattern and covering the photoresist pattern, the first overcoat including an organic film containing a dye. The method further includes diffusing the dye from the first overcoat a predetermined diffusion length into the photoresist pattern, resulting in diffusion regions in the photoresist pattern, and removing the first overcoat from the substrate. The method further includes activating the solubility-shifting agent in the diffusion regions of the photoresist pattern using a second actinic radiation, depositing a second overcoat on the substrate, and developing the substrate with a second developer resulting in removal of soluble portions of the diffusion regions of the photoresist pattern.

A developing treatment method performs a developing treatment on a resist film on a substrate. The method includes: a pattern forming step of forming a resist pattern by supplying a developing solution to the substrate and developing the resist film on the substrate; a coating step of coating the developed substrate with an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymer; and a rinse step of cleaning the substrate by supplying a rinse solution to the substrate coated with the aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer.

A method of manufacturing a fine pattern using the following steps of: (1) coating a resist composition containing a novolak resin having an alkali dissolution rate of 100 to 3,000 Å on a substrate to form a resist composition layer; (2) subjecting said resist composition layer to exposure; (3) developing said resist composition layer to form a resist pattern; (4) subjecting said resist pattern to flood exposure; (5) coating a fine pattern forming composition on the surface of said resist pattern to form a fine pattern forming composition layer; (6) heating said resist pattern and said fine pattern forming composition layer to cure the regions of said fine pattern forming composition layer in the vicinity of said resist pattern and to form an insolubilized layer; and (7) removing uncured regions of said fine pattern forming composition layer.

Photoresist pattern trimming compositions comprise: a polymer comprising as polymerized units a monomer comprising an acid-decomposable group, the decomposition of which group forms a carboxylic acid group on the polymer; a non-polymeric acid or a non-polymeric thermal acid generator; and an organic-based solvent system comprising one or more organic solvents. Methods of trimming photoresist patterns involve applying such pattern trimming compositions to a photoresist pattern that is formed from a photoresist composition comprising a photoacid generator and a polymer comprising acid-decomposable groups. The photoresist pattern trimming compositions and pattern formation methods find particular use in the formation of fine lithographic patterns in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

The present invention relates to a method of reducing the LWR (Line Width Roughness) of a photoresist pattern using a negative tone photoresist during the fabrication of a semiconductor, and more specifically to a composition capable of reducing LWR in order to ensure a higher pattern CDU after a negative tone development process, and a processing method using the composition, thus reducing the LWR, thereby providing better CDU than existing methods.

The invention relates to the use of a non-aqueous composition comprising an organic solvent and at least one particular siloxane-type additive for treating substrates comprising patterns having line-space dimensions of 50 nm or below and aspect ratios of 4 or more as well as a method for manufacturing integrated circuit devices, optical devices, micromachines and mechanical precision devices, the said method comprising the steps of (1) providing a substrate having patterned material layers having line-space dimensions of 50 nm, aspect ratios of greater or equal 4, or a combination thereof, (2) contacting the substrate at least once with a non-aqueous composition, and (3) removing the non-aqueous composition from the contact with the substrate, wherein the non-aqueous composition comprising an organic solvent and at least one of such siloxane-type additives.

Proposed are a processing solution for reducing the incidence of pattern collapse and the number of defects in a photoresist pattern including polyhydroxystyrene using extreme ultraviolet rays as an exposure source, and a method of forming a pattern using the same. The processing solution for reducing the incidence of photoresist pattern collapse and the number of defects includes 0.0001 to 1 wt % of an alkaline material, 0.0001 to 1 wt % of an anionic surfactant, and 98 to 99.9998 wt % of water.

A method for etching a hardmask layer includes forming a photoresist layer comprising an organometallic material on a hardmask layer comprising a metal-containing material, exposing the photoresist layer to ultraviolet radiation through a mask having a selected pattern, removing un-irradiated areas of the photoresist layer to pattern the photoresist layer, forming a passivation layer comprising a carbon-containing material selectively on a top surface of the patterned photoresist layer, and etching the hardmask layer exposed by the patterned photoresist layer having the passivation layer formed thereon.

The present invention relates to a method of reducing the LWR (Line Width Roughness) of a photoresist pattern using a negative tone photoresist during the fabrication of a semiconductor, and more specifically to a composition capable of reducing LWR in order to ensure a higher pattern CDU after a negative tone development process, and a processing method using the composition, thus reducing the LWR, thereby providing better CDU than existing methods.

In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first film on a substrate. The method further includes housing the substrate provided with the first film in a chamber, and introducing a first gas into the chamber. The method further includes generating plasma discharge of the first gas in the chamber or applying radiation to the first gas in the chamber. The method further includes introducing a second gas containing a metal component into the chamber to cause the metal component to infiltrate into the first film after the generation of the plasma discharge or the application of the radiation is started.