A method of operating a semiconductor apparatus includes generating an electric field in peripheral areas of a first covering structure and a second covering structure; causing a photomask to move to a position between the first and second covering structures such that the photomask at least partially vertically overlaps the first and second covering structures and such that particles attached to the photomask are attracted to the first and second covering structures by the electric field; and irradiating the photomask with light through light transmission regions of the first and second covering structures.

According to one embodiment, a polymer material is disclosed. The polymer material contains a polymer. The polymer contains a first monomer unit having a lone pair and an aromatic ring at a side chain, and a second monomer unit including a crosslinking group at a terminal of the side chain, with its molar ratio of 0.5 mol % to 10 mol % to all monomer units in the polymer. The polymer material can be used for manufacturing a composite film as a mask pattern for processing a target film on a substrate. The composite film can be formed by a process including, forming an organic film on the target film with the polymer material, patterning the organic film, and forming the composite film by impregnating a metal compound into the patterned organic film.

An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment liquid for manufacturing a semiconductor with which the deterioration of lithographic performance or the occurrence of defects is suppressed such that a fine resist pattern or a fine semiconductor element can be manufactured. A treatment liquid for manufacturing a semiconductor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: one compound (A) that satisfies the following requirement (a);one compound (B) or two or more compounds (B) that satisfy the following requirement (b); and one inorganic matter (C) or two or more inorganic matters (C) having any element selected from the group consisting of Al, B, S, N, and K. Here, a total content of the compound (B) in the treatment liquid is 10.sup.−10 to 0.1 mass %, and a ratio P of the inorganic matter (C) to the compound (B) represented by the following Expression I is 10.sup.3 to 10.sup.−6. Requirement (a): a compound that is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol compound, a ketone compound, and an ester compound and of which a content in the treatment liquid is 90.0 to 99.9999999 mass % Requirement (b): a compound that is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol compound having 6 or more carbon atoms, a ketone compound, an ester compound, an ether compound, and an aldehyde compound and of which a content in the treatment liquid is 10.sup.−11 to 0.1 mass %
P=[Total Mass of Inorganic Matter (C)]/[Total Mass of Compound (B)]   Expression I.

A patterned photo resist layer (for example an EUV photo resist layer), which may exhibit line width roughness (LWR) and line edge roughness (LER) or scum is treated with a plasma treatment before subsequent etching processes. The plasma treatment reduces LWR, LER, and/or photo resist scum. In one exemplary embodiment, the plasma treatment may include a plasma formed using a gas having a boron and halogen compound. In one embodiment, the gas compound may be a boron and chlorine compound, for example boron trichloride (BCl.sub.3) gas. In another embodiment, the gas compound may be a boron and fluorine compound, for example B.sub.xF.sub.y gases. The plasma treatment process may modify the photoresist surface to improve LWR, LER, and scum effects by removing roughness from the photo resist surface and removing photo resist residues which may case scumming.

The present invention provides a pre-wet liquid having excellent resist-saving properties. In addition, a resist film forming method, a pattern forming method, and a kit, which are related to the pre-wet liquid, are also provided.

The pre-wet liquid according to the embodiment of the present invention has a surface tension of 29.0 mN/m or more, a viscosity of 1.8 cP or less, and a vapor pressure of 2.5 to 5.0 mmHg, in a case of consisting of a single solvent, the pre-wet liquid has an SP value of 25.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less and does not have a benzene ring group, and in a case of consisting of a mixed solvent, the pre-wet liquid satisfies the requirement 1 or the requirement 2.

requirement 1: The mixed solvent is a mixed solvent consisting of only two or more kinds of organic solvents A, and the organic solvent A has an SP value of 25.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less and a surface tension of 29.0 mN/m or more and does not have a benzene ring group.

requirement 2: The mixed solvent is a mixed solvent of an organic solvent A and an organic solvent B, and the organic solvent B has an SP value of 25.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less and a surface tension of less than 29.0 mN/m.

A chemically amplified negative resist composition comprising an alcohol compound of specific structure as a crosslinker has a high sensitivity and dissolution contrast and forms a pattern of good profile with reduced values of LER and CDU.

An extreme ultraviolet light generation system may include a laser system emitting first prepulse laser light, second prepulse laser light, and main pulse laser light in this order; a chamber including at least one window for introducing, into the chamber, the first prepulse laser light, the second prepulse laser light, and the main pulse laser light; a target supply unit supplying a target to a predetermined region in the chamber; and a processor controlling the laser system to irradiate the target with the first prepulse laser light, irradiate the target, having been irradiated with the first prepulse laser light, with the second prepulse laser light having a pulse time width longer than a pulse time width of the main pulse laser light, and irradiate the target, having been irradiated with the second prepulse laser light, with the main pulse laser light temporally separated from the second prepulse laser light.

A radiation-sensitive resin composition contains: an onium salt compound represented by formula (1); a resin containing a structural unit having an acid-dissociable group; and a solvent. R.sup.1 is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent organic group having a cyclic structure, or a chain hydrocarbon group having 2 or more carbon atoms. X is an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or —NR.sup.α—. R.sup.α is a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms. Z.sup.+ is a monovalent onium cation.

##STR00001##

An actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition includes a resin X including a repeating unit derived from a compound including two or more structural moieties consisting of an anionic moiety and a cationic moiety, and a polymerizable group, in which the compound generates an acid including an acidic moiety derived from the anionic moiety in the two or more structural moieties by irradiation with actinic rays or radiation.

A composition for forming a silicon-containing resist underlayer film contains a compound shown by the following general formula (A-1) and a thermally crosslinkable polysiloxane. R.sub.1 represents a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, an allyl group, or a propargyl group. R.sub.2 represents a hydrogen atom, an acetyl group, an acryloyl group, a methacryloyl group, a benzoyl group, a naphthoyl group, or an anthranoyl group. R.sub.3 represents a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, an allyl group, a propargyl group, or a group shown by the following general formula (A-2), where a broken line represents a bonding arm, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are as defined above. An object of the present invention is to provide a silicon-containing resist underlayer film capable of exhibiting high effect of suppressing ultrafine pattern collapse and forming a resist pattern with favorable pattern profile in multilayer resist methods.

##STR00001##