A system and method for depositing a photoresist and utilizing the photoresist are provided. In an embodiment a deposition chamber is utilized along with a first precursor material comprising carbon-carbon double bonds and a second precursor material comprising repeating units to deposit the photoresist onto a substrate. The first precursor material is turned into a plasma in a remote plasma chamber prior to being introduced into the deposition chamber. The resulting photoresist comprises a carbon backbone with carbon-carbon double bonds.

A radiation-sensitive composition includes a polymer including first and second structural units, a first compound that generates a first acid upon irradiation with radioactive ray, and a second compound that generates a second acid upon irradiation with radioactive ray. The first structural unit includes an acid-labile group, the first acid does not substantially dissociate the acid-labile group under 110° C. and a period of 1 min, the second acid dissociates the acid-labile group under 110° C. and a period of 1 min, and the second structural unit includes a monovalent group of formula (X),

##STR00001##

where Ar.sup.1 is a group obtained by removing (a+b) hydrogen atoms from an unsubstituted aryl group, R.sup.XA is a monovalent iodine atom, an iodinated alkyl group or an iodinated alkoxy group, R.sup.XB is a monovalent organic group, a is an integer of 1 to 10, and b is an integer of 1 to 10.

A resist composition containing a resin component having a structural unit represented by general formula (a0-1), and a compound represented by general formula (b1). In general formula (a0-1), R is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or a halogenated alkyl group, Va.sup.1 is a divalent hydrocarbon group, n.sub.a1 represents an integer of 0 to 2, Ya.sup.0 is a carbon atom, Xa.sup.0 is a group forming a monocyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon group together with Ya.sup.0, and Ra.sup.00 is an aromatic hydrocarbon group or a specific unsaturated hydrocarbon group. In general formula (b1), R.sup.b1 represents a cyclic hydrocarbon group, Y.sup.b1 represents a divalent linking group containing an ester bond, V.sup.b1 represents an alkylene group, a fluorinated alkylene group, or a single bond, and M.sup.m+ is an m-valent organic cation.

##STR00001##

There are provided a developer management method, a developer management device, a plate-making method, and a plate-making apparatus that can prevent development residues from being adhered, can perform appropriate development, and decrease the replacement frequency of a developer. A plate-making method has a developing step of removing and developing a non-exposed portion of an imagewise exposed flexographic printing plate precursor using a developer, a measuring step of measuring a conductivity of the developer used in removing the non-exposed portion of the imagewise exposed flexographic printing plate precursor, and a replenishing step of replenishing at least one liquid of a development replenishing liquid or water to the developer based on the conductivity measured in the measuring step such that the conductivity becomes a conductivity in a determined range.

A KrF (248 nm) photoresist patterning process flow is disclosed wherein photoresist patterns having a sub-100 nm CD are formed on a dielectric antireflective coating (DARC) thereby lowering cost of ownership by replacing a more expensive ArF (193 nm) photoresist patterning process. A key feature is treatment of a DARC such as SiON with a photoresist developer solution that is 0.263 N tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) prior to treatment with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) in order to significantly improve adhesion of features with CD down to about 60 nm. After the HMDS treatment, a photoresist layer is coated on the DARC, patternwise exposed, and treated with the photoresist developer solution to form a pattern therein. Features that were previously resolved by KrF patterning processes but subsequently collapsed because of poor adhesion, now remain upright and intact during a subsequent etch process used to transfer the sub-100 nm features into a substrate.

A radiation-sensitive resin composition comprises: a polymer, and a radiation-sensitive acid generator. The polymer comprises a structural unit comprising: an acid-labile group; and an oxoacid group or phenolic hydroxyl group protected by the acid-labile group. The acid-labile group is represented by formula (1). R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a divalent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. R.sup.3 represents a monovalent group having 1 to 40 atoms and having at least one selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom. * denotes a binding site to the oxy group in the oxoacid group or phenolic hydroxyl group protected.

##STR00001##

A novel sulfonium compound of formula (A) and a chemically amplified resist composition comprising the same as a PAG are provided. When processed by photolithography using KrF or ArF excimer laser, EB or EUV, the resist composition has a high sensitivity and reduced acid diffusion and is improved in lithography properties. ##STR00001##

A chemically amplified positive resist composition is provided comprising a base polymer which contains a polymer comprising a phenolic hydroxy group-containing unit, a unit containing a phenolic hydroxy group protected with an acid labile group, and a unit containing a carboxy group protected with an acid labile group. The aromatic ring-containing repeat units account for at least 65 mol % of the overall repeat units of the polymer. A resist pattern with a very high resolution, reduced LER, improved rectangularity, and minimized influence of develop loading can be formed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel fluorine-containing polymer, a radiation-sensitive resin composition for liquid immersion lithography which contains the fluorine-containing polymer, which leads to a pattern having an excellent shape and excellent depth of focus, wherein the amount of an eluted component in a liquid for liquid immersion lithography such as water that comes in contact with the resist during exposure in liquid immersion lithography is little, and which provides a larger receding contact angle between the resist film and the liquid for liquid immersion lithography such as water, and a method for purifying the fluorine-containing polymer. The present resin composition comprises a novel fluorine-containing polymer (A) containing repeating units represented by the general formulae (1) and (2) and having Mw of 1,000-50,000, a resin (B) having an acid-unstable group, a radiation-sensitive acid generator (C), a nitrogen-containing compound (D) and a solvent (E).

Disclosed are a resin containing a structural unit represented by formula (I), a structural unit represented by formula (a1-1), a structural unit represented by formula (a1-2) and a structural unit represented by formula (a2-A), and a resist composition including the same: ##STR00001##