A resist underlayer film-forming composition including: (A) component: an isopoly or heteropoly acid, or a salt thereof, or a combination thereof; and (B) component: polysiloxan, poly hafnium oxide or zirconium oxide, or a combination thereof, wherein an amount of the (A) component is 0.1 to 85% by mass of a total amount of the (A) component and the (B) component; and polysiloxan is a hydrolysis-condensation product of hydrolyzable silane of Formula (1):
R.sup.1.sub.aR.sup.2.sub.bSi(R.sup.3).sub.4−(a+b)  Formula (1)
and a hydrolyzable silane whose (a+b) is 0 is contained in a proportion of 60 to 85 mol % of a total hydrolyzable silane in Formula (1); the poly hafnium oxide is a hydrolysis-condensation product of hydrolyzable hafnium of Formula (2):
Hf(R.sup.4).sub.4  Formula (2)
and the zirconium oxide is a hydrolysis-condensation product of hydrolyzable zirconium of Formula (3) or Formula (4):
Zr(R.sup.5).sub.4  Formula (3)
ZrO(R.sup.6).sub.2  Formula (4)
or a hydrolysis-condensation product of a combination thereof.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a spin on carbon layer comprising a spin on carbon composition over a semiconductor substrate. The spin on carbon layer is first heated at a first temperature to partially crosslink the spin on carbon layer. The spin on carbon layer is second heated at a second temperature to further crosslink the spin on carbon layer. An overlayer is formed over the spin on carbon layer. The second temperature is higher than the first temperature.

A semiconductor processing method and semiconductor device are described. A substrate having a directed self-assembling material disposed thereon is heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the directed self-assembling material, for example from about 325° C. to 380° C., in an RTP process. The substrate is then cooled at a controlled rate of less than 5° C./sec to 100° C. or lower.

According to one embodiment, a photosensitive composition includes a great number of photosensitive core-shell type nano-particles each including a core and a shell and having a structure that the core is metal oxide particle and covered by the shell. The shell includes a) unsaturated carboxylic acid or unsaturated carboxylate, which is a negatively ionized unsaturated carboxylic acid, and b) silylated unsaturated carboxylic acid or unsaturated carboxylate which is negatively ionized silylated unsaturated carboxylic acid.

Block copolymers (BCPs) and synthetic infiltration synthesis (SIS) are used to double the line density on a substrate. The BCP comprises first and second interconnected BCP components with a functional group at the junction or interface of the components. After deposition of the BCP on the substrate and annealing, a pattern of parallel stripes of first and second BCP components is formed with a pattern of functional group interfaces between the components. Each of the BCP components is non-reactive with atomic layer deposition (ALD) precursors, while the functional group is reactive with the ALD precursors. The ALD results in the infiltration of inorganic material into the interfaces where the reactive functional groups are located but without affecting the BCP components. After removal of the organic material, a pattern of parallel lines of inorganic material remains with a pitch half that of the stripes of BCP components.

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.

A pattern formation method includes step (i) of forming a first negative type pattern on a substrate by performing step (i-1) of forming a first film on the substrate using an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition, step (i-2) of exposing the first film and step (i-3) of developing the exposed first film in this order; step (iii) of forming a second film at least on the first negative type pattern using an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition (2); step (v) of exposing the second film; and step (vi) of developing the exposed second film and forming a second negative type pattern at least on the first negative type pattern.

Methods of forming metal oxide structures and methods of forming metal oxide patterns on a substrate using a block copolymer system formulated for self-assembly. A block copolymer at least within a trench in the substrate and including at least one soluble block and at least one insoluble block may be annealed to form a self-assembled pattern including a plurality of repeating units of the at least one soluble block laterally aligned with the trench and positioned within a matrix of the at least one insoluble block. The self-assembled pattern may be exposed to a metal oxide precursor that impregnates the at least one soluble block. The metal oxide precursor may be oxidized to form a metal oxide. The self-assembled pattern may be removed to form a pattern of metal oxide lines on the substrate surface. Semiconductor device structures are also described.

High-chi diblock copolymers are disclosed whose self-assembly properties are suitable for forming hole and bar openings for conductive interconnects in a multi-layered structure. The hole and bar openings have reduced critical dimension, improved uniformity, and improved placement error compared to the industry standard poly(styrene)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) block copolymer (PS-b-PMMA). The BCPs comprise a poly(styrene) block, which can optionally include repeat units derived from trimethylsilyl styrene, and a second block that can be a polycarbonate block or a polyester block. Block copolymers comprising a fluorinated linking group L′ comprising 1-25 fluorines between the blocks can provide further improvement in uniformity of the openings.

A method of forming a nanostructure comprises forming self-assembled nucleic acids on at least a portion of a substrate. The method further comprises contacting the self-assembled nucleic acids on the at least a portion of a substrate with a solution comprising at least one repair enzyme to repair defects in the self-assembled nucleic acids. The method may comprise repeating the repair of defects in the self-assembled nucleic acids on the at least a portion of a substrate until a desired, reduced threshold level of defect density is achieved. A semiconductor structure comprises a pattern of self-assembled nucleic acids defining a template having at least one aperture therethrough. At least one of the apertures has a dimension of less than about 50 nm.