A substrate processing method includes supplying a water-soluble polymer solution to a surface of a substrate having, on a surface of the substrate, a resist film on which no pattern is formed, after an immersion exposure process, hydrophilizing a surface of the resist film using the supplied water-soluble polymer solution, supplying, after the hydrophilizing, a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate to remove the water-soluble polymer solution that has not contributed to the hydrophilizing, and drying the substrate supplied with the cleaning liquid, wherein the water-soluble polymer solution has a pH value that allows an acid concentration in the resist film to fall within a permissible range.

Provided is a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a wafer; an etch stop layer on the wafer; a lower mold layer on the etch stop layer; an intermediate supporter layer on the lower mold layer; an upper mold layer on the intermediate supporter layer; an upper supporter layer on the upper mold layer; and a hard mask structure on the upper supporter layer, wherein the hard mask structure includes a first hard mask layer on the upper supporter layer and a second hard mask layer on the first hard mask layer, one of the first hard mask layer and the second hard mask layer includes a first organic layer including a SOH containing C, H, O, and N, and the other one of the first hard mask layer and the second hard mask layer includes a second organic layer including an SOH containing C, H, and O.

A method includes providing a first plate including a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a first recess indented from the first surface towards the second surface; providing a semiconductor structure including a third surface, a fourth surface opposite to the third surface, and a first sidewall extending between the third surface and the fourth surface; placing the semiconductor structure over the first plate; and disposing a priming material over the third surface of the semiconductor structure, wherein a peripheral portion of the fourth surface of the semiconductor structure is in contact with the first surface of the first plate upon the disposing of the priming material.

A method of processing a wafer having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface is provided. The method includes the steps of: holding the second surface of the wafer such that the first surface thereof is exposed; processing an exposed first surface side of an outer circumferential edge portion of the wafer with a processing tool including a grinding stone made of abrasive grains bound together by a bonding material, thereby forming on the outer circumferential edge portion a slanted surface that is inclined to the first surface so as to be progressively closer to the second surface in a direction from a central area of the wafer toward an outer circumferential edge thereof; and coating the first surface of the wafer with a liquid material according to a spin coating process, thereby forming a resist film on the first surface of the wafer.

An integrated circuit structure includes an active region containing more active semiconductor devices, wherein the active region comprises a first grating of metal and dielectric materials with only vertically aligned structures thereon. A transition region containing inactive structures is adjacent to the active region, wherein the transition region comprises a second grating of metal and dielectric materials having at least one of vertical aligned structures and vertical random structures thereon. Both the active regions and the transition regions have an absence of non-uniform gratings with horizontal parallel polymer sheets thereon.

Embodiments disclosed herein include methods of depositing a metal oxo photoresist using dry deposition processes. In an embodiment, the method comprises forming a first metal oxo film on the substrate with a first vapor phase process including a first metal precursor vapor and a first oxidant vapor, and forming a second metal oxo film over the first metal oxo film with a second vapor phase process including a second metal precursor vapor and a second oxidant vapor.

A method of producing a substrate with a fine uneven pattern is a method of producing a substrate having a fine uneven pattern on a surface thereof, the method including a step (a) of preparing a laminate provided with a substrate and a first resin layer provided on the substrate and having a first fine uneven pattern formed on a surface thereof; and a step (b) of forming a second fine uneven pattern corresponding to the first fine uneven pattern on the surface of the substrate by etching the surface of the first fine uneven pattern using the first resin layer as a mask, in which the first resin layer is formed of a resin composition (P) including a fluorine-containing cyclic olefin polymer (A) or a cured product of the resin composition (P).

A resist underlayer film forming composition contains a resin containing a unit structure represented by formula (1): [in formula (1), R1 represents a thiadiazole group which is optionally substituted with a C1-6 alkyl group optionally interrupted by a carboxy group, a C1-6 alkyl group optionally substituted with a hydroxyl group, or a C1-4 alkylthio group, and R2 represents a hydrogen atom or formula (2): (in formula (2), R1 is the same as defined above, and * represents a binding moiety)]. The resist underlayer film forming composition provides a resist underlayer film which has excellent solvent resistance, excellent optical parameters, an excellent dry etching rate, and excellent embeddability.

Provided is a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate having an upper surface. The manufacturing method includes forming a trench on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, arranging a material by arranging a surface-treatment material on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate and the surface of the trench, applying a resist to an interior of the trench, and patterning the resist by exposing the resist using a mask to leave the resist in the interior of the trench predetermined. Surface free energy of solids of the surface-treatment material is less than surface free energy of liquids of the resist.

Provided is a novel composition for forming a resist underlayer film. This composition for forming a resist underlayer film includes a polymer (X) and a solvent, the polymer (X) containing: a plurality of structural units which are the same as or different from each other and have a methoxymethyl group and a ROCH2- group (R is a monovalent organic group, a hydrogen atom, or a mixture thereof) other than the methoxymethyl group; and a linking group that links the more than one structural unit.