A pattern forming method includes forming a first organic film by coating an etching target film with a composition including a polymer including a cross-linkable component, infiltrating an inorganic substance into the first organic film, cross-linking the polymer, forming a second organic film on the first organic film, forming a second organic film pattern by patterning the second organic film, forming a first organic film pattern having a pitch reduced to one-half of a pitch of the second organic film pattern by patterning the first organic film by a self-aligned patterning method that uses the second organic film pattern as a core pattern, forming an etching target film pattern having a pitch reduced to one-half of a pitch of the first organic film pattern by patterning the etching target film by a self-aligned patterning method that uses the first organic film pattern as a core pattern.

A method for patterning a substrate, comprising: providing a photoresist patterning feature on the substrate, the substrate defining a substrate plane, the photoresist patterning feature having a softening temperature below 200 C. The method may include directing a first ion species into the photoresist patterning feature during a first exposure; and depositing a sidewall layer on the patterning feature after the directing at a deposition temperature, the deposition temperature being 200 C. or greater.

This disclosure describes systems, apparatus, methods, and devices related to ion beams fabrication. A device may overlay a wafer assembly of one or more layers with a top layer comprised of a material having 2D material characteristics. The device may be fabricated by applying an ion beam targeted to at least one of one or more regions of the top layer or a resist layer placed on top of the top layer, wherein the ion beam is tuned using a predetermined energy range or a dosing level of ions to modify material characteristics of the resist layer or to perform milling of the top layer or other layers of the one or more layers of the wafer assembly.

A pattern forming method includes forming a first organic film by coating an etching target film with a composition including a polymer including a cross-linkable component, infiltrating an inorganic substance into the first organic film, cross-linking the polymer, forming a second organic film on the first organic film, forming a second organic film pattern by patterning the second organic film, forming a first organic film pattern having a pitch reduced to one-half of a pitch of the second organic film pattern by patterning the first organic film by a self-aligned patterning method that uses the second organic film pattern as a core pattern, forming an etching target film pattern having a pitch reduced to one-half of a pitch of the first organic film pattern by patterning the etching target film by a self-aligned patterning method that uses the first organic film pattern as a core pattern.

A method for patterning a substrate, comprising: providing a photoresist patterning feature on the substrate, the substrate defining a substrate plane, the photoresist patterning feature having a softening temperature below 200 C. The method may include directing a first ion species into the photoresist patterning feature during a first exposure; and depositing a sidewall layer on the patterning feature after the directing at a deposition temperature, the deposition temperature being 200 C. or greater.

The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a method that includes slicing a first sub-polygon out of the pattern layout and writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate using a beam with a first beam setting that is associated with the first sub-polygon. The method additional includes slicing a second sub-polygon out of the remaining pattern layout that does not include the first sub-polygon. The second sub-polygon interfaces with the first sub-polygon on at least one edge. Also, the method includes, without turning off the beam after writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate, writing the second sub-polygon onto the substrate with a second beam setting that is associated with the second sub-polygon.

A reagent that enhances acid generation of a photoacid generator and composition containing such reagent is disclosed.

The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a method that includes slicing a first sub-polygon out of the pattern layout and writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate using a beam with a first beam setting that is associated with the first sub-polygon. The method additional includes slicing a second sub-polygon out of the remaining pattern layout that does not include the first sub-polygon. The second sub-polygon interfaces with the first sub-polygon on at least one edge. Also, the method includes, without turning off the beam after writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate, writing the second sub-polygon onto the substrate with a second beam setting that is associated with the second sub-polygon.

A semiconductor device may be manufactured using a multiple-layer photoresist that is formed of one or more materials that reduce the likelihood and/or amount of residual material retained in the multiple-layer photoresist. A photoresist underlayer of the multiple-layer photoresist includes a polymer having a highly uniform distribution of polar group monomers. Additionally and/or alternatively, the photoresist underlayer includes a polymer that includes a main chain and a plurality of side chains coupled with the main chain. The side chains include an acid generator component. Since the acid generator component is coupled with the main chain of the polymer by the side chains as opposed to uncontrollably diffusing into the photoresist layer, the acid generated by the acid generator component upon exposure to radiation collects under the bottom of the photoresist layer in a uniform manner and enables the bottommost portions of the photoresist layer to be developed and removed.

A process for fabricating an integrated circuit is provided. The process includes providing a substrate and forming a hard mask on the substrate. The hard mask may be formed by atomic-layer deposition (ALD) or molecular-layer deposition (MLD). The process also includes disposing an exposure mask over the hard mask and exposing the exposure mask to a patterning particle to pattern a gap in the hard mask. The patterning particle may be, for example, a photon or a charged particle.