The present application relates to a semiconductor fin structure cut process. The process includes: providing a semiconductor substrate and forming a plurality of fin structures on the semiconductor substrate, a gap being formed between every two adjacent fin structures; depositing a first dielectric layer, the first dielectric layer being filled in the gaps so that all fin structures are connected into a whole to form a semiconductor with fins; forming a plurality of pattern layer strips on the semiconductor with fins, a groove being formed between every two adjacent pattern layer strips, the fin structures closest to each pattern layer strip in the semiconductor with fins being necessary fin structures, attaching mask strips onto side surfaces of each pattern layer strip, the mask strips covering the necessary fin structures; etching the semiconductor with fins so that the unnecessary fin structures not covered by the mask strips are truncated.

A composition for forming a protective film using a polymer having an imide group: cured under a film-forming condition in air and an inert gas; forming a protective film having excellent heat resistance, embedding and planarization ability for a pattern formed on a substrate, and good adhesiveness to the substrate; and forming a protective film having excellent resistance against an alkaline aqueous hydrogen peroxide. A composition for forming a protective film against alkaline aqueous hydrogen peroxide, including: (A) a polymer having a repeating unit represented by general formula (1A) having at least one or more fluorine atoms and at least one or more hydroxy groups, a terminal group is any one of the following general formulae (1B) and (1C); and organic solvent, wherein R.sub.1 represents any one group represented by the following formula (1D), and two or more kinds of R.sub.1 are optionally used in combination. ##STR00001##

R.sup.1.sub.aR.sup.2.sub.bSi(R.sup.3).sub.4-(a+b)(1) A composition for a silicon-containing resist underlying film and for forming a resist underlying film that can be removed by a conventional method employing dry etching, but also by a method employing wet etching using a chemical liquid in a step for processing a semiconductor substrate or the like; and a composition for forming a resist underlying film for lithography and for forming a resist underlying film that has excellent storage stability and produces less residue in a dry etching step. A composition for forming a resist underlying film, the composition including a hydrolysis condensate of a hydrolysable silane mixture containing an alkyltrialkoxy silane and a hydrolysable silane of formula (1), wherein the contained amount of the alkyltrialkoxy silane in the mixture is 0 mol % or more but less than 40 mol % with respect to the total amount by mole of all of the hydrolysable silane contained in the mixture.

Embodiments described herein relate to a method, that obtaining a substrate with a patterned resist layer positioned over a patterning stack, wherein the patterned resist layer comprises a first low frequency roughness. In an embodiment, the method further includes forming a capping layer on the patterned resist layer. In an embodiment, a bottom of the patterned resist layer is exposed, and the patterned resist layer has a second low frequency line edge roughness that is lower than the first low frequency line edge roughness after the capping layer is formed.

A material for forming an organic film, containing: (A) compound represented by formula (1A); and (B) organic solvent, where W.sub.1 represents n1-valent organic group, n1 represents integer of 2 to 4, X.sub.1 represents group represented by formula (1B), n2 represents 1 or 2, and R.sub.1 represents any group represented by formulae (1C). A compound for forming organic film that cures under film formation conditions in inert gas as well as in air, and makes it possible to form organic film that has heat resistance, properties of filling and planarizing pattern formed in substrate, and favorable film-formability on and adhesiveness to substrate; material for forming organic film, containing compound; substrate for manufacturing semiconductor device including material; method for forming organic film, using material; patterning process using material; and aromatic carboxylic anhydride having crosslinkable moiety, expected to be an industrially useful raw material such as electronic materials and aerospace materials.

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A method for reducing resist consumption (RRC) is provided. The method includes treating a surface of a substrate using a RRC composition and forming a photoresist layer comprising a metal-containing material on the RRC composition treated surface. The RRC composition includes a solvent and an acid or a base. The solvent has a dispersion parameter between 10 and 25. The acid has an acid dissociation constant between 20 and 6.8. The base having an acid dissociation constant between 7.2 and 45.

A semiconductor device comprises a first transistor and a second transistor vertically above first transistor. The first transistor comprises a plurality of first semiconductor layers spaced apart from each other along a first direction and a first gate structure around the plurality of first semiconductor layers. One of the plurality of first semiconductor layers has a first width along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second transistor comprises a plurality of second semiconductor layers spaced apart from each other along the first direction and a second gate structure around the plurality of second semiconductor layers. One of the plurality of second semiconductor layers has a second width along the second direction, and a ratio of the second width to the first width or a ratio of the first width to the second width is in a range from about 0.25 to about 0.8.

A patterning stack is provided. The patterning stack includes a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer over a substrate, a photoresist layer having a first etching resistance over the BARC layer, and a top coating layer having a second etching resistance greater than the first etching resistance over the photoresist layer. The top coating layer includes a polymer having a polymer backbone including at least one functional unit of high etching resistance and one or more acid labile groups attacked to the polymer backbone or a silicon cage compound.

A method for forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a base with a first area and a second area; patterning a first core material layer and forming first core layers; forming first spacers; patterning a second core material layer and forming second core layers; modifying the second core layers exposed in the second area to form third core layers having an etching selectivity ratio with remaining second core layers; forming second spacers covering sidewalls of the second core layers and third core layers; and patterning a target material layer using the second spacers and third core layers as a mask and forming first target structures and second target structures. The pitch of adjacent first target structures is less than or equal to the pitch of adjacent second target structures. SAQP and SALELE processes are integrated. Redundant first target structures made by SAQP are removed without adding masks and process steps.

Selective gas etching for self-aligned pattern transfer uses a first block and a separate second block formed in a sacrificial layer to transfer critical dimensions to a desired final layer using a selective gas etching process. The first block is a first hardmask material that can be plasma etched using a first gas, and the second block is a second hardmask material that can be plasma etched using a second gas separate from the first gas. The first hardmask material is not plasma etched using the second gas, and the second hardmask material is not plasma etched using the first gas.