A resist underlayer film for lithography does not cause intermixing with a resist layer, has high dry etching resistance and high heat resistance, and generates a low amount of sublimate. A resist underlayer film-forming composition containing a polymer having a unit structure of the following formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein A is a divalent group having at least two amino groups, the group is derived from a compound having a condensed ring structure and an aromatic group for substituting a hydrogen atom on the condensed ring, and B.sup.1 and B.sup.2 are each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a benzene ring group, a condensed ring group, or a combination thereof, or B.sup.1 and B.sup.2 optionally form a ring with a carbon atom bonded to B.sup.1 and B.

This invention relates to aminoplast crosslinker resins compositions based on at least partially alkylated reaction products A of melamine, formaldehyde and an alkanol with the following parameters: the ratio of the amount of substance n(CH.sub.2O) of combined formaldehyde to the amount of substance n(Mel) of melamine is in the range of from 5.6 mol/mol to 6.2 mol/mol, the ratio of the amount of substance n(RO) of alkyl ether groups in the crosslinker resin to the amount of substance n(Mel) of melamine is in the range of from 5.0 mol/mol to 5.6 mol/mol, the mass fraction of monomer in the resin, calculated as the ratio of the mass of monomer m(1) to the mass m(A) of the reaction products A is between 35% and 55%, to a process for their preparation, and to a method of use thereof as crosslinker in combination with hydroxy-functional polymers for coating of heat-sensitive substrates.

There is provided a resist overlayer film forming composition for use in a lithography process in semiconductor device production, which does not intermix with a resist, blocks undesirable exposure light particularly in EUV exposure, for example, UV and DUV and selectively transmits EUV alone, and which can be developed with a developer after exposure. A resist overlayer film forming composition comprising: a polymer including an organic group including a linear or branched saturated alkyl group having a carbon atom number of 1 to 10, in which some or all of hydrogen atoms thereof are substituted with fluorine atoms, and an optionally substituted C.sub.8-16 ether compound as a solvent.

A hard-mask forming composition, which is used for forming a hard mask used in lithography, including a first resin and a second resin, in which an amount of carbon contained in the first resin is 85% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of all elements constituting the first resin, and the amount of carbon contained in the second resin is 70% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of all elements constituting the second resin and less than the amount of carbon contained in the first resin.

A resist underlayer film for lithography does not cause intermixing with a resist layer, has high dry etching resistance and high heat resistance, and generates a low amount of sublimate. A resist underlayer film-forming composition containing a polymer having a unit structure of the following formula (1): ##STR00001##
wherein A is a divalent group having at least two amino groups, the group is derived from a compound having a condensed ring structure and an aromatic group for substituting a hydrogen atom on the condensed ring, and B.sup.1 and B.sup.2 are each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a benzene ring group, a condensed ring group, or a combination thereof, or B.sup.1 and B.sup.2 optionally form a ring with a carbon atom bonded to B.sup.1 and B.sup.2.

A resist underlayer film for lithography does not cause intermixing with a resist layer, has high dry etching resistance and high heat resistance, and generates a low amount of sublimate. A resist underlayer film-forming composition containing a polymer having a unit structure of the following formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein A is a divalent group having at least two amino groups, the group is derived from a compound having a condensed ring structure and an aromatic group for substituting a hydrogen atom on the condensed ring, and B.sup.1 and B.sup.2 are each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a benzene ring group, a condensed ring group, or a combination thereof, or B.sup.1 and B.sup.2 optionally form a ring with a carbon atom bonded to B.sup.1 and B.sup.2.

A hard-mask forming composition including a resin (P1) containing a structural unit (u11) represented by General Formula (u11-1), and a resin (P2) containing an aromatic ring and a polar group, provided that the resin (P1) is excluded from the resin (P2), wherein R.sup.11 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, Rp.sup.11 is an aldehyde group, a group represented by Formula (u-r-1), a group represented by Formula (u-r-2), or a group represented by Formula (u-r-3)

##STR00001##

A hard-mask forming composition, which is used for forming a hard mask used in lithography, including a first resin and a second resin, in which an amount of carbon contained in the first resin is 85% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of all elements constituting the first resin, and the amount of carbon contained in the second resin is 70% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of all elements constituting the second resin and less than the amount of carbon contained in the first resin.

A compound or a resin represented by the following formula (1). ##STR00001##
(in formula (1), each X independently represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or an uncrosslinked state, each R.sup.1 is independently selected from the group consisting of a halogen group, a cyano group, a nitro group, an amino group, a hydroxyl group, a thiol group, a heterocyclic group, an alkyl group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6 to 40 carbon atoms, and combinations thereof, in which the alkyl group, the alkenyl group and the aryl group optionally include an ether bond, a ketone bond or an ester bond, each R.sup.2 independently represents an alkyl group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6 to 40 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms, a thiol group or a hydroxyl group, in which at least one R.sup.2 represents a group including a hydroxyl group or a thiol group, each m is independently an integer of 0 to 7 (in which at least one m is an integer of 1 to 7.), each p is independently 0 or 1, q is an integer of 0 to 2, and n is 1 or 2).

An anti-reflective hardmask composition is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the anti-reflective hardmask composition includes (a) a carbazole derivative polymer represented by the following Formula 1 or a polymer blend comprising the carbazole derivative polymer, and (b) an organic solvent: ##STR00001##