A system for performing biological reactions is provided. The system includes a chip including a substrate and a plurality of reaction sites. The plurality of reaction sites are each configured to include a liquid sample of at most one nanoliter. Further, the system includes a control system configured to initiate biological reactions within the liquid samples. The system further includes a detection system configured to detect biological reactions on the chip. According to various embodiments, the chip includes at least 20000 reaction sites. In other embodiments, the chip includes at least 30000 reaction sites.

The present invention provides a silicone skeleton-containing polymer including a silicone skeleton shown by the following formula (1) and having a weight average molecular weight of 3,000 to 500,000.

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This can provide a silicone skeleton-containing polymer that can easily form a fine pattern with a large film thickness, and can form a cured material layer (cured film) that is excellent in various film properties such as crack resistance and adhesion properties to a substrate, electronic parts, and a semiconductor device, particularly a base material used for a circuit board, and has high reliability as a film to protect electric and electronic parts and a film for bonding substrates; and a photo-curable resin composition that contains the polymer, a photo-curable dry film thereof, a laminate using these materials, and a patterning process.

Organometallic solutions have been found to provide high resolution radiation based patterning using thin coatings. The patterning can involve irradiation of the coated surface with a selected pattern and developing the pattern with a developing agent to form the developed image. The patternable coatings may be susceptible to positive-tone patterning or negative-tone patterning based on the use of an organic developing agent or an aqueous acid or base developing agent. The radiation sensitive coatings can comprise a metal oxo/hydroxo network with organic ligands. A precursor solution can comprise an organic liquid and metal polynuclear oxo-hydroxo cations with organic ligands having metal carbon bonds and/or metal carboxylate bonds.

Provided herein are processes for the generation of composite polymer materials utilizing a single resin. The processes utilize diffusion between a region undergoing a polymerization reaction preferentially polymerizing one monomer component and an unreactive region. Diffusion and subsequent/concurrent polymerization results in a higher concentration of the more reactive monomer component in the reacting region and a higher concentration of the less reactive monomer components in the unreactive region. The unreactive region may be later polymerized. In embodiments, photopolymerization is used and the regions are generated by a mask or other mechanism to pattern the light.

The present invention provides an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition capable of obtaining a pattern having a good shape, a resist film, a pattern forming method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device. The actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition of an embodiment of the present invention includes a salt including a cation represented by Formula (X) and a resin of which polarity increases through decomposition by the action of an acid.

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In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, an inspection method of a photomask includes performing a first inspection process, unloading the photomask from the inspection system, and performing a second inspection process. In the first inspection process, a common Z calibration map of an objective lens of an optical module with respect to the photomask is generated and stored, and a first image of the photomask is captured by using an image sensor while focusing the objective lens of the optical module based on the common Z calibration map. The photomask is unloaded from the inspection system. In the second inspection process, the photomask is loaded on the inspection system and a second image of the photomask is captured by using an image sensor while focusing an objective lens of an optical module based on the common Z calibration map generated in the first inspection process.

A method of processing a substrate includes: providing structures on a surface of a substrate; depositing a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) over the structures and the substrate, the SAM being reactive to a predetermined wavelength of radiation; determining a first pattern of radiation exposure, the first pattern of radiation exposure having a spatially variable radiation intensity across the surface of the substrate and the structures; exposing the SAM to radiation according to the first pattern of radiation exposure, the SAM being configured to react with the radiation; developing the SAM with a predetermined removal fluid to remove portions of the SAM that are not protected from the predetermined fluid; and depositing a spacer material on the substrate and the structures, the spacer material being deposited at varying thicknesses based on an amount of the SAM remaining on the surface of the substrate and the structures.

A method includes placing a photomask having a contamination on a surface thereof in a plasma processing chamber. The contaminated photomask is plasma processed in the plasma processing chamber to remove the contamination from the surface. The plasma includes oxygen plasma or hydrogen plasma.

A radiation sensitive composition including a siloxane polymer exhibiting phenoplast crosslinking reactivity as a base resin, which is excellent in resolution and can be used as a radiation sensitive composition capable of allowing a pattern having a desired-shape to be formed with sufficient precision. A radiation sensitive composition including as a silane, a hydrolyzable silane, a hydrolysis product thereof, or a hydrolysis-condensation product thereof; and a photoacid generator, in which the hydrolyzable silane includes hydrolyzable silanes of Formula (1)
R.sup.1.sub.aR.sup.2.sub.bSi(R.sup.3).sub.4-(a+b)  Formula (1)
wherein R.sup.1 is an organic group of Formula (1-2) ##STR00001##
and is bonded to a silicon atom through a Si—C bond or a Si—O bond, and R.sup.3 is a hydrolyzable group; and Formula (2)
R.sup.7.sub.cR.sup.8.sub.dSi(R.sup.9).sub.4-(c+d)  Formula (2)
wherein R.sup.7 is an organic group of Formula (2-1) ##STR00002##
and is bonded to a silicon atom through a Si—C bond or a Si—O bond, and R.sup.9 is a hydrolyzable group.

The present disclosure relates a lithographic substrate marking tool. The tool includes a first electromagnetic radiation source disposed within a housing and configured to generate a first type of electromagnetic radiation. A radiation guide is configured to provide the first type of electromagnetic radiation to a photosensitive material over a substrate. A second electromagnetic radiation source is disposed within the housing and is configured to generate a second type of electromagnetic radiation that is provided to the photosensitive material.