Method of forming a photoresist pattern using WASOOM

A method of forming a contact hole, comprising:

• providing an insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate
• providing a photoresist pattern that defines an opening therethrough on the insulating layer;
• coating a water-soluble organic over-coating material (WASOOM) over the photoresist pattern including the opening therethrough;
• flowing the resulting structure to shrink the size of the opening;
• wherein the WASOOM does not substantially react with the photoresist pattern and thus does not substantially form an interfacial layer with the photoresist pattern;
• removing the WASOOM;
• and
• etching the insulating layer to form a contact hole using the shrunken-opening photoresist pattern as an etching mask.

A method of forming a contact hole, comprising:

• providing an insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate;
• providing a photoresist pattern that defines an opening therethrough on the insulating layer, the opening having a diameter of approximately 0.25 μm˜0.3 μm;
• coating a water-soluble organic over-coating material (WASOOM) over the photoresist pattern including the opening therethrough with a thickness of approximately 2000 Å;
• flowing the resulting structure to shrink the size of the opening to approximately 0.15 μm-0.2 μm;
• removing the WASOOM;
• and
• etching the insulating layer to form a contact hole using the shrunken-opening photoresist pattern as an etching mask,
• wherein the WASOOM does not substantially react with the photoresist pattern and thus does not substantially form an interfacial layer with the photoresist pattern.

A method of forming a contact hole in a semiconductor device, comprising:

• forming a photoresist pattern that defines an opening therethrough over a semiconductor substrate;
• coating a SOG layer over the photoresist pattern including the opening thereof;
• heat-treating the resulting structure;
• and
• removing the SOG layer.

A contact hole, formed by the process steps comprising:

• providing an insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate;
• providing a photoresist pattern that defines an opening therethrough on the insulating layer;
• coating a water-soluble organic over-coating material (WASOOM) over the photoresist pattern including the opening therethrough;
• flowing the resulting structure to shrink the size of the opening;
• wherein the WASOOM does not substantially react with the photoresist pattern and thus does not substantially form an interfacial layer with the photoresist pattern;
• removing the WASOOM;
• and
• etching the insulating layer to form a contact hole using the shrunken-opening photoresist pattern as an etching mask.