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AssigneeTokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.
InventorsKazuyuki Nitta, Taku Nakao, Satoshi Maemori, Tatsuya Matsumi
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Disclosed is a method for decreasing the surface defects of a patterned photoresist layer on a substrate surface obtained by the procedure comprising the steps of (a) forming a photoresist layer of a positive-working chemical-amplification photoresist composition on the substrate surface, (b) patternwise exposing the photoresist layer to actinic rays, (c) subjecting the patternwise-exposed photoresist layer to a post-exposure baking treatment and (d) a development treatment. The improvement can be accomplished by bringing the photoresist layer after the post-exposure baking treatment into contact with an aqueous acidic solution having a pH of 3.5 or lower for 1 to 90 seconds. The acid contained in the aqueous acidic solution is preferably an aromatic sulfonic acid or, more preferably, a diphenyl ether sulfonic acid such as dodecyl(diphenyl ether)disulfonic acids.
In a method for the preparation of a patterned photoresist layer on a substrate surface comprising the steps of (a) forming a layer of a positive-working chemical-amplification photoresist composition on the substrate surface, (b) patternwise exposing the photoresist layer to actinic rays, (c) subjecting the patternwise light-exposed photoresist layer to a post-exposure baking treatment and (d) subjecting the photoresist layer after the post-exposure baking treatment to a development treatment with an aqueous alkaline developer solution, the improvement which comprises bringing the photoresist layer after the post-exposure baking treatment in step (c), prior to the development treatment in step (d), into contact with an aqueous acidic solution containing an aromatic sulfonic acid having two benzene nuclei or a naphthalene ring structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.