Pattern forming process and shrink agent
AssigneeShin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
InventorsJun Hatakeyama, Masayoshi Sagehashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A negative pattern is formed by applying a resist composition onto a substrate, exposing the resist film, and developing the exposed resist film in an organic solvent developer. The process further involves coating the negative pattern with a shrink agent solution of a polymer comprising recurring units capable of forming lactam under the action of acid in a C7-C16 ester or C7-C16 ketone solvent, baking the coating, and removing the excessive shrink agent via organic solvent development for thereby shrinking the size of spaces in the pattern.
Claims8
A pattern forming process comprising the steps of:
- applying a resist composition onto a substrate, said resist composition comprising a polymer comprising recurring units having an acid labile group-substituted carboxyl group, an acid generator and an organic solvent,
- prebaking to form a resist film,
- exposing the resist film to high-energy radiation,
- baking the film,
- developing the exposed resist film in an organic solvent-based developer to form a negative resist pattern,
- applying a shrink agent onto the negative resist pattern, said shrink agent being a solution of a polymer comprising recurring units (a1) having the general formula (1) in a solvent selected from the group consisting of ester solvents of 7 to 16 carbon atoms and ketone solvents of 7 to 16 carbon atoms,
- baking, and
- removing the excessive shrink agent with the organic solvent-based developer for thereby shrinking the size of spaces in the pattern,
- wherein R1 is hydrogen or methyl,
- R2 is a straight or branched C2-C8 alkylene group,
- R3 is a straight, branched or cyclic C1-C8 alkyl group which may contain an ether moiety, ester moiety or halogen, or an acid labile group,
- X1 is phenylene or —C(═O)—O—R4—,
- R4 is a single bond, a straight, branched or cyclic C1-C8 alkylene group, or phenylene group.
A shrink agent comprising a polymer and at least one solvent selected from ester solvents of 7 to 16 carbon atoms and ketone solvents of 7 to 16 carbon atoms,
- said polymer comprising recurring units (a1) having the general formula (1):
- wherein R1 is hydrogen or methyl,
- R2 is a straight or branched C2-C8 alkylene group,
- R3 is a straight, branched or cyclic C1-C8 alkyl group which may contain an ether moiety, ester moiety or halogen, or an acid labile group,
- X1 is phenylene or —C(═O)—O—R4—,
- R4 is a single bond, a straight, branched or cyclic C1-C8 alkylene group, or phenylene group.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.