Negative resist composition, patterning process, and testing process and preparation process of negative resist composition

• US 8,557,509 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Akinobu, Masunaga, Keiichi, Domon, Daisuke, Watanabe, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eoff, Anca
• Application Number:
  US12/662,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20100291484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 430/270.1, 430/325, 430/434, 430/927
• US Class Current: 430/325
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0045 with organic non-macromolecular light-sensitive compounds not otherwise provided for, e.g. dissolution inhibitors
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0382 the macromolecular compound being present in a chemically amplified negative photoresist composition
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/30 Imagewise removal using liquid means
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/322 Aqueous alkaline compositions

Abstract

There is disclosed a negative resist composition comprising at least (A) a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by action of an acid, and/or a combination of a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by reaction with a crosslinker by action of an acid, with a crosslinker, (B) an acid generator, and (C) a compound containing a nitrogen as a basic component, and forming a resist film having the film thickness X (nm) of 50 to 100 nm, wherein, in the case that the resist film is formed from the negative resist composition under the film-forming conditions for the pattern formation, a dissolution rate of the resist film into the alkaline developer used in the development treatment for the pattern formation is 0.0333X−1.0 (nm/second) or more and 0.0667X−1.6 (nm/second) or less. There can be a negative resist composition having excellent etching resistance and resolution and giving a good pattern profile even at the substrate'"'"'s interface, a patterning process using the same, and a testing process and a preparation process of this negative resist composition.

Claims

1. A resist patterning process, the resist patterning process by a lithography, comprising, at least,

(a) forming a resist film having a film thickness of X(nm) of 50 to 100 nm on a substrate to be processed, said resist film being formed by using a negative resist composition comprising at least

(A) a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by action of an acid, and/or a combination of a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by reaction with a crosslinker by action of an acid, with a crosslinker, wherein the base resin contains a phenolic hydroxyl group, wherein 95% or more by mol of the repeating units constituting the base resin include a monomer structure having an aromatic skeleton, the repeating units constituting the base resin include any combination of the repeating units represented by the following general formulae (1) to (3),

2. The resist patterning process according to claim 1, wherein the acid generator of the component (B) contains at least one or more kinds of the compounds represented by the following general formula (4),

3. The resist patterning process according to claim 1, wherein the basic component of the component (C) contains one or more kinds of amine compounds or amine oxide compounds having at least a carboxyl group and not having a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a base-center nitrogen atom.

4. The resist patterning process according to claim 2, wherein the basic component of the component (C) contains one or more kinds of amine compounds or amine oxide compounds having at least a carboxyl group and not having a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a base-center nitrogen atom.

5. The resist patterning process according to claim 3, wherein the amine compound or amine oxide compound having a carboxyl group and not having a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a base-center nitrogen atom includes one or more kinds of the compounds represented by the following general formulae (5) to (7),

6. The resist patterning process according to claim 4, wherein the amine compound or amine oxide compound having a carboxyl group and not having a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a base-center nitrogen atom includes one or more kinds of the compounds represented by the following general formulae (5) to (7),

7. The resist patterning process according to claim 3, wherein the basic component of the component (C) further contains at least one or more kinds selected from amine compounds and amine oxide compounds represented by the following general formulae (8) and (9),

8. The resist patterning process according to claim 1, wherein a photomask blank is used as the substrate to be processed.

9. The resist patterning process according to claim 8, wherein a chromium compound film is formed on the outermost surface of the photomask blank.

10. A negative resist composition for use in a resist patterning process, wherein the negative resist composition comprises

(A) a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by action of an acid, and/or a combination of a base resin that is alkaline-soluble and is made alkaline-insoluble by reaction with a crosslinker by action of an acid, with a crosslinker, wherein the base resin contains a phenolic hydroxyl group, wherein 95% or more by mol of the repeating units constituting the base resin include a monomer structure having an aromatic skeleton, the repeating units constituting the base resin include any combination of the repeating units represented by the following general formulae (1) and (3),

11. The negative resist composition according to claim 10, wherein the preparation of the negative resist composition is done by selecting the kinds and the mixing ratio of two or more of the base resins, the two or more base resins have different dissolution rates in the alkaline developer.