Negative working resist material, method for the production of the same and process of forming resist patterns using the same

Claim 2

A negative working resist material, comprising: (a) a polysiloxane obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of an alkoxysilane including an oxirane ring therein, said polysiloxane having at least one silanol group and including therein partial structural units represented by formulae (1), (2) and (3) in combinations with respect to one another of (1), and (2) and/or (3) in which all bonds not shown are to oxygen: ##STR8## wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are organic groups which may be the same or different, wherein at least one of the organic groups represented by R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , respectively, include an oxirane ring therein, and wherein at least one said oxirane ring in said partial structural units has been hydrolyzed to form a glycol group, which glycol group is present in said polysiloxane; and (b) an acid generator.

Claim 3

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , which may be the same or different, are selected from the group consisting of a 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl group and a phenyl group.

Claim 4

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, wherein organic groups R 1 , R 2 and R 3 which include an oxirane ring therein are present in an amount ranging from about 20 to about 100% by mole based on a total amount of organic groups represented by said R 1 , R 2 and R 3 .

Claim 5

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polysiloxane has a weight average molecular weight ranging from about 800 to about 10,000.

Claim 6

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said acid generator is selected from the group consisting of: (i) an onium salt represented by formula (I), (II) or (III) below; R'N.sub.2.sup.+ MXn.sup.- (I) (R').sub.2 I.sup.+ MXn.sup.- (II) (R').sub.3 S.sup.+ MXn.sup.- (III) wherein R' represents an aromatic group, and MXn - represents a group selected from the group consisting of BF 4 - , PF 6 - , AsF 6 - , and SbF 6 - , (ii) a halomethyltriazine, (iii) tetrabromobisphenol A, (iv) a nitrobenzyl ester compound, and (v) a trifluoromethanesulfonate compound.

Claim 7

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 5, wherein said acid generator is diphenyl-4-thiophenoxyphenylsulfonium hexafluorophosphate.

Claim 8

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said acid generator is present in an amount ranging from about 0.5 to about 20% by weight based on the weight of said negative working resist material.

Claim 9

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a spectral sensitizer.

Claim 10

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 8, wherein said spectral sensitizer is phenathiazine.

Claim 11

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an organic polymer having a hydroxyl group.

Claim 12

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 10, wherein said organic polymer having a hydroxyl group is selected from the group consisting of a novolak resin, a phenol resin, a pyrogallol acetone polymer, and a polyvinyl phenol.

Claim 13

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 10, wherein said organic polymer having a hydroxyl group is present in an amount which does not exceed about 10% by weight.

Claim 14

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an epoxy compound.

Claim 15

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 13, wherein said epoxy compound is selected from the group consisting of an ethylene glycol diglycidyl, an epoxy resin, an epoxystyrene, and an epoxybutane.

Claim 16

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 13, wherein said epoxy resin is present in an amount which does not exceed about 5% by weight based on the weight of said negative working resist material.

Claim 17

The negative working resist material according to claim 1, wherein the polysiloxane has partial structural units selected from the group consisting of (a) (1) and (2), and (b) (1) and (2) and (3).

Claim 18

The negative working resist material according to claim 1, wherein the polysiloxane is at least one polysiloxane selected from the group consisting of polysiloxanes represented by formulae (4a), (4b), (4c), (4d), and (4e): ##STR9## wherein R represents organic groups which are the same or different, each R having the same meaning as one of R 1 , R 2 or R 3 ; and m=1 to 10, n=0 to 10, and m+n≦10.

Claim 19

The negative working resist material according to claim 1, wherein the polysiloxane is at least one polysiloxane selected from the group consisting of polysiloxanes represented by formulae (5a), (5b), (5c), (5d), and (5e): ##STR10## wherein EP represents 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl group; φ represents a phenyl group, provided that any φ may be interchanged for any EP and any EP may be interchanged for any φ so far as said polysiloxane (5a), (5b), (5c), (5d) or (5e) contains at least one 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl group; and m=1 to 10, n=1 to 10, and m+n≦10.

Claim 20

The negative working resist material according to claim 1, wherein the polysiloxane is obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of a mixture of phenyltrimethoxysilane and 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)-ethyltrimethoxysilane.

Claim 21

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic groups represented by R 1 , R 2 or R 3 , respectively, that contain no oxirane ring are groups selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, a cycloalkyl group, and a phenyl group.

Claim 22

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 20, wherein at least one of the organic groups which include an oxirane ring is selected from the group consisting of an 3-glycidoxypropyl group, a 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl group, and a 4-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride group.

Claim 23

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 21, wherein at least one of the organic groups which include an oxirane ring is a 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl group.

Claim 24

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 20, wherein the organic groups represented by R 1 , R 2 or R 3 , respectively, that contain no oxirane ring are groups selected from the group consisting of a methyl group, an ethyl group, and a phenyl group.

Claim 25

A negative working resist material as claimed in claim 23, wherein the organic groups represented by R 1 , R 2 or R 3 , respectively, that contain no oxirane ring are phenyl groups.

Claim 26

A negative working resist material, comprising: (a) a polysiloxane obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of an alkoxysilane having an oxirane ring alone, or together with an alkoxysilane free of an oxirane ring, said polysiloxane having at least one silanol group, and having at least one glycol group formed by hydrolysis of at least one oxirane ring; and (b) an acid generator.

Claim 27

A negative working resist material, comprising: (a) a polysiloxane obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of an alkoxysilane having an oxirane ring alone, or together with an alkoxysilane free of an oxirane ring, said polysiloxane having at least one silanol group, and having at least one glycol group formed by hydrolysis of at least one oxirane ring; and (b) an acid generator.

Claim 32

The method according to claim 27, wherein the polysiloxane is obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of a mixture of phenyltrimethoxysilane and 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)-ethyltrimethoxysilane.

Claim 33

A process of forming resist patterns, comprising the steps of: (a) applying an organic polymer onto a substrate to form a bottom layer on said substrate; (b) providing a negative working resist comprised of: (1) a polysiloxane obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of an alkoxysilane including an oxirane ring therein, said polysiloxane having at least one silanol group and including therein partial structural units represented by formulae (1), (2) and (3) in combinations with respect to one another of (1), and (2) and/or (3) in which all bonds not shown are to oxygen: ##STR11## wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 each represent an organic group which may be the same or different, wherein at least one of the organic groups represented by R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , respectively, include an oxirane ring therein, and wherein at least one said oxirane ring in said partial structural units has been hydrolyzed to form a glycol group, which glycol group is present in said polysiloxane, and (2) an acid generator; (c) coating the negative working resist material onto said bottom layer to form a top layer and form a two layer resist on said substrate; (d) prebaking said two layer resist; (e) imagewise exposing said prebaked two layer resist with high energy radiation to obtain an exposed two layer resist having an exposed portion of said top layer and an unexposed portion of said top layer; (f) postbaking said exposed two layer resist to render said exposed portion of said top layer insoluble in an alkali developer; (g) developing said exposed two layer resist with an alkali developer to remove said unexposed portion of said top layer while retaining said insolubilized, exposed portion of said top layer on said bottom layer to form space corresponding to said unexposed portion of said top layer; and (h) dry etching said bottom layer using said remaining exposed portion of said top layer as a mask to remove said bottom layer in a region beneath said space corresponding to said unexposed portion of said top layer.

Claim 34

A process of forming resist patterns, comprising the steps of: (a) applying an organic polymer onto a substrate to form a bottom layer on said substrate; (b) providing a negative working resist comprised of: (1) a polysiloxane obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of an alkoxysilane including an oxirane ring therein, said polysiloxane having at least one silanol group and including therein partial structural units represented by formulae (1), (2) and (3) in combinations with respect to one another of (1), and (2) and/or (3) in which all bonds not shown are to oxygen: ##STR11## wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 each represent an organic group which may be the same or different, wherein at least one of the organic groups represented by R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , respectively, include an oxirane ring therein, and wherein at least one said oxirane ring in said partial structural units has been hydrolyzed to form a glycol group, which glycol group is present in said polysiloxane, and (2) an acid generator; (c) coating the negative working resist material onto said bottom layer to form a top layer and form a two layer resist on said substrate; (d) prebaking said two layer resist; (e) imagewise exposing said prebaked two layer resist with high energy radiation to obtain an exposed two layer resist having an exposed portion of said top layer and an unexposed portion of said top layer; (f) postbaking said exposed two layer resist to render said exposed portion of said top layer insoluble in an alkali developer; (g) developing said exposed two layer resist with an alkali developer to remove said unexposed portion of said top layer while retaining said insolubilized, exposed portion of said top layer on said bottom layer to form space corresponding to said unexposed portion of said top layer; and (h) dry etching said bottom layer using said remaining exposed portion of said top layer as a mask to remove said bottom layer in a region beneath said space corresponding to said unexposed portion of said top layer.

Claim 35

The process as claimed in claim 29, wherein said postbaking is performed at a temperature which is lower than that at which said prebaking is carried out.

Claim 36

The process according to claim 29, wherein the polysiloxane is obtained by hydrolysis and condensation with dehydration of a mixture of phenyltrimethoxysilane and 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)-ethyltrimethoxysilane.