Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Diazo reproduction – process – composition – or product – Composition or product which contains radiation sensitive...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-13
2003-03-25
Chu, John S. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Diazo reproduction, process, composition, or product
Composition or product which contains radiation sensitive...
C430S192000, C430S193000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06537719
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a novel radiation sensitive resin composition and more specifically relates to a radiation sensitive resin composition suitable for use in the production of semiconductors, the fabrication of the display plane of a liquid crystal display device in an LCD panel, and the production of a circuit substrate for a thermal head or the like. Further, the present invention relates to a radiation sensitive resin composition apllicable to all applications besides the above-mentioned applications in which photosensitive properties to exposure radiation are utilized, such as UV inks, UV paints, UV adhesives, photo recording materials, photo molding materials, and so on.
BACKGROUND ART
Photolithographic techniques has been traditionally used for the formation of fine elements or the fine processing in many fields such as the fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits such as an LSI, the fabrication of the display plane of a liquid crystal display device in an LCD panel, and the production of a circuit substrate for a thermal head or the like. In the photolithography process, a positive-working or negative-working radiation sensitive resin composition is used for forming resist patterns. As one of these radiation sensitive resin compositions, a radiation sensitive resin composition comprising a resin and a photosensitive material has been widely used traditionally. In addition, recently, a radiation sensitive resin composition containing a resin and a photoacid generator, e.g. a chemically amplified radiation sensitive resin composition, has been put to wide uses.
Among these radiation sensitive resin compositions, a typical positive-working radiation sensitive resin composition containing a resin and a photosensitive material is one comprising an alkali-soluble resin and a quinonediazide compound as a photosensitive material. Various kinds of these positive-working radiation sensitive resin compositions containing an alkali-soluble resin and a quinonediazide compound are described, for example, as “novolak resins/quinonediazide compounds” in many documents such as Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-B) No. 54-23,570 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,473), JP-B No. 56-3 850 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,128), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 55-73,045, JP-A No. 61-205,933. The research and development works of these radiation sensitive resin compositions containing such an alkali-soluble resin and a quinonediazide compound have been hitherto made from both sides of the novolak resins and the photosensitive materials (photosensitizers). From the viewpoint of the novolak resins, radiation sensitive resin compositions with superior characteristics have been obtained by the improvement of the physical properties and others of the resins hitherto known as well as the development of new resins. Techniques providing superior characteristics to radiation sensitive resin compositions are showed in many literatures. That is, a technique using the novolak resin having a specific molecular weight distribution in JP-A Nos. 60-140,235 and 1-105,243 and a technology using a novolak resin whose low-molecular-weight components selectively eliminated in JP-A Nos. 60-97,347 and 60-189,739 and Japanese Patent No. 2,590,342 are described. Furthermore, various new quinonediazide compounds have also been developed, and various types of additives have been proposed too.
Meanwhile, as to the radiation sensitive resin compositions containing a resin and a photoacid generator, various compositions have been known. Examples of these include a negative-working radiation sensitive resin composition comprising a novolak resin and a specific triazine compound as a photoacid generator (JP-A No. 5-303,196), a radiation sensitive resin composition containing a specific resin having a linkage which can be cleaved by an acid (JP-A No. 2-19,847), and a negative- or positive-working radiation sensitive resin composition containing specific basic iodonium compounds (JP-A No. 7-333,844). As described above, many improvements also have been made from the standpoints of resins, photoacid generators, additives, and so on about these radiation sensitive resin compositions comprising a resin and a photoacid generator.
As a result of the former research works, a number of positive- and negative-working radiation sensitive resin compositions have been put to practical use.
However, the degree of integration of semiconductor integrated circuits has been being higher from year to year and patterning with a submicron or halfmicron line width or less has been being required in the production of semiconductors. But by the above-mentioned conventional technique, the requirement cannot be fully satisfied. In addition, in such applications where ultrafine processing are required, together with resolution and good pattern reproduction, the enhancement of the through put (yield per unit time) in the production is also strongly sought from the viewpoint of production cost. Because of this, upgrading the sensitivity of the radiation sensitive resin compositions has also become an important task. The requirement for upgrading the sensitivity of the radiation sensitive resin compositions is not limited to the production of the semiconductor integrated circuits. The same requirement is directed to the production of the display plane of a liquid crystal display device in a LCD panel and the fabrication of a circuit substrate for a thermal head or the like. These are also required to all materials utilizing the photosensitive properties to exposure radiation such as UV inks, UV paints, UV adhesives, photo recording materials, photo molding materials.
In order to meet the high sensitization, for example, in a radiation sensitive resin composition containing a resin and a photosensitive material, methods have been taken wherein the molecular weight of the resin in the composition is made smaller or the amount to be added of the photosensitive material (photosensitier) is decreased. These methods, however, have some problems. That is, as the heat resistance of the resulting resist lowers, the etching resistance of the resist drops in the production of semiconductor devices and the like or as the developability becomes so poor that scum (residue in development) is formed and the highly normalized film remaining characteristics rate drops. In order to solve these problems, the many techniques involving following techniques have been proposed. That is a technique using a novolak resin mixture which is derived from specific phenol compounds and has a specified molecular weight ranges (JP-A No. 7-271,024); a technique using both a novolak resin which is derived from a specific phenol compound and has a specific molecular weight range and a degree of dispersion, and a polyhydroxy compound having phenolilc hydroxyl groups (JP-A No. 8-184,963); a technique using a photosensitive material component comprising a certain proportion of naphthoquinonediazidesulfonic acid ester of trihydroxybenzophenone and trihydroxybenzophenone (JP-A No. 8-82,926); and so on. The addition of a specific sensitizer has also been proposed.
In addition, also in a radiation sensitive resin composition containing a resin and a photoacid generator, in order to meet the high sensitization, methods have been taken wherein the molecular weight of the resin in the composition is made smaller or the amount to be added of the photoacid generator is increased. However, as in the case of the radiation sensitive resin composition using a photosensitive material, the above-described methods have the problems that the etching resistance drops in the production of semiconductor devices due to the reduction of heat resistance of the resulting resists, and that the developability becomes so poor that scum is formed, and further that the process latitude decreases. Because of these problems, as for the radiation sensitive resin compositions containing a resin and a photoacid generator, many developments have been made from the standpoints of the resin
Banerjee Krishna
Chu John S.
Clariant Finance (BVI) Limited
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