Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive... – Radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-21
2003-08-12
Ashton, Rosemary (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...
Radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making
C430S914000, C430S921000, C430S922000, C548S206000, C548S211000, C568S018000, C568S030000, C570S101000, C570S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06605409
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a positive photosensitive composition which is used for the production process of lithographic printing plates and semiconductors such as IC, etc., the production of circuit substrates such as liquid crystals, thermal heads, etc., and for other photofabrication processes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As a photosensitive composition which is used for the production process of lithographic printing plates and semiconductors such as IC, etc., the productions of circuit substrates such as liquid crystals, thermal heads, etc, and other photofabrication processes, there are various compositions, and in general, photoresist photosensitive compositions are used and the photosensitive compositions are largely classified into two groups, i.e., a positive photosensitive composition and a negative photosensitive composition.
As one of positive photoresist photosensitive compositions, there is a chemically amplified type resist composition described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,628 and European Patent 249,139. The chemically amplified type resist composition is a pattern-forming material of forming an acid at a exposed portions by the irradiation of a radiation such as a far-ultraviolet light, etc., and by the reaction using the acid as a catalyst, changing the solubility of the exposed portions and the unexposed portions by the active radiation in a developer, thereby, forming a pattern on a substrate.
As such an example, there are a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and acetal or an O, N-acetal compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 89003/1973), a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and an ortho-ester or an amidoacetal compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 120714/1976), a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and an enol ether compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 12995/1980), a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and an N-acyliminocarbonic acid compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 126236/1980), a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and a polymer having an ortho-ester group at the main chain (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 17345/1981), a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and a tertiary alkyl ester compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3625/1985), a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and a silyl ester compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10247/1985), and a combination of a compound generating an acid by a photodecomposition and a silyl ether compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 37549/1985 and 121446/1985). Because the quantum yields of these combinations exceed 1, in principle, they show a high photosensitivity.
Similarly, as a system, which is stable with the passage of time at room temperature but is decomposed by heating in the existence of an acid to become alkali soluble, there are the combination systems of the compounds generating an acid by light exposure and the esters of a tertiary or secondary carbon (for example, t-butyl and 2-cyclohexenyl) or a carbonic acid ester compounds described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 45439/1984, 3625/1985, 229242/1987, 27829/1988, 36240/1988, and 250642/1988, “Polym. Eng. Sce”, Vol. 23, 1012(1983), “ACS. Sym.”, vol. 242, 11(1984); “Semiconductor World”, November 1987, page 91; “Macromolecules”. Vol. 21, 1475(1988); “SPIE”, Vol. 920, 42(1988), etc. These systems also have a high sensitivity and can become an effective system of using a light source having a short wavelength capable of super-fine working because the absorption in a far ultraviolet region is less.
The positive chemically amplified resist described above is largely classified into (i) a three-component system comprising an alkali-soluble resin, a compound generating an acid by a radiation exposure (photo-acid generator), and a dissolution-inhibiting compound to an alkali-soluble resin and having an acid-decomposable group and (ii) a two-component system comprising a resin having a group, which becomes alkali-soluble by being decomposed by the reaction with an acid and photo-acid generator.
In the positive chemically amplified resist of the two-component system or the three-component system, by the existence of an acid generated from the photo-acid generator by the exposure, after heat treatment, the resist is developed to obtain a resist pattern.
These positive chemically amplified resist can become the effective system for the short wavelength of light source capable of super fine working as described above, but further the improvement of the resolving power and the improvement of the process allowance such as the light exposure margin and the depth of focus have been desired.
In addition, in the above-described chemically amplified resist, a compound generating a strong acid such as a sulfonic acid (e.g., trifluoromethanesulfonic acid), hexafluorophosphoric acid, tetrafluoroboric acid, etc., is generally used as the compound generating an acid by photo-decomposition. However, when such a compound generating a strong acid is used, the acid-decomposable protective group is once decomposed by the acid catalyst and the composition become alkali-soluble, but there is a problem that because the acid catalyst generated is a very strong acid, the release protective group is re-bonded to the resin or causes the crosslinking of the resin, whereby the alkali-solubility of the exposed portions is lowered, the resolving power is deteriorated or the development residue occurs. Also, in the points of the process allowance such as the exposure margin, the depth of focus, etc., further improvement has also been required.
However, even the above-described techniques cannot sufficiently cope with the present fine work and there leaves room for the improvement of the resolving power and the improvement of the process allowance such as the exposure margin and the depth of focus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a positive resist composition having an improved resolving power and an improved process allowance such as the exposure margin and depth of focus in the lithographic technique using an exposure light source having short wavelength capable of super fine working and positive chemically amplified resist.
As the result of various investigations, it has been found that the above-described object can be attained by the positive resist composition of the invention having the following composition.
(1). A positive resist composition comprising:
(A) a compound generating a compound represented by the formula (I) below by irradiation with an actinic ray or a radiation; and
(B) a resin having a group which is decomposed by the action of an acid to increase the solubility of the composition in an alkali developer:
wherein, Y represents a single bond, —CO—, or —SO
2
—; R′ and R″, which may be the same or different, each represents a straight chain, branched, or cyclic alkyl group which may be substituted, an aryl group which may be substituted, an aralkyl group which may be substituted, or a camphor group; R′ and R″ maybe bonded to each other to form an alkylene group, an arylene group, or an aralkylene group, thereby, the structure of the formula (I) may form a ring; and when Y is a —CO— group, R″ may be a hydroxy group or an alkoxy group.
(2). The positive resist composition according to the above item (1), which further comprises (D) a compound having a molecular weight of not larger than 3000, which is decomposed by the action of an acid to increase the solubility in an alkali developer.
(3). The positive resist composition according to the above item (1), wherein the pKa of the compound represented by the formula (I) is in the range of from −5 to 5.
(4). The positive resist composition according to the above item (1), wherein the resin (B) is a resin containing repeating structural units represented by the following formulae (II
Kanna Shinichi
Kodama Kunihiko
Ashton Rosemary
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
LandOfFree
Positive resist composition does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Positive resist composition, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Positive resist composition will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3111669