Patent ID: 6379874
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
A process for generating a negative tone resist image, comprising the steps of:(a) coating a substrate with a film comprising block copolymer comprising: (i) block having pendant fluoro-containing groups and (ii) block having pendant hydrolyzable ester containing groups, the volume percent of block (i) being great enough to provide complete solubility in regions of the film to be removed in step (c) but not so great that sub 0.3 &mgr;M features cannot be resolved in step (c) and ranging from more than 50% by volume to 60% by volume; (b) hydrolyzing hydrolyzable ester to polar functionality insoluble in the supercritical fluid used in step (c) to form a pattern defined by supercritical fluid soluble and supercritical fluid insoluble regions of the film; and (c) developing a negative tone image resist from the pattern by using supercritical fluid to dissolve the supercritical fluid soluble regions of the film.