Patent ID: 7399581

Claim:
A method of forming an image in a photoresist layer, comprising: (a) providing a substrate; (b) forming said photoresist layer over said substrate; (c) forming a topcoat over said photoresist layer, wherein said topcoat layer comprises a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane based material, said polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane based material including an aqueous base soluble functional group; (d) exposing said photoresist to radiation through a photomask having opaque and clear regions, said opaque regions blocking said radiation and said clear regions being transparent to said radiation, said radiation changing the chemical composition of regions of said photoresist layer exposed to said radiation forming exposed and unexposed regions in said photoresist layer; and (e) removing either said exposed regions of said photoresist layer or said unexposed regions of said layer.