Plasma-Curable Coating for Multi-Level Substrate Planarity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photo-crosslinkable materials for resist underlayer film-forming compositions face issues with insufficient pattern filling and planarity due to increased viscosity and thermal shrinkage during heating, while compositions with cationic polymerizable reactive groups suffer from thermal shrinkage during photoirradiation.
Innovation Solution
A plasma-curable multi-level substrate coating film-forming composition comprising specific compounds with partial structures and a solvent, which are applied to a substrate and irradiated with plasma to form a crosslinked structure without thermally crosslinkable moieties or acid catalysts, preventing viscosity increase and thermal shrinkage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional photo-crosslinkable material containing a polymer with thermally crosslink forming functional groups, a crosslinking agent, and an acid catalyst is used, then crosslinking reaction occurs during heating, but viscosity increases and pattern filling becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the acid catalyst component from the conventional photo-crosslinkable material system. By eliminating the acid catalyst, the thermal crosslinking reaction that causes viscosity increase is prevented, while allowing alternative crosslinking mechanisms to achieve the desired film properties without compromising pattern filling capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the material by removing the acid catalyst and crosslinking agent, fundamentally altering the crosslinking mechanism from thermal acid-catalyzed reaction to a different pathway that does not involve viscosity increase during the heating process
2Reliability
If a resist underlayer film-forming composition containing a polymer with cationic polymerizable reactive groups and an acid generator is used, then crosslinking occurs, but thermal shrinkage and planarity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the acid generator component from the composition. By extracting this catalyst, the cationic polymerization pathway that leads to thermal shrinkage during photoirradiation is eliminated, while crosslinking is achieved through an alternative mechanism that preserves film planarity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the chemical mechanism of crosslinking from acid-catalyzed cationic polymerization to a different crosslinking pathway that does not involve the same thermal shrinkage effects, replacing the harmful chemical mechanism with a beneficial alternative
3Measurement precision
If exposure light with shorter wavelength is used for finer resist pattern formation, then pattern resolution improves, but depth of focus decreases and coating film planarity must be improved
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a specifically designed polymer compound as an intermediary material that bridges the requirements for high-resolution patterning and flat coating film formation. This compound enables the use of short-wavelength exposure light for fine pattern formation while simultaneously providing a coating process that achieves the necessary film planarity through its unique molecular structure and crosslinking behavior
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves sufficient pattern filling and excellent planarity by forming a crosslinked structure through plasma irradiation, eliminating thermal shrinkage and maintaining film flatness across both patterned and non-patterned areas.
Implementation Method 1
a plasma-curable multi-level substrate coating film-forming composition comprising a compound (E) and a solvent (F), wherein the compound (E) has at least one partial structure selected from partial structures (I) of the following Formulae (1-1) to (1-7)
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a plasma-curable multi-level substrate coating film-forming composition for forming a coating film having planarity on a substrate, wherein the composition can fill a pattern sufficiently. A plasma-curable multi-level substrate coating film-forming composition comprising a compound (E) and a solvent (F), wherein the compound (E) has at least one partial structure selected from partial structures (I) of the following Formulae (1-1) to (1-7):wherein R1, R1a, R3, R5a, and R6a are each independently a C1-10 alkylene group, a C6-40 arylene group (the alkylene group and the arylene group are optionally substituted with one or more amide or amino groups), an oxygen atom, a carbonyl group, a sulfur atom, —C(O)—NRa—, —NRb—, or a divalent group composed of any combination of these; R5 is each independently a nitrogen atom, or a trivalent group composed of a combination of a nitrogen atom and at least one group selected from the group consisting of a C1-10 alkylene group, a C6-40 arylene group (the alkylene group and the arylene group are optionally substituted with one or more amide or amino groups), an oxygen atom, a carbonyl group, a sulfur atom, —C(O)—NRa—, and —NRb—; R2, R2a, R4, and R6 are each independently a hydrogen atom, a C1-10 alkyl group, or a monovalent group composed of a combination of a hydrogen atom and at least one group selected from the group consisting of a C1-10 alkylene group, an oxygen atom, a carbonyl group, —C(O)—NRa—, and —NRb—; Ra is a hydrogen atom or a C1-10 alkyl group; Rb is a hydrogen atom, a C1-10 alkyl group, or a C1-10 alkylcarbonyl group; n is a number of repeating units of 1 to 10; and a dotted line is a chemical bond to the adjacent atom.