Composition which forms an electrically conductive resist layer and a method for patterning a photoresist using the resist layer

1. A method for manufacturing a lithography mask, the method comprising:

patterning a first electrically conducting material layer disposed over a substrate,

applying a composition over the patterned first electrically conducting material layer, the composition comprising the following components:

a resin that can be crosslinked to form a base polymer by thermal treatment, which is not patternable by electrically charged particles;

an organic compound, initially nonconductive, that can be crosslinked to form a second electrically conductive substance by reaction with a crosslinking agent;

a crosslinking agent having an oxidative or reductive effect; and

at least one solvent;

crosslinking the composition thereby producing a electrically conductive resist layer;

forming a photoresist layer that can be patterned by means of electrically charged particles, the photoresist layer being formed on the electrically conductive resist layer; and

producing structures in the photoresist layer by means of electrically charged particles with electrical charge being dissipated via the resist layer, wherein no structures are formed in the electrically conductive resist layer while producing the structures in the photoresist layer.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the resin comprises a phenol-formaldehyde resin.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a crosslinker.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the crosslinker is selected from the group consisting of alkylolmelamines and tetraalkyl acetals.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the organic compound is oxidatively crosslinkable, and wherein the crosslinking agent comprises an oxidizing agent.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the resin comprises at least one organic compound selected from the group consisting of novolak and cresol.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the organic compound comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of a low molecular weight organic compound having at least six conjugated π electrons and electrically conductive polymers.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the organic compound comprises at least one compound of the class of compounds selected from the group consisting of pyrroles, furans, thiophenes, anilines, naphthalenes, anthracenes and vinylidenes, it being possible for the aforementioned parent structures to be substituted in each case.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the organic compound comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of pyrrole, hexylthiophene, furan, thiophene, bithiophene, EDOT and terthiophene.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the crosslinking agent comprises an oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of FeCl 3 and Cu(ClO 4 ) 2 .

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the solvent comprises at lest one solvent selected from the group consisting of methoxypropyl acetate, ethyl lactate, ethyl acetate, cyclohexanone, cyclopentanone, γ-butyrolactone, hexanol, tetrahydrofuran, methanol and acetontrile.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the resin is present in the overall composition in a proportion of 2-20% by weight.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the organic compound is present in the overall composition in a proportion of 0.5-10% by weight.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the crosslinking agent is present in the overall composition in a proportion of 0.5-10% by weight.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the solvent is present in the overall composition in a proportion of 40-95% by weight.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:

the resin comprises cresol and novolak;

the organic compound comprises terthiophene;

the crosslinking agent comprises Cu(ClO 4 ) 2 ; and

the solvent comprises methoxypropyl acetate.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first electrically conducting material comprises metal.

18. A method for patterning a photoresist layer, the method comprising:

applying a composition to a substrate, the composition comprising:

a resin that can be crosslinked to form a base polymer, which is not patternable by electrically charged particles and which is insoluble in aqueous developers;

an organic compound that can be crosslinked to form an electrically conductive substance;

a crosslinking agent having an oxidative or reductive action; and

at least one solvent;

crosslinking the composition thereby producing an electrically conductive resist layer, which is not patternable by electrically charged particles and which is insoluble in aqueous developers;

forming a photoresist layer that can be patterned by means of electrically charged particles, the photoresist layer being formed on the electrically conductive resist layer; and

producing structures in the photoresist layer by means of electrically charged particles with electrical charge being dissipated via the resist layer, wherein no structures are formed in the electrically conductive resist layer while producing the structures in the photoresist layer developing the produced structures in the photoresist layer using an aqueous developer, wherein the electrically conductive resist layer is not dissolved by the aqueous developer.