Composition for coating over a photoresist pattern comprising a lactam

1. A process for manufacturing a microelectronic device, comprising;

a) providing a substrate with a photoresist pattern;

b) coating the photoresist pattern with an aqueous coating composition for coating a photoresist pattern, comprising a polymer comprising at least one lactam group, where the lactam group attached to the polymer has a structure (1),

where R 1 is independently selected from hydrogen, C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkyl alcohol, hydroxy (OH), amine (NH 2 ), carboxylic acid, and amide (CONH 2 ),  represents the attachment to the polymer, m=1-6, and n=1-4, further where the lactam group is present in the polymer in the range of 16-43 mole %;

c) reacting a portion of the coating material in contact with the photoresist pattern;

d) removing a portion of the coating material which is not reacted with a removal solution.

2. The process according to claim 1 , where the substrate is heated to cause a reaction of the coating material with the photoresist image.

3. The process according to claim 1 , where the removal solution is an aqueous solution comprising a hydroxide base.

4. The process according to claim 1 , where the removal solution further comprises a water-miscible solvent.

5. The process of claim 1 , where the composition further comprises a free acid selected from p-toluenesulphonic acid, perfluorobutanesulphonic acid, perfluorooctanesulphonic acid, (±) camphorsulphonic acid and dodecylbenzenesulphonic acid.

6. The process of claim 1 , where n=2.

7. The process of claim 1 , where the polymer containing the lactam group comprises a monomeric unit derived from vinyl caprolactam.

8. The process of claim 1 , where the polymer containing the lactam group comprises at least one other comonomeric unit.

9. The process of claim 8 , where the comonomeric unit is derived from monomers comprising groups selected from pyrrolidone, imidazole, amine, carboxylic acid, and amide.

10. The process of claim 8 , where the comonomeric unit is derived from monomers selected from N-vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl imidazole, allylamine, methacylic acid, acrylic acid, acrylamide, and N-alkyl acrylamide.

11. The process of claim 1 , where the polymer is selected from poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-vinyl amine), poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-allyl amine), poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-diallyl amine), poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-acryloyl morpholine), poly(N-ylnyl caprolactam-co-2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate), poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-piperidinyl methacrylate), poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-N-methyl N-vinylacetamide) and poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide), poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone-co-vinyl imidazole-co-N-vinyl-caprolactam), and poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone-co-N-vinyl-caprolactam).

12. The process of claim 1 , where the composition further contains a water miscible solvent.

13. The process of claim 1 , where the composition further contains a water miscible solvent selected from (C 1 -C 8 )alcohols, diols, triols, ketones, esters, lactates, amides, ethylene glycol monoalkyl ethers, ethylene glycol monoalkyl ether acetate, N-methylpyrrolidone, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, and propylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate.

14. The process of claim 1 , where the composition further comprises additives selected from surfactant, aminoalcohol, amine, C 1 -C 8 alcohol, photoacid generator, crosslinking compound, thermal acid generator, and free acid.

15. The process of claim 1 , where the composition is free of a crosslinking compound.

16. The process of claim 1 , where the composition is free of a photoacid generator.