Pattern forming method and resist underlayer film-forming composition

1. A pattern-forming method comprising:

applying a resist underlayer film-forming composition on a substrate;

heating the resist underlayer film-forming composition at a temperature in a range from 300° C. to 500° C. to form a resist underlayer film;

forming an intermediate layer on said resist underlayer film;

applying a resist composition to said resist underlayer film on which said intermediate layer is formed to form a resist film;

exposing said resist film by selectively applying radiation to said resist film;

developing the exposed resist film to form a resist pattern; and

dry-etching said intermediate layer, said resist underlayer film, and said substrate using said resist pattern as a mask to form a given pattern on said substrate,

said resist underlayer film-forming composition comprising a base component, and a crosslinking agent having a partial structure represented by a following general formula (i),

wherein

X represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or —NR—, wherein R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and in a case where a plurality of X are present, each of the plurality of X is either identical or different,

n 1 is an integer from 1 to 6, and

R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, wherein in a case where a plurality of R 1 are present, each of the plurality of R 1 is either identical or different,

wherein said base component is a novolac resin or an acenaphthylene resin, the novolac resin having a structural unit represented by a following formula (a1), a following formula (a2), or a combination thereof,

wherein

R 21 and R 22 each represent independently a hydroxyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted glycidyl ether group, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl glycidyl ether group, wherein an alkyl moiety of the alkyl glycidyl ether group has 1 to 6 carbon atoms,

m2 is an integer from 0 to 6, wherein a plurality of R 21 are each identical or different when m2 is an integer from 2 to 6,

m3 is an integer from 0 to 4, wherein a plurality of R 22 are each identical or different when m3 is an integer from 2 to 4,

Z represents a methylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene ether group,

m1 is an integer from 1 to 8, wherein a plurality of Z are each identical or different when m1 is an integer from 2 to 8, and

m1, m2 and m3 satisfy 1≦m1+m2≦8 and 1≦m1+m3≦8.

2. The pattern-forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein said crosslinking agent is a compound represented by a following general formula (b1-1), a compound represented by a following general formula (b2), or both thereof,

wherein

X represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or —NR—, wherein R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and in a case where a plurality of X are present, each of the plurality of X is identical or different,

n 2 is an integer from 1 to 5,

n 3 is independently an integer from 1 to 4,

m is independently 0 or 1,

R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, wherein in a case where a plurality of R 1 are present, each of the plurality of R 1 is identical or different,

R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, wherein in a case where a plurality of R 2 are present, each of the plurality of R 2 is either identical or different, and

R 3 represents a single bond, an oxygen atom, an ester group, a carbonyl group, a chain hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, an alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 30 carbon atoms, an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom, or an (n 2 +1)-valent group which is an arbitrary combination thereof,

wherein

X represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or —NR—, wherein R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and in a case where a plurality of X are present, each of the plurality of X is either identical or different,

n 4 is an integer from 1 to 5,

m is 0 or 1,

R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, wherein in a case where a plurality of R 1 are present, each of the plurality of R 1 is either identical or different, and

R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 22 carbon atoms.

3. The pattern-forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein said crosslinking agent is a compound represented by a following general formula (b1-2),

wherein

n 5 is an integer from 1 to 5,

R 5 represents independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and

R 6 represents a single bond, an oxygen atom, an ester group, a carbonyl group, a chain hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, an alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 30 carbon atoms, an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom, or an (n 5 +1)-valent group which is an arbitrary combination thereof.

4. The pattern-forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein said crosslinking agent is a compound represented by a following general formula (b1-3),

wherein

R 8 represents independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and

R 9 represents a single bond, an oxygen atom, an ester group, a carbonyl group, a chain hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, an alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 30 carbon atoms, an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, a sulfur atom, —NR—, or a divalent group which is an arbitrary combination thereof, wherein R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms.

5. The pattern-forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein said resist underlayer film-forming composition further comprises a solvent.

6. The pattern-forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein said resist underlayer film-forming composition is heated at a temperature in a range from 350′C to 500° C. to form the resist film.

7. The pattern-forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein said resist underlayer film-forming composition is preheated at a temperature in a range from 60° C. to 250° C. before said resist underlayer film-forming composition is heated at the temperature in the range from 300° C. to 500° C.