Pattern forming method

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 of no less than 200° C. to form a resist underlayer film;

forming an intermediate layer on the resist underlayer film;

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

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

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

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

the resist underlayer film-forming composition comprising: a base component which is a novolac resin, a resol resin, a styrene resin, an acenaphthylene resin, or a resin having a fullerene skeleton; and a crosslinking agent having a partial structure represented by 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 the resist underlayer film comprises hydrogen atoms, and a content of the hydrogen atoms in the resist underlayer film is decreased to no greater than 35 atom % by the heating to form the resist underlayer film.

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

wherein the crosslinking agent is a compound represented by formula (b1-1), a compound represented by 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 the crosslinking agent is a compound represented by 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 the crosslinking agent is a compound represented by 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 the resist underlayer film-forming composition further comprises a solvent.

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

wherein a content of hydrogen atoms in the resist underlayer film is no less than 25 atom % and no greater than 35% after the heating to form the resist underlayer film.