Composition containing a dicyanostyryl group, for forming a resist underlayer film capable of being wet etched

1. A resist underlayer film-forming composition comprising a polymer (P) having a dicyanostyryl group or a compound (C) having a dicyanostyryl group,

wherein the composition comprises a solvent,

wherein the composition is free from an alkylated aminoplast crosslinking agent derived from melamine, urea, benzoguanamine, or glycoluril,

wherein the composition is free from a protonic acid curing catalyst, and

wherein polymer (P) having a dicyanostyryl group or compound (C) having a dicyanostyryl group is a reaction product of an active proton compound and a polymer precursor (PP) containing an epoxy group or a compound precursor (PC) containing an epoxy group, respectively.

2. The resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 1 , wherein the dicyanostyryl group is represented by the following formula (1):

wherein X represents an alkyl group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, a halogen atom, a cyano group, or a nitro group; R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an arylene group; n represents an integer of 0 to 4; and * indicates a bonding site to part of polymer (P) or compound (C).

3. The resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 1 , wherein polymer (P) having a dicyanostyryl group or compound (C) having a dicyanostyryl group is represented by the following formula (2):

wherein Q is a group resulting from eliminating m quantity of end atom or atoms from the polymer or compound, wherein m is between 1 and a number of repeating unit of the polymer when Q is the polymer, and m is an integer of 1 to 4 when Q is the compound, each of m quantity of A is independently a direct bond or an optionally branched or substituted alkylene group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms optionally interrupted with an ether linkage, a thioether linkage, or an ester linkage,

each of m quantity of B independently represents a direct bond, an ether linkage, a thioether linkage, or an ester linkage,

m quantity of R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, an ethyl group, or a propyl group, and is optionally bonded to Q to form a ring, and each of m quantity of R 2 and R 3 independently represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, or an ethyl group, and each of m quantity of L is independently represented by the following formula (3):

wherein Y represents an ether linkage, a thioether linkage, or an ester linkage,

R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an arylene group,

n represents an integer of 0 to 4, and

each of n quantity of X independently represents an alkyl group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, a halogen atom, a cyano group, or a nitro group.

4. The resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 1 , wherein polymer (P) having a dicyanostyryl group or compound (C) having a dicyanostyryl group has an aromatic ring or an aliphatic ring.

5. The resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 3 , wherein Q in formula (2) has an aromatic ring or an aliphatic ring.

6. The resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 2 , wherein R in formula (1) and/or formula (3) is a hydrogen atom.

7. The resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 3 , wherein Y in formula (3) represents an ether linkage or an ester linkage.

8. The resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 1 , for use on a substrate having copper on the surface.

9. An uncured resist underlayer film provided by removing a solvent from an applied film comprising the resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 1 .

10. The uncured resist underlayer film according to claim 9 , which is formed on a substrate having copper on the surface.

11. A method for producing a patterned substrate, comprising the steps of:

applying the resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 1 onto a substrate having copper on the surface and removing a solvent to form a resist underlayer film;

applying a resist onto the resist underlayer film and baking the applied resist to form a resist film;

subjecting the semiconductor substrate covered with the resist underlayer film and the resist to exposure; and

subjecting the resist film obtained after exposure to development and patterning.

12. A method for producing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

forming an uncured resist underlayer film comprising the resist underlayer film-forming composition according to claim 1 on a substrate having copper on the surface;

forming a resist film on the uncured resist underlayer film;

irradiating the resist film with a light or an electron beam and subjecting the resultant resist film to development to form a resist pattern;

then removing the resist underlayer film exposed in the resist pattern;

performing copper plating in the formed resist pattern; and

removing the resist pattern and the resist underlayer film present under the resist pattern.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the steps of removing the resist underlayer film is conducted by a wet treatment.