A reflow stabilizing solution for treating photoresist patterns and a
reflow technology are disclosed. The reflow stabilizing solution
comprises a polymer and is applied after the photoresist material has
been developed and patterned. By treating the photoresist with the reflow
stabilizing solution after resist patterning and further subjecting the
reflow stabilizing solution to a heat treatment, the non-volatile polymer
remains in between adjacent resist patterns and acts as a stopper to the
reflowed photoresist. In this manner, the non-volatile polymer provides
structural and mechanical support for the reflowed resist, preventing
resist collapse at high temperatures and allowing the formation of
reflowed resist structures having line width dimensions in the submicron
range.