The present invention relates to embedded attenuated phase shift mask blanks for use in lithography for an exposure wavelength of 300 nm or less, and a method of fabricating such mask blanks by ion beam deposition. In particular, the mask blanks comprise a substrate and a thin film system wherein the thin film system comprises a transmission control sublayer comprising one or more metals or metal compounds selected from the group consisting of Mg, Y, La, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Ge, Sn, Pb, oxides, nitrides, borides and carbides thereof, and combinations of metals and compounds thereof; and a phase shift control sublayer comprising borides, carbides, oxides and/or nitrides of Ge, Si and/or Al or combinations thereof.

Attenuated phase shift mask blank and photomask

The work load spent on designing a trench-type, Levenson-type phase shift mask is lightened and the working time for the designing process is shortened. A pattern 11, having a plurality of apertures, is designed by means of a designing tool 10. In a database 30 are prepared optimal functions that indicate optimal combinations of undercut amounts Uc and bias correction amount δ according to each set of dimension conditions. An optimal function extraction tool 20 extracts optimal functions Fp and Fs that are matched with dimension conditions Mp and Ms on pattern 11, and determining tool 40 determines optimal values of the undercut amount Uc and the bias correction amount δ based on the extracted optimal function. A three-dimensional structure determining tool 50 determines a three-dimensional structural body 13, having a depth d and the undercut amount Uc, for an aperture by which the phase of transmitted light is shifted by 180 degrees. Pattern correction tool 60 uses the bias correction amount δ to perform correction of the width of an aperture on pattern 11 and thereby provides a corrected pattern 12.

Designing method and device for phase shift mask

In a phase shift mask blank comprising a phase shift multilayer film on a substrate, the phase shift multilayer film consists of at least one layer of light absorption function film and at least one layer of phase shift function film, and the light absorption function film has an extinction coefficient k which increases as the wavelength changes from 157 nm to 260 nm, and has a thickness of up to 15 nm. The phase shift mask blank has minimized wavelength dependency of transmittance and can be processed with a single dry etching gas.

Phase shift mask blank, phase shift mask, and pattern transfer method

A mask 12 includes half-tone layer 16 and light blocking layer 20. The half-tone layer 16 is of silicon rich silicon nitride SiNx:H. x may be in the range 0 to 1, preferably 0.2 to 0.6, so that the optical band gap can be in the range 2.1eV to 2.5eV. It has been discovered that photoresist removal when the mask 12 is used is very dependent on the band gap, and not too dependent on the thickness, so good control of TFT manufacture can be obtained.

Mask and manufacturing method using mask

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a phase shift mask, a method for manufacturing a flat panel display, and a phase shift mask, wherein a thin and high precision exposure pattern may be formed by means of the phase shift mask. In a first embodiment of the invention, the phase shift mask (1) includes a phase shift layer (13P1), capable of making any light which wavelength is more than 300nm and less than 500nm to generate a phase difference of 180 DEG. Thereby, when the light of the wavelength range is used for exposing, the phase of the light will be reversed in the phase shift layer to form an area having minimum light intensity, such that the exposure pattern is more clear. In an environment containing more than 40% and less than 90% of nitriding gas and more than 10% and less than 35% of oxidizing gas, the phase shift layer (13P) is formed by sputtering a target made of chrome material.

Method for manufacturing phase shift mask, method for manufacturing flat panel display, and phase shift mask

A phase shift mask formed by depositing on a transparent substrate a phase shifter material containing chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N). The transmissivity of a phase shifting layer of the phase shift mask, which is a CrAION layer, is increases, and the phase of exposure light is shifted by 180° at a predetermined thickness, so that a fine photoresist pattern can be formed. Also, the transmissivity of the phase shifting layer with respect to inspection light, which has a longer wavelength than exposure light, is relatively low, which permits accurate inspection of the mask. The phase shift mask can be useful in photolithography using a short wavelength of exposure light, and in an inspection apparatus using an inspection light source having a longer wavelength than exposure light.

Phase shift mask using CrAION as phase shifter material and manufacturing method thereof

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a phase shift mask using CrAlON as a phase shift material and a method for manufacturing the same. SOLUTION: This phase shift mask is formed by using the material containing Cr, Al, O and N as the phase shift material on a transparent substrate. The CrAlON film of the phase shift layer of the phase shift mask exhibits a relatively high transmittance to exposure light having a short wavelength and inverts the phase of the exposure light to 180 deg. at a prescribed thickness and is therefore capable of forming photoresist film patterns of fine patterns. This film exhibits a relatively low transmittance so as to allow inspection to inspection light longer in wavelength than the exposure light. Then, the phase shift mask usefully lends itself to a photographic stage using the exposure light of the short wavelength and allows the inspection by inspection equipment using the inspection light of the wavelength longer than the same.

PHASE SHIFT MASK USING CrAlON AS PHASE SHIFT MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

A phase shift mask is formed by depositing on a transparent substrate (70) a phase shifter material which contains chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N). The transmissivity of a phase shifting layer (72) of the phase shift mask, which is a CrAlON layer, is increased, and the phase of exposure light is shifted by 180{ at a predetermined thickness, so that a fine photoresist pattern can be formed. Also, the transmissivity of the phase shifting layer (72) with respect to inspection light, which has a longer wavelength than exposure light, is relatively low, which permits accurate inspection of the mask. The phase shift mask can be useful in photolithography using a short wavelength of exposure light, and in an inspection apparatus using an inspection light source having a longer wavelength than exposure light.

A phase shift mask

Un masque a dephasage est forme en deposant sur un substrat transparent (70) un materiau de dephasage contenant du chrome (Cr), de l'aluminium (Al), de l'oxygene (O), et de l'azote (N) La transmittivite d'une couche de dephasage (72) du masque a dephasage, qui est une couche en CrAlON, est accrue, et la phase de la lumiere d'exposition est dephasee de 180degre a une epaisseur predeterminee, ce qui fait qu'un motif de photoreserve mince peut etre forme Egalement, la transmittivite de la couche de dephasage (72) vis-a-vis de la lumiere d'inspection, qui a une longueur d'onde plus longue que celle de la lumiere d'exposition, est relativement faible, ce qui permet une inspection precise du masque Le masque a dephasage peut etre utile dans la photolithographie utilisant une courte longueur d'onde de lumiere d'exposition, et dans un dispositif d'inspection utilisant une source de lumiere d'inspection ayant une longueur d'onde plus longue que celle de la lumiere d'exposition

Jo-Hyun Park

Papers

Phase shift mask using CrAION as phase shifter material and manufacturing method thereof

PHASE SHIFT MASK USING CrAlON AS PHASE SHIFT MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

A phase shift mask

Masque a dephasage utilisant le cra1on comme materiau de dephasage et procede de fabrication de celui-ci