An object is to provide acid-resistant, highly reliable phase shift masks, and phase shift mask blanks, wherewith high-precision patterning is possible. A halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate 10, a halftone material film 11 laminated on that transparent substrate, and a metal film 12 laminated on that halftone material film, wherein the metal film is formed by a plurality of metal films having different etching rates, and the etching rate for the metal film positioned on the transparent substrate side is set so that it is faster, either in stages or continuously, than the etching rate of the metal film positioned on the surface side.

Halftone phase shift mask blanks, halftone phase shift masks, and fine pattern forming method

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a halftone type phase shift mask and a halftone type phase shift mask blank, capable of high precision patterning and having high acid resistance and reliability SOLUTION: This phase shift mask blank has a transparent substrate 10, a halftone material film 11 laminated on the substrate 10, and a metal film 12 laminated on the film 11 The amount of an etching rate increasing component and/or an etching rate decreasing component in the metal film 12 is stepwise and/or continuously increased and/or decreased from the surface side toward the substrate 10 side, so that the etching rate of the film 12 is stepwise and/or continuously increased from the surface side toward the substrate 10 side

Halftone type phase shift mask blank and halftone type phase shift mask

There is provided an optical element manufacturing method. A light shielding layer (14) containing a Si layer at least on the uppermost layer is arranged on a substrate (12) as a base material. An optical aperture (14a) is formed in the light shielding layer (14). By dry etching, a fine structure MR is formed on the surface of the uppermost layer.

Optical Element Manufacturing Method, Optical Element, Nipkow Disk, Confocal Optical System and 3-D Measurement Device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mask in which a variation in dimension caused by an exposure device (conventionally correctable because it can be predicted) and the variation in dimension due to a mask manufacturing error (conventionally uncorrectable because manufacturing errors are randomly caused for every mask manufacture), and its manufacturing method. SOLUTION: The transmission type or reflection type mask has the enhanced dimensional uniformity of a transfer pattern on an image formation surface by partially adjusting transmissivity or reflectivity. In the method for manufacturing the mask, the pattern on the mask is transferred to the image formation surface to measure the dimensional distribution and then the transmission of the mask is adjusted so as to cancel the tendency of the distribution. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Mask and its manufacturing method

The present invention relates generally to improved photomask blanks used in photolithography for the manufacture of integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices, and more specifically, to the detection of defects in such photomasks after processing. In particular, the present invention is directed to a photomask blank having one or more intermediate layers made from materials having a higher extinction coefficient at the inspection tool wavelength than exposure tool wavelengths. The intermediate layer(s) are made from materials that absorb a sufficient amount of light to meet the optical requirements of inspection tools while at the same time transmit a sufficient amount of light to meet the optical requirements of exposure tools. As a result, the photomask improves inspection results of a photomask without sacrificing transmission properties during the semiconductor writing process.

Photomask having an intermediate inspection film layer

PURPOSE: To make it possible to estimate and inspect the presence or absence of defects by transmitted light using visible light by forming a metallic layer consisting of metal, such as chromium, having imperfect light shieldability on a phase shift mask pattern forming layer. CONSTITUTION: This halftone type phase shift mask blank is formed by providing the surface of a transparent substrate (quartz glass, etc.) 1 with a conductive layer 2 (which may be transparent or translucent) having transparency at need and laminating a light translucent phase shift mask pattern forming layer 3 and the light shieldable metallic layer 4 for defect inspection thereon. While the front surface of the transparent substrate 1 and the laminated patterns is exposed and scanned with beam light of a prescribed irradiation light quantity by a beam scanning and exposing device which is installed on one side of the transparent substrate 1 and emits the beam light of a visible light wavelength, the quantity of the transmitted light transmitting through the substrate and patterns described above is measured by an actinometer (photosensor) which is installed below the transparent substrate 1 and operates cooperatively with the exposure and scan and the transmittance thereof is detected. The presence or absence of the defect of the laminated patterns by the light translucent phase shift mask pattern layer and the metallic layer for defect scan is inspected.

Halftone type phase shift mask blank and production of halftone type phase shift mask formed by using this blank

PURPOSE: To provide a light-shielding band capable of surely shielding the exposure light around the main pattern of a halftone phase-shift mask CONSTITUTION: A halftone material film 2' is laminated on a transparent substrate 1 to constitute the halftone phase-shift mask In this case, a metallic film 8 capable of being selectively etched with respect to the halftone material film 2' or capable of being etched without etching the film 2' is provided in the peripheral part of a main pattern 3 in the form of a frame The metallic film 8 is formed with a light-shielding material such as Cr, CrO, CrN and CrON or with a composite film obtained by laminating them For example, the exposure of a wafer corresponding to the peripheral part of the main pattern 3 is surely prevented in the exposure using a stepper, etc

Halftone phase-shift mask and its production

PURPOSE:To prevent the occurrence of errors between a portion covered by a shifter and a portion not covered by a shifter when a pattern is formed over an exposure object via a phase shift mask CONSTITUTION:This invention is concerned with a phase shift mask 1 which is formed by alternately arranging a light transmitting section Tn with no shifter 4, a light transmitting section Ta with a shifter 4 and a glare protection section S over a transparent base board 2 in a plane Within the cross section of the light transmitting section Ta with the shifter 4, a translucent layer 10a is provided, which lowers a transmission factor with respect to irradiating light L1 The reduction of the incident irradiating light L1 in intensity by an appropriate quantity by means of the translucent layer 10a permits the light intensity distribution P1 of the irradiating light L1 over an exposure object to be reduced by an appropriate quantity, and by this constitution, patterns Wa and Wn are thereby made identical in dimension

Phase shift mask and its manufacture

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce a good Levinson type phase shift mask by eliminating the projection, etc., which remain after etching and is produced in phase resist holed parts by remaining of the resist of resist patterns which are used for forming the phase shift holed parts. SOLUTION: This method comprises forming the phase shift holed parts 1b by providing the surface of a transparent substrate 1 with the resist patterns 5a and etching this transparent substrate 1 by an etching stage. The etching stage is repeatedly executed from first time to plural times by a wet etching system or dry etching system or a combination thereof. The peeling of the resistance patterns 5a and the reformation of the rest patterns 5a are executed at every time after the second and subsequent times.

Production of levinson type phase shift mask

PURPOSE: To provide the blank for a phase-shift mask appropriate to pattern a halftone material film with high precision by etching. CONSTITUTION: A halftone material film 2, a metallic film 5 capable of selectively etching the halftone material film 2 and a resist film 3 are laminated on a transparent substrate 1 to prepare a blank, the resist film 3 is patterned, and the metallic film 5 is patterned by etching with the resist film 3' as a mask, the halftone material film 2 is etched with the patterned resist film 3' and the metallic film 5' as a mask, and the resist film 3' and the metallic film 5' are released. When the halftone material film 2 is etched with the metallic film 5' as the mask, the metallic film 5' is not etched, hence the dimensions of the halftone material film 2 are controlled with high precision.

Karikawa Hidemasa

Papers

Halftone type phase shift mask blank and production of halftone type phase shift mask formed by using this blank

Halftone phase-shift mask and its production

Phase shift mask and its manufacture

Production of levinson type phase shift mask

Blank for halftone phase-shift mask and production of halftone phase-shift mask