A photomask blank is provided comprising an etch stop film which is disposed on a transparent substrate and is resistant to fluorine dry etching and removable by chlorine dry etching, a light-shielding film disposed on the etch stop film and including at least one layer composed of a transition metal/silicon material, and an antireflective film disposed on the light-shielding film. When the light-shielding film is dry etched to form a pattern, pattern size variation arising from pattern density dependency is reduced, so that a photomask is produced at a high accuracy.

Photomask blank and photomask

A light-shielding film 2 is formed on a transparent substrate 1. A hard mask film 3 is formed on this light-shielding film 2. The entire hard mask film 3 is made of a chromium-containing material including tin. The film made a chromium-containing material including tin can cause a significant increase in the etching rate at the time of chlorine-containing dry etching. Furthermore, comparing with a film made of a chromium-containing material in which part of chromium is replaced with a light element, the above film has an equal or higher level of etching resistance to fluorine-dry etching. Thus, burden on a photoresist at the time of etching the chromium-containing material film can be reduced. Therefore, high-precision pattern transfer can be performed even in the case that the resist film is thinned.

Photomask blank and method for manufacturing photomask

To provide a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography having an absorber layer, which presents a low reflectance to a light in the wavelength ranges of EUV light and pattern inspection light, and which is easily controlled to have desired film composition and film thickness. A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, comprising a substrate, and a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light and an absorber layer for absorbing EUV light formed in this order on the substrate, wherein the absorber layer contains tantalum (Ta), boron (B), silicon (Si) and nitrogen (N), and in the absorber layer, the B content is at least 1 at% and less than 5 at%, the Si content is from 1 to 25 at%, and the compositional ratio of Ta to N (Ta:N) is from 8:1 to 1:1.

Reflective mask blank for euv lithography

Attenuating embedded phase shift photomask blanks capable of producing a phase shift of 180° and having an optical transmissivity of at least 0.001 at selected lithographic wavelengths < 400 nm comprise at least one layer of an aluminum compound and at least one component that is more optically absorbing than the aluminum compound at selected lithographic wavelengths < 400 nm and are made by depositing at least one layer of an aluminum compound and at least one component that is more optically absorbing than the aluminum compound onto a substrate.

Attenuating embedded phase shift photomask blanks

A phase shift mask blank having, on a transparent substrate, a phase shift film including, as main components, a metal, silicon (Si) and nitrogen (N), having optical characteristics of a transmittance of equal to or greater than 9% and equal to or less than 30% with respect to a wavelength of the ArF excimer laser beam and a phase difference of equal to or greater than 150° and less than 180°, and a light-shielding film formed on the phase shift film. A thickness of the phase shift film is equal to or less than 80 nrn, a refractive index (n) with respect to the wavelength of the ArF excimer laser beam is equal to or greater than 2.3, and an extinction coefficient (k) is equal to or greater than 0.28.

Phase shift mask blank, phase shift mask, and method for manufacturing phase shift mask blank

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a phase shift mask blank having a semi-transparent film or a portion which has a prescribed phase angle and prescribed transmission, and superior film characteristics such as resistance to chemicals, resistance to light, and low in internal stress SOLUTION: The method is to manufacture the phase shift mask blank of halftone type with the semi-transparent film formed on a transparent substrate The semi-transparent film is made of a thin film mainly composed of nitrogen, metal and silicon, and formed on the transparent substrate Then, the thermal process for the semi-transparent film is carried out at a temp of not lower than 150 degC

Method of manufacturing phase shift mask blank and phase shift mask

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a halftone phase shifting mask blank adaptable to shortening of exposure wavelength (an exposure wavelength region of 140-200 nm) and an increase of transmittance of exposure light (8-30% transmittance) and having high processing accuracy. SOLUTION: In the halftone phase shifting mask blank having a phase shifter film for forming a phase shifter portion on a transparent substrate, the phase shifter film comprises a film containing ≤10 at.% metal and using the metal, silicon, oxygen and nitrogen as principal constituent elements and an etching stopper film formed between the above film and the transparent substrate. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Halftone phase shifting mask blank and halftone phase shifting mask

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a phase shift mask that can contribute to a finer circuit pattern and higher accuracy SOLUTION: A phase shift mask 20 is obtained by: using a phase shift mask blank 10 as a raw material, prepared by forming an ultra-thin film (chromium nitride film) 2 on a quartz substrate 1 for forming a phase shift pattern 1P and forming a resist film 3 thereon; then forming a resist pattern 3P in the resist film 3; etching the ultra-thin film 2 by using the resist pattern as a mask to form an ultra-thin film pattern 2P; etching the quartz substrate 1 by using the ultra-thin film pattern 2P as a mask to form a phase shift pattern 1P; forming a light-shielding film 4 on the substrate 1 where the phase shift pattern 1P is formed and the resist pattern 3 is removed; and selectively etching the light-shielding film 4 by using a resist 5 to expose the phase shift pattern 1P while leaving the light-shielding portion 4A in a required position The film thickness of the ultra-thin film 2 is determined to be as thin as possible necessary to form the phase shift pattern in the quartz substrate 1 by using the ultra-thin film pattern 2P as a mask COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Mask blank, method for manufacturing phase shift mask, and method for manufacturing template

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust the internal stress of a semitransparent film a suitable range in state where the resistance to acid, the resistance to alkali and the resistance to impinging excimer laser of the semitransparent film formed in a phase shift mask blank or the like are improved. SOLUTION: The phase shift mask blank of halftone type has the semitransparent film with at least one layer of a thin film including silicon, nitrogen and/or oxygen formed on a transparent substrate, and is used for exposure light with a center wavelength not longer than 248 nm. The surface of the semitransparent film is precisely formed so that the surface roughness is not more than 0.3 nm in Ra. COPYRIGHT: (C)2002,JPO

Phase shift mask blank and phase shift mask

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method, etc., of manufacturing phase shift mask blanks which is capable of decreasing the variations in phase angle and transmittance among the blanks as far as possible and good in yield. SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing the phase shift mask blanks is characterized in that a process step of continuously depositing thin films on the transparent substrates by using a sputtering method includes a process step in which a series of processes to form the thin films for forming patterns in a sputtering chamber and to eject the respective transparent substrates after the deposition out of the sputtering chamber are successively carried out with plural sheets of the substrates and the transfer-in and out of the transparent substrates are carried out approximately at specified intervals, thereby, the deposition time is made constant among plural sheets of the blanks. COPYRIGHT: (C)2002,JPO

英明三ッ井

Papers

Method of manufacturing phase shift mask blank and phase shift mask

Halftone phase shifting mask blank and halftone phase shifting mask

Mask blank, method for manufacturing phase shift mask, and method for manufacturing template

Phase shift mask blank and phase shift mask

Method of manufacturing phase shift mask blank and apparatus for manufacturing phase shift mask blank

英明 三ッ井

Papers

Method of manufacturing phase shift mask blank and phase shift mask

Halftone phase shifting mask blank and halftone phase shifting mask

Mask blank, method for manufacturing phase shift mask, and method for manufacturing template

Phase shift mask blank and phase shift mask

Method of manufacturing phase shift mask blank and apparatus for manufacturing phase shift mask blank

英明三ッ井