Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor includes: receiving a photomask substrate including a shielding layer; defining a chip region and a peripheral region adjacent to the chip region; forming a design pattern in the chip region; forming a reference pattern by emitting one first radiation shot and a beta pattern by emitting a plurality of second radiation shots in the peripheral region, wherein a pixel size of the first radiation shot is greater than a pixel size of the second radiation shot; comparing a reference roughness of a boundary of the reference pattern and a beta roughness of a boundary of the beta pattern; transferring the design pattern to the shielding layer if a difference between the reference roughness and the beta roughness is within a tolerance; and transferring the design pattern of the photomask to a semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A reticle structure includes a reticle having patterned features and a first border section enclosing the patterned features. The reticle structure includes a membrane having a middle section a second border section enclosing the middle section. The reticle structure includes a frame disposed between the membrane and the reticle to mount the membrane over the patterned features of the reticle. The frame creates an enclosure between the reticle and the membrane and encircles the patterned features of the reticle. The frame includes a plurality of holes and the plurality of holes produces a threshold percentage of opening in the frame to maintain an equalized pressure difference between the enclosure and outside the enclosure below a threshold pressure.

Abstract: A robust, high-transmission pellicle for extreme ultraviolet lithography systems is disclosed. In one example, the present disclosure provides a pellicle that includes a membrane and a frame supporting the membrane. The membrane may be formed from at least one of a transparent carbon-based film and a transparent silicon based film. The at least one of the transparent carbon-based film and the transparent silicon based film may further be coated with a protective shell. The frame may include at least one aperture to allow for a flow of air through a portion of the pellicle.

Abstract: The substrate with a multilayer reflective film includes a substrate and the multilayer reflective film configured to reflect exposure light, the multilayer reflective film comprising a stack of alternating layers on a substrate, the alternating layers including a low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer, in which the multilayer reflective film contains molybdenum (Mo) and at least one additive element selected from nitrogen (N), boron (B), carbon (C), zirconium (Zr), oxygen (O), hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D), and the crystallite size of the multilayer reflective film calculated from a diffraction peak of Mo (110) by X-ray diffraction is 2.5 nm or less.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a method of patterning a semiconductor wafer using extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). The method includes receiving an EUVL mask that includes a substrate having a low temperature expansion material, a reflective multilayer over the substrate, a capping layer over the reflective multilayer, and an absorber layer over the capping layer. The method further includes patterning the absorber layer to form a trench on the EUVL mask, wherein the trench has a first width above a target width. The method further includes treating the EUVL mask with oxygen plasma to reduce the trench to a second width, wherein the second width is below the target width. The method may also include treating the EUVL mask with nitrogen plasma to protect the capping layer, wherein the treating of the EUVL mask with the nitrogen plasma expands the trench to a third width at the target width.

Abstract: Provided is a phase shift mask blank including a substrate, and a phase shift film thereon, the phase shift film composed of a material containing silicon and nitrogen and free of a transition metal, exposure light being KrF excimer laser, the phase shift film consisting of a single layer or a plurality of layers, the single layer or each of the plurality of layers having a refractive index n of at least 2.5 and an extinction coefficient k of 0.4 to 1, with respect to the exposure light, and the phase shift film having a phase shift of 170 to 190° and a transmittance of 4 to 8%, with respect to the exposure light, and a thickness of up to 85 nm.

Abstract: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a substrate; a multilayer stack of reflective layers on the substrate; a capping layer on the multilayer stack of reflecting layers; and an absorber layer on the capping layer, the absorber layer made from carbon and antimony.

Abstract: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a substrate; a multilayer stack of reflective layers on the substrate; a capping layer on the multilayer stack of reflecting layers; and an absorber layer on the capping layer, the absorber layer made from antimony and nitrogen.

Abstract: A method comprising the steps of receiving a mask assembly comprising a mask and a removable EUV transparent pellicle held by a pellicle frame, removing the pellicle frame and EUV transparent pellicle from the mask, using an inspection tool to inspect the mask pattern on the mask, and subsequently attaching to the mask an EUV transparent pellicle held by a pellicle frame. The method may also comprise the following steps: after removing the pellicle frame and EUV transparent pellicle from the mask, attaching to the mask an alternative pellicle frame holding an alternative pellicle formed from a material which is substantially transparent to an inspection beam of the inspection tool; and after using an inspection tool to inspect the mask pattern on the mask, removing the alternative pellicle held by the alternative pellicle frame from the mask in order to attach to the mask the EUV transparent pellicle held by the pellicle frame.

Abstract: The prevent disclosure provides a reflective mask. In some embodiments, the reflective mask includes a substrate, a sp2-hybrid carbon layer, a reflective multilayer, and an absorption pattern. The sp2-hybrid carbon layer is over the substrate. The reflective multilayer is over the sp2-hybrid carbon layer. The absorption pattern is over the reflective multilayer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for lithographically producing a target structure on a non-planar initial structure by exposing a photoresist by means of a lithography beam. In the inventive method, the topography of a surface of the non-planar initial structure is detected. A test parameter for the lithography beam is used and an interaction of the lithography beam with the initial structure and the resultant change in the lithography beam and/or the target structure to be produced are determined. A correction parameter for the lithography beam is determined such that the change in the lithography beam and/or the target structure to be produced that is caused by the interaction of the lithography beam with the initial structure is reduced. The desired target structure on the initial structure is produced by exposing the photoresist by means of the lithography beam using the correction parameter.

Abstract: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a substrate; a multilayer stack of reflective layers on the substrate; a capping layer on the multilayer stack of reflecting layers; and an absorber layer on the capping layer, the absorber layer made from tantalum and ruthenium.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor includes: receiving a photomask substrate including a shielding layer; defining a chip region and a peripheral region adjacent to the chip region; forming a design pattern in the chip region; forming a reference pattern by emitting one first radiation shot and a beta pattern by emitting a plurality of second radiation shots in the peripheral region, wherein a pixel size of the first radiation shot is greater than a pixel size of the second radiation shot; comparing a reference roughness of a boundary of the reference pattern and a beta roughness of a boundary of the beta pattern; transferring the design pattern to the shielding layer if a difference between the reference roughness and the beta roughness is within a tolerance; and transferring the design pattern of the photomask to a semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a membrane assembly for EUV lithography, the method including: providing a stack having a planar substrate and at least one membrane layer, wherein the planar substrate includes an inner region and a border region around the inner region; and selectively removing the inner region of the planar substrate. The membrane assembly includes: a membrane formed from the at least one membrane layer; and a border holding the membrane, the border formed from the border region of the planar substrate. The stack is provided with a mechanical protection material configured to mechanically protect the border region during the selectively removing the inner region of the planar substrate.

Abstract: Provided is a mask blank in which a light shielding film which is a single layer film formed of a silicon nitride-based material has high light shielding performance against ArF exposure light and is capable of reducing EMF bias of a pattern of the light shielding film. The mask blank includes the light shielding film on a transparent substrate. The light shielding film has an optical density of 3.0 or greater to ArF exposure light. A refractive index n and an extinction coefficient k of the light shielding film to ArF exposure light simultaneously satisfy relationships defined by Formulas (1) and (2) below. n?0.0733×k2+0.4069×k+1.0083 ??Formula (1) n?29.316×k2?92.292×k+72.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a reflective mask, a photo resist layer is formed over a mask blank. The mask blank includes a substrate, a reflective multilayer on the substrate, a capping layer on the reflective multilayer, an absorber layer on the capping layer and a hard mask layer, and the absorber layer is made of Cr, CrO or CrON. The photo resist layer is patterned, the hard mask layer is patterned by using the patterned photo resist layer, the absorber layer is patterned by using the patterned hard mask layer, and an additional element is introduced into the patterned absorber layer to form a converted absorber layer.

Abstract: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a substrate; a multilayer stack of reflective layers on the substrate; a capping layer on the multilayer stack of reflecting layers; and an absorber layer on the capping layer, the absorber layer comprising an alloy selected from an alloy of tantalum, iridium and antimony; an alloy of iridium and antimony; and an alloy of tantalum, ruthenium and antimony.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include EUV reticles and methods of forming such reticles. In an embodiment a method of forming an EUV reticle comprises providing a reticle, where the reticle comprises, a substrate, a mirror layer over the substrate, where the mirror layer comprises a plurality of first mirror layers and second mirror layers in an alternating pattern, and a capping layer over the mirror layer. In an embodiment, the method may further comprise disposing a first layer over the capping layer, patterning an opening in the first layer, and disposing a second layer in the opening, where the second layer is disposed with an electroless deposition process.

Abstract: A self-calibrating overlay metrology system may receive device overlay data from device targets on a sample, determine preliminary device overlay measurements for the device targets including device-scale features using an overlay recipe with the device overlay data as inputs, receive assist overlay data from sets of assist targets on the sample including device-scale features, where a particular set of assist targets includes one or more target pairs formed with two overlay targets having programmed overlay offsets of a selected value with opposite signs along a particular measurement direction.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a pellicle characterized by including a pellicle film and a pellicle frame, in which the pellicle film is stretched on the pellicle frame, and the pellicle film is an annealed pellicle film, and to provide a method for producing a pellicle by stretching a pellicle film on a pellicle frame, including the step of annealing the pellicle film alone before stretching the pellicle film on the pellicle frame, annealing the pellicle after stretching the pellicle film on the pellicle frame, or annealing the pellicle film alone and the pellicle both before and after stretching the pellicle film on the pellicle frame.