Abstract: A reflective extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask includes a mask substrate, a reflecting layer on an upper surface of the mask substrate, and an absorbing layer pattern on an upper surface of the reflecting layer, the absorbing layer pattern having an exposing region and a peripheral region, and the absorbing layer pattern including a grating pattern in the peripheral region to reduce reflectivity of light incident on the peripheral region.

Abstract: A photomask includes: a light blocking member provided on a translucent substrate; a main pattern portion provided in a first region corresponding to a desired pattern, being an opening of the light blocking member; and an auxiliary pattern portion provided in a second region surrounding the position corresponding to the desired pattern and along a side constituting an outline portion of the desired pattern, including a plurality of in-phase auxiliary patterns each of which is an opening transmitting in-phase light with light transmitted through the main pattern portion. The in-phase auxiliary pattern is provided at a distance of ?(2×n×G×?) from the side constituting the outline portion of the desired pattern (where G is a gap length between the photomask and the exposed body, ? is a wavelength of the exposure light, and n is a natural number).

Abstract: A mask is disclosed which includes a plurality of first phase shift regions disposed on a first side of the mask, and a plurality of second phase shift regions disposed on a second side of the mask. The first phase shift regions and second phase shift regions may be alternating phase shift regions in which phase shift of the first phase shift regions is out of phase, for instance by 180 degrees, from phase shift of the second phase shift regions. A method for forming the mask, and a semiconductor device fabrication method using the mask is also disclosed.

Abstract: Provided is a mask blank which enables EB defect correction to be suitably applied and which further enables a reduction in the thickness of a light-shielding film. A mask blank 10 is used for producing a transfer mask adapted to be applied with ArF exposure light and has a light-shielding film 2 on a transparent substrate 1. The light-shielding film 2 is composed mainly of a material containing a transition metal, silicon, and at least one or more elements selected from oxygen and nitrogen. An etching rate of the light-shielding film by a fluorine-containing substance in a state of not being irradiated with charged particles is low enough to at least ensure etching selectivity with respect to an etching rate of the light-shielding film by the fluorine-containing substance in a state of being irradiated with the charged particles.

Abstract: A photomask includes a low thermal expansion material (LTEM) substrate, a patterned opaque layer over the LTEM substrate, and a patterned capping layer over the opaque layer. The patterned capping layer includes a transition metal material for suppressing haze growth, such as metal oxide, metal nitride, or metal oxynitride. The material in the capping layer reacts with a hydrogenic compound from a lithography environment to for an atomic level hydrogen passivation layer. The passivation layer has superior ability to suppress photo-induced haze defect growth on the photomask surface, to improve production cycle time and reduce the production cost.

Abstract: A halftone phase shift photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a halftone phase shift film consisting of silicon, nitrogen and optional oxygen, and providing a phase shift of 150°-200° relative to light of wavelength up to 200 nm. The phase shift film includes at least one layer meeting the formula: 2×O/Si+3×N/Si?3.5 wherein Si is a silicon content (at %), N is a nitrogen content (at %), and O is an oxygen content (at %). The phase shift film exhibits satisfactory in-plane uniformity of transmittance.

Abstract: Reflective masks, and methods of manufacturing the same, include a reflective multi-layer on a mask substrate, a plurality of support patterns spaced apart from one another in the main trench. The plurality of support patterns are in a main trench of the reflective multi-layer. The plurality of support patterns correspond to areas of the reflective mask not transferred onto an exposure target substrate. The support patterns partition the main trench to form a plurality of auxiliary trenches. The reflective mask further includes a light absorption pattern including a plurality of auxiliary light absorption patterns in the auxiliary trenches.

Abstract: Methods and tools for repairing a semiconductor mask are provided. The method includes steps of positioning the semiconductor mask within a repair chamber including a repair tool, supplying a first gas and a second gas into the repair chamber. The first gas includes a repair material for repairing a defect on the mask, and the second gas includes a polar gas and assists deposition of the repair material on the semiconductor mask. The method further includes steps of activating the repair tool such that the repair tool interacts with the first and second gases to deposit the repair material at the site of the defect to repair the semiconductor mask and removing the repaired semiconductor mask from the repair chamber. A dimension of the deposited repair material is less than about 32 nanometers.

Abstract: The present invention is a reflective mask blank used to fabricate a reflective mask, which has a laminated structure of a multilayer reflective film, an absorber film and an etching mask film in this order on a substrate, wherein the etching mask film comprises a material containing chromium, the absorber film comprises a material containing tantalum, a highly oxidized layer is formed on the surface layer of the absorber film on the opposite side from the substrate, and a Ta 4f narrow spectrum of the highly oxidized layer when analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has a maximum peak at a binding energy of more than 23 eV.

Abstract: Provided is a mask blank in which uniformity of the composition and optical characteristics of a phase-shift film in the in-plane direction and direction of film thickness is high, uniformity of the composition and optical characteristics of the phase-shift film between a plurality of substrates is also high, and defectivity is low even if a silicon-based material is applied to the material that forms the phase-shift film.

Abstract: A substrate with a conductive film to be used for producing a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, comprising a substrate and a conductive film formed on the substrate, wherein the conductive film has at least two layers of a lower layer formed on the substrate side and an upper layer formed on the lower layer; the lower layer is a CrN type film which contains Cr and N; the upper layer is a CrON type film which contains Cr, N and O; in the CrN type film, the total content of Cr and N is at least 85 at %, and the compositional atomic ratio of Cr to N is Cr:N=9.5:0.5 to 3:7; in the CrON type film, the total content of Cr, N and O is at least 85 at %, and the compositional atomic ratio of Cr to (N+O) is Cr:(N+O)=9.5:0.5 to 3:7; and the film thickness of the CrON type film is from 0.5 to 3 nm, and the standard deviation of the film thickness distribution of the CrON type film is at most 0.18 nm.

Abstract: A mask blank for use in the manufacture of a binary mask adapted to be applied with ArF excimer laser exposure light has, on a transparent substrate, a light-shielding film for forming a transfer pattern. The light-shielding film has a laminated structure of a lower layer and an upper layer and has an optical density of 2.8 or more for exposure light and a thickness of 45 nm or less. The lower layer is made of a material in which the total content of a transition metal and silicon is 90 at % or more, and has a thickness of 30 nm or more. The upper layer has a thickness of 3 nm or more and 6 nm or less. The phase difference between exposure light transmitted through the light-shielding film and exposure light transmitted in air for a distance equal to the thickness of the light-shielding film is 30 degrees or less.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide a method for processing a carrier, the method including changing the three-dimensional structure of a mask layer arranged over the carrier so that at least two mask layer regions are formed having different mask layer thicknesses; and applying an ion implantation process to the at least two mask layer regions to form at least two implanted regions in the carrier having different implantation depth profiles.

Abstract: A reflective mask includes a first reflection layer disposed on a mask substrate, a first capping layer disposed on the first reflection layer, a second reflection pattern disposed on a portion of the first capping layer, and a phase shifter disposed between the second reflection pattern and the first capping layer to cause a phase difference between a first light reflecting from the first reflection layer and a second light reflecting from the second reflection pattern. Related methods are also provided.

Abstract: A pellicle is proposed in which the frame is formed with an external horizontal slit for the purpose of receiving a pressing means, which can urge the pellicle to be adhered to a photomask, in which the slit forms a vertically protruding part of a thickness of 5-30% of the width of a pellicle frame main body and a horizontally protruding part of a thickness of 0.3-1 mm; also the method of adhering the pellicle to the photomask is proposed.

Abstract: An integrated extreme ultraviolet blank production system includes: a vacuum chamber for placing a substrate in a vacuum; a deposition system for depositing a multi-layer stack without removing the substrate from the vacuum; and a treatment system for treating a layer on the multi-layer stack to be deposited as an amorphous metallic layer. A physical vapor deposition chamber for manufacturing an extreme ultraviolet mask blank includes: a target, comprising molybdenum alloyed with boron. An extreme ultraviolet lithography system includes: an extreme ultraviolet light source; a mirror for directing light from the extreme ultraviolet light source; a reticle stage for placing an extreme ultraviolet mask blank with a multi-layer stack having an amorphous metallic layer; and a wafer stage for placing a wafer. An extreme ultraviolet blank includes: a substrate; a multi-layer stack having an amorphous metallic layer; and capping layers over the multi-layer stack.

Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blank production system includes: a substrate handling vacuum chamber for creating a vacuum; a substrate handling platform, in the vacuum, for transporting an ultra-low expansion substrate loaded in the substrate handling vacuum chamber; and multiple sub-chambers, accessed by the substrate handling platform, for forming an EUV mask blank includes: a multi-layer stack, formed above the ultra-low expansion substrate, for reflecting an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light, and an absorber layer, formed above the multi-layer stack, for absorbing the EUV light at a wavelength of 13.5 nm includes the absorber layer has a thickness of less than 80 nm and less than 2% reflectivity.

Abstract: A reflective optical element of an optical system for EUV lithography and an associated manufacturing method. The reflective optical element (20) includes a multilayer system (23, 83) for reflecting an incident electromagnetic wave having an operating wavelength in the EUV range, the reflected wave having a phase ?, and a capping layer (25, 85) made from a capping layer material. The method includes determining a dependency according to which the phase of the reflected wave varies with the thickness d of the capping layer, determining a linearity-region in the dependency in which the phase of the reflected wave varies substantially linearly with the thickness of the capping layer, and creating a thickness profile in the capping layer such that both the maximum thickness and the minimum thickness in the thickness profile are in the linearity-region.

Abstract: A reflector includes a reflecting surface or structure provided with a cap layer formed from Silicene or a Silicene derivative. The reflector may be provided in a lithographic apparatus.

Abstract: A near-field exposure mask according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; a concave-convex structure having convexities and concavities and formed on one surface of the substrate; a near-field light generating film arranged at least on a tip portion of each of the convexities, the near-field light generating film being a layer containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Au, Al, Ag, Cu, Cr, Sb, W, Ni, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, Zn, Pd, and C, or a film stack formed with layers made of some of those materials; and a resin filled in each of the concavities.