Patents by Inventor Daijiro AKAGI

Daijiro AKAGI has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240160096
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light. The substrate, the multilayer reflective film, the protection film, and the phase shift film are arranged in this order. The phase shift film is made of an Ir-based material containing Ir as a main component, and the protection film is made of a Rh-based material containing Rh as a main component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2024
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Yuya NAGATA, Daijiro AKAGI, Kenichi SASAKI, Hiroaki IWAOKA
  • Publication number: 20240152044
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light, in this order. An opening pattern is to be formed in the phase shift film. The phase shift film has a refractive index of 0.920 or less with respect to the EUV light, an extinction coefficient of 0.024 or more with respect to the EUV light, a thickness of 50 nm or less, a normalized image log slope of 2.9 or more for a transferred image when a line-and-space pattern is formed on a target substrate, and a tolerance range of a focal depth of the transferred image is 60 nm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro AKAGI, Hiroaki IWAOKA, Shunya TAKI, Kenichi SASAKI, Ichiro ISHIKAWA, Toshiyuki UNO
  • Patent number: 11953822
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, including: a substrate, a multilayer reflective film reflecting EUV light, and a phase shift film shifting a phase of the EUV light, in which the substrate, the multilayer reflective film, and the phase shift film are formed in this order, the phase shift film includes a layer 1 including ruthenium (Ru) and nitrogen (N), and the layer 1 has an absolute value of a film stress of 1,000 MPa or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: AGC INC.
    Inventors: Hirotomo Kawahara, Daijiro Akagi, Hiroaki Iwaoka, Toshiyuki Uno, Michinori Suehara, Keishi Tsukiyama
  • Publication number: 20240094622
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light. The phase shift film contains Ir as a main component. A ratio of a maximum value of an intensity of a peak of diffracted light from the phase shift film in a 2? range of 35° to 45° to an average value of an intensity of the diffracted light in a 2? range of 55° to 60° measured using an XRD method with a CuK? ray, upon being irradiated with the EUV light with an incident angle of ?, is 1.0 or more and 30 or less. A refractive index and an extinction coefficient of the phase shift film to the EUV light are 0.925 or less, and 0.030 or more, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: YUYA NAGATA, Daijiro Akagi, Kenichi Sasaki, Hiroaki Iwaoka
  • Patent number: 11914284
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light, the substrate, the multilayer reflective film, the protection film, and the phase shift film being arranged in this order. The phase shift film contains at least one first element X1 selected from the first group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and gold (Au), and at least one second element X2 selected from the second group consisting of oxygen (O), boron (B), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N). In the phase shift film, a chemical shift of a peak of 3d5/2 or a peak of 4f7/2 of the first element X1 observed by X-ray electron spectroscopy is less than 0.3 eV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro Akagi, Shunya Taki, Takuma Kato, Ichiro Ishikawa, Kenichi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20240045319
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes: a substrate; a multilayer reflective film for reflecting EUV light; and a phase shift film for shifting a phase of EUV light, the multilayer reflective film and the phase shift film formed on or above the substrate in this order. The phase shift film includes a layer 1 including ruthenium (Ru) and at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N). Among diffraction peaks derived from the phase shift film observed at 2?: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half value width FWHM of 1.0° or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro AKAGI, Hirotomo Kawahara, Toshiyuki Uno, Ichiro Ishikawa, Kenichi Sakaki
  • Publication number: 20240045320
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and an absorption film that absorbs the EUV light, in this order. The protection film contains 50 at % or more of Rh. When a band-shaped gray scale image parallel to an interface between the protection film and the multilayer reflective film is obtained by imaging a cross section of the protection film with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and a luminance profile of the gray scale image in a longitudinal direction of the gray scale image is created, a number of peaks of the luminance profile per 100 nm in the longitudinal direction of the gray scale image is 50 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Takuma KATO, Daijiro AKAGI, Takeshi OKATO, Ryusuke OISHI, Yusuke ONO
  • Patent number: 11829065
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; and a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light, in this order. The phase shift film contains a compound containing ruthenium (Ru) and an element X2 different from Ru. A melting point MP1 of an oxide of the compound and a melting point MP2 of a fluoride or an oxyfluoride of the compound satisfy a relation of 0.625MP1+MP2?1000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Shunya Taki, Hiroaki Iwaoka, Daijiro Akagi, Ichiro Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11822229
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes: a substrate; a multilayer reflective film for reflecting EUV light; and a phase shift film for shifting a phase of EUV light, the multilayer reflective film and the phase shift film formed on or above the substrate in this order. The phase shift film includes a layer 1 including ruthenium (Ru) and at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N). Among diffraction peaks derived from the phase shift film observed at 2?: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half value width FWHM of 1.0° or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro Akagi, Hirotomo Kawahara, Toshiyuki Uno, Ichiro Ishikawa, Kenichi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20230350285
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light, the substrate, the multilayer reflective film, the protection film, and the phase shift film being arranged in this order. The phase shift film contains at least one first element X1 selected from the first group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and gold (Au), and at least one second element X2 selected from the second group consisting of oxygen (O), boron (B), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N). In the phase shift film, a chemical shift of a peak of 3d5/2 or a peak of 4f7/2 of the first element X1 observed by X-ray electron spectroscopy is less than 0.3 eV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro AKAGI, Shunya TAKI, Takuma KATO, Ichiro ISHIKAWA, Kenichi SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20230324785
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, including: a substrate, a multilayer reflective film reflecting EUV light, and a phase shift film shifting a phase of the EUV light, in which the substrate, the multilayer reflective film, and the phase shift film are formed in this order, the phase shift film includes a layer 1 including ruthenium (Ru) and nitrogen (N), and the layer 1 has an absolute value of a film stress of 1,000 MPa or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: AGC INC.
    Inventors: Hirotomo KAWAHARA, Daijiro AKAGI, Hiroaki IWAOKA, Toshiyuki UNO, Michinori SUEHARA, Keishi TSUKIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20230305383
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes a substrate, a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light, and an absorption layer for absorbing EUV light. The reflective layer and the absorption layer are formed on or above the substrate in this order. The absorption layer contains tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb), and the absorption layer has a composition ratio Ta:Nb of Ta (at %) to Nb (at %) of from 4:1 to 1:4. Among diffraction peaks derived from the absorption layer observed at 2?: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half width FWHM of 1.0° or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Hirotomo KAWAHARA, Hiroyoshi TANABE, Toshiyuki UNO, Hiroshi HANEKAWA, Daijiro AKAGI
  • Publication number: 20230288794
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, includes, in the following order, a substrate, a multilayer reflective film reflecting EUV light, a protective film for the multilayer reflective film, and an absorption layer absorbing EUV light, in which the protective film includes rhodium (Rh) or a rhodium material including Rh and at least one element selected from the group consisting of nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), boron (B), ruthenium (Ru), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), tantalum (Ta), iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd), zirconium (Zr), and titanium (Ti).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro AKAGI, Hirotomo KAWAHARA, Kenichi SASAKI, Ichiro ISHIKAWA, Toshiyuki UNO
  • Publication number: 20230251564
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; and a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light, in this order. The phase shift film contains a compound containing ruthenium (Ru) and an element X2 different from Ru. A melting point MP1 of an oxide of the compound and a melting point MP2 of a fluoride or an oxyfluoride of the compound satisfy a relation of 0.625 MP1+MP2?1000.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Shunya TAKI, Hiroaki IWAOKA, Daijiro AKAGI, Ichiro ISHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 11698580
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes a substrate, a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light, and an absorption layer for absorbing EUV light. The reflective layer and the absorption layer are formed on or above the substrate in this order. The absorption layer contains tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb), and the absorption layer has a composition ratio Ta:Nb of Ta (at %) to Nb (at %) of from 4:1 to 1:4. Among diffraction peaks derived from the absorption layer observed at 2?: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half width FWHM of 1.0° or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: AGC INC.
    Inventors: Hirotomo Kawahara, Hiroyoshi Tanabe, Toshiyuki Uno, Hiroshi Hanekawa, Daijiro Akagi
  • Publication number: 20220299862
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes, in the following order, a substrate, a multilayer reflective film for reflecting EUV light, a phase shift film for shifting a phase of EUV light, and an etching mask film. The phase shift film is constituted of a ruthenium-based material containing ruthenium as a main component. The phase shift film has a film thickness of 20 nm or larger. The etching mask film is removable with a cleaning liquid comprising an acid or a base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro AKAGI, Hirotomo KAWAHARA, Hiroyoshi TANABE, Toshiyuki UNO
  • Publication number: 20220035234
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes: a substrate; a multilayer reflective film for reflecting EUV light; and a phase shift film for shifting a phase of EUV light, the multilayer reflective film and the phase shift film formed on or above the substrate in this order. The phase shift film includes a layer 1 including ruthenium (Ru) and at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N). Among diffraction peaks derived from the phase shift film observed at 2?: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half value width FWHM of 1.0° or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Daijiro AKAGI, Hirotomo KAWAHARA, Toshiyuki UNO, Ichiro ISHIKAWA, Kenichi SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20210325772
    Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes a substrate, a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light, and an absorption layer for absorbing EUV light. The reflective layer and the absorption layer are formed on or above the substrate in this order. The absorption layer contains tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb), and the absorption layer has a composition ratio Ta:Nb of Ta (at %) to Nb (at %) of from 4:1 to 1:4. Among diffraction peaks derived from the absorption layer observed at 2?: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half width FWHM of 1.0° or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Hirotomo KAWAHARA, Hiroyoshi TANABE, Toshiyuki UNO, Hiroshi HANEKAWA, Daijiro AKAGI