Abstract: A blank for halftone phase shift photomask is disclosed. The blank has a transparent substrate, a halftone phase shift layer and a light shielding film, the halftone phase shift layer and the light shielding film being layered in this order on the transparent substrate, and the l light shielding film is a single layered or multiple layered film which has a layer of tantalum.

Abstract: An output unit for a continuous wrapping machine, wherein packets, substantially in the form of a rectangular parallelepipedon and laid flat on respective seats of a continuous conveyor wheel, are fed by the wheel crosswise to a small lateral surface of the packets, and are transferred onto an intermediate conveyor, which receives each packet from the respective seat, feeds the packet parallel to itself along a substantially 90.degree. conveying arc, and unloads the packet onto an output conveyor tangent to the output end of the conveying arc and traveling continuously in a direction crosswise to a large surface of the packet.