Abstract: A mask blank having a structure in which, on a transparent substrate, a light shielding film and a hard mask film are laminated in the stated order from the transparent substrate side. The hard mask film is formed of a material containing at least one element selected from silicon and tantalum, and the light shielding film is formed of a material containing chromium. The mask blank has a structure of three layers wherein a lower layer, an intermediate layer, and an upper layer are laminated in the stated order from the transparent substrate side. The upper layer has a lowest content of chromium in the light shielding film, the intermediate layer has a highest content of chromium in the light shielding film. It contains at least one metallic element selected from indium, tin, and molybdenum.

Abstract: To provide a phase-shift mask in which the reduction in thickness of a light-shielding film is provided when a transition metal silicide-based material is used for the light-shielding film and by which the problem of ArF light fastness can be solved; and a mask blank for manufacturing the phase-shift mask. A mask blank 10 comprises a phase-shift film 2 and a light-shielding film 4 on a transparent substrate 1, the phase-shift film 2 is made of a material with ArF light fastness, and at least one layer in the light-shielding film 4 is made of a material which contains transition metal, silicon, and nitrogen, and satisfies the conditions of Formula (1) below: CN?9.0×10?6×RM4?1.65×10?4×RM3?7.718×10?2×RM2+3.611×RM?21.084??Formula (1) wherein RM is a ratio of the content of transition metal to the total content of transition metal and silicon in said one layer, and CN is the content of nitrogen in said one layer.

Abstract: Provided are a phase shift mask blank that is improved in the irradiation durability of a light-semitransmissive film (phase shift film), made of a material containing mainly a transition metal, silicon, and nitrogen, to exposure light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less and thus can improve the mask lifetime, a method of manufacturing such a phase shift mask blank, and a phase shift mask. The phase shift mask blank is used for manufacturing a phase shift mask adapted to be applied with ArF excimer laser exposure light. The phase shift mask blank has a light-semitransmissive film on a transparent substrate. The light-semitransmissive film is an incomplete nitride film containing mainly a transition metal, silicon, and nitrogen. The content ratio of the transition metal to the transition metal and the silicon in the light-semitransmissive film is less than 9%.

Abstract: A mask blank wherein damage to a light semitransmissive film due to dry etching for removing a light shielding film is inhibited. Mask blank 100 has a light semitransmissive film 2 and light shielding film 4 laminated on a main surface of a transparent substrate 1. Film 2 can be dry etched with a fluorine-based gas. Film 4 has laminated lower layer 41 and upper layer 42. Lower layer 41 contained tantalum and id substantially free from hafnium, zirconium, and oxygen. Upper layer 42 contains tantalum and one or more of hafnium and zirconium and is substantially free from oxygen excluding the surface layer of the upper layer 42. Between the light semitransmissive film 2 and lower layer 41 is an etching stopper film 3 having etch selectivity with respect to the lower layer 41 in dry etching with an etching gas containing the chlorine-based gas and no oxygen gas.

Abstract: In a mask blank having a structure in which a light-semitransmissive film and a light-shielding film are laminated on a main surface of a transparent substrate, the light-semitransmissive film is made of a material that can be dry-etched with an etching gas containing a fluorine-based gas, the light-shielding film is made of a material that contains tantalum and one or more elements selected from hafnium and zirconium and contains no oxygen except in a surface layer thereof, an etching stopper film is provided between the light-semitransmissive film and the light-shielding film, and the etching stopper film is made of a material that contains chromium with an oxygen content of 20 at % or less.

Abstract: A mask blank is provided, by which an alignment mark can be formed between a transparent substrate and a laminated structure of a light semitransmissive film, etching stopper film, and light shielding film during manufacture of a transfer mask.

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: Methods of manufacturing a mask blank and a transfer mask that reduce internal stress of a thin film. The methods include preparing a transparent substrate having a pair of opposing main surfaces and composed of a glass material having a hydrogen content of less than 7.4×1018 molecules/cm3, forming a thin film composed of a material containing silicon or metal on one of the main surfaces of the transparent substrate, and carrying out heating treatment or photo irradiation treatment on the transparent substrate with the thin film. The absolute value of a variation of flatness in a predetermined region, as calculated based on a difference in shape obtained from a shape of a main surface of the transparent substrate prior to forming the thin film and a shape of a main surface of the substrate exposed after removing the thin film, is not more than 100 nm.

Abstract: Provided are a mask blank for which worsening of flatness has been inhibited, a transfer mask, a method of manufacturing a mask blank, a method of manufacturing a transfer mask, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using this transfer mask. The mask blank is a mask blank provided with a thin film on a main surface of a glass substrate, wherein the glass substrate has a hydrogen content of less than 7.4×1018 molecules/cm3, the thin film is made of a material containing tantalum and being substantially free of hydrogen, and the thin film is formed in contact with the main surface of the glass substrate.

Abstract: In a mask blank for manufacturing a transfer mask, the mask blank has a light-shielding film on a transparent substrate. The light-shielding film is made of a material containing tantalum as a main metal component and includes a highly oxidized layer which has an oxygen content of 60 at % or more and which is formed as a surface layer of the light-shielding film. The highly oxidized layer is placed on a side opposite to a transparent substrate side.

Abstract: A photomask blank for producing a photomask to which an ArF excimer laser light is applied. The blank includes a light transmissive substrate on which a thin film having a multilayer structure is provided. The thin film has a light-shielding film in which a back-surface antireflection layer, a light-shielding layer and a front-surface antireflection layer are laminated in this order. The light-shielding layer comprises chromium and nitrogen, and the chromium content is more than 50 atomic %. The front-surface antireflection layer and the back-surface antireflection layer each has an amorphous structure made of a material comprising chromium, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon. The chromium content ratio of the front-surface antireflection layer and the back-surface antireflection layer is 40 atomic % or less. A first sum of nitrogen content and oxygen content of the back-surface antireflection layer is less than a second sum of nitrogen content and oxygen content of the front-surface antireflection layer.

Abstract: Provided are a phase shift mask blank that is improved in the irradiation durability of a light-semitransmissive film (phase shift film), made of a material containing mainly a transition metal, silicon, and nitrogen, to exposure light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less and thus can improve the mask lifetime, a method of manufacturing such a phase shift mask blank, and a phase shift mask. The phase shift mask blank is used for manufacturing a phase shift mask adapted to be applied with ArF excimer laser exposure light. The phase shift mask blank has a light-semitransmissive film on a transparent substrate. The light-semitransmissive film is an incomplete nitride film containing mainly a transition metal, silicon, and nitrogen. The content ratio of the transition metal to the transition metal and the silicon in the light-semitransmissive film is less than 9%.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photomask blank used for producing a photomask to which an ArF excimer laser light is applied, wherein: a light-shielding film is provided on a light transmissive substrate; the light-shielding film has a laminated structure in which a lower layer, an interlayer and an upper layer are laminated in this order from the side close to the light transmissive substrate; the thickness of the entire light-shielding film is 60 nm or less; the lower layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a first etching rate; the upper layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a third etching rate; the interlayer is made of a film containing the same metal as that contained in the lower layer or the upper layer and has a second etching rate that is lower than the first etching rate and the third etching rate; and the thickness of the interlayer is 30% or less of the thickness of the entire light-shielding film.

Abstract: Provided are a phase shift mask blank that is improved in the irradiation durability of a light-semitransmissive film (phase shift film), made of a material containing mainly a transition metal, silicon, and nitrogen, to exposure light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less and thus can improve the mask lifetime, a method of manufacturing such a phase shift mask blank, and a phase shift mask. The phase shift mask blank is used for manufacturing a phase shift mask adapted to be applied with ArF excimer laser exposure light. The phase shift mask blank has a light-semitransmissive film on a transparent substrate. The light-semitransmissive film is an incomplete nitride film containing mainly a transition metal, silicon, and nitrogen. The content ratio of the transition metal to the transition metal and the silicon in the light-semitransmissive film is less than 9%.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photomask blank used for producing a photomask to which an ArF excimer laser light is applied, wherein: a light-shielding film is provided on a light transmissive substrate; the light-shielding film has a laminated structure in which a lower layer, an interlayer and an upper layer are laminated in this order from the side close to the light transmissive substrate; the thickness of the entire light-shielding film is 60 nm or less; the lower layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a first etching rate; the upper layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a third etching rate; the interlayer is made of a film containing the same metal as that contained in the lower layer or the upper layer and has a second etching rate that is lower than the first etching rate and the third etching rate; and the thickness of the interlayer is 30% or less of the thickness of the entire light-shielding film.

Abstract: A photomask blank is for use in manufacturing a photomask to be applied with exposure light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less. The photomask blank has a light-transmitting substrate and a light-shielding film formed thereon. The light-shielding film has a light-shielding layer containing a transition metal and silicon and a front-surface antireflection layer formed contiguously on the light-shielding layer and made of a material containing at least one of oxygen and nitrogen. The light-shielding film has a front-surface reflectance of a predetermined value or less for the exposure light and has a property capable of controlling the change width of the front-surface reflectance at the exposure wavelength to be within 2% when the thickness of the front-surface antireflection layer changes in the range of 2 nm. The material of the front-surface antireflection layer having a refractive index n and an extinction coefficient k capable of achieving such property is selected.

Abstract: The present invention is the mask blank includes a glass substrate and a thin film formed on a main surface of the glass substrate, the thin film includes a material containing tantalum and substantially no hydrogen, and the mask blank has a invasion suppressive film between the main surface of the glass substrate and the thin film which suppresses hydrogen from being invaded from the glass substrate into the thin film.

Abstract: A photomask blank for producing a photomask to which an ArF excimer laser light is applied. The blank includes a light transmissive substrate on which a thin film having a multilayer structure is provided. The thin film has a light-shielding film in which a back-surface antireflection layer, a light-shielding layer and a front-surface antireflection layer are laminated in this order. The light-shielding layer comprises chromium and nitrogen, and the chromium content is more than 50 atomic %. The front-surface antireflection layer and the back-surface antireflection layer each has an amorphous structure made of a material comprising chromium, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon. The chromium content ratio of the front-surface antireflection layer and the back-surface antireflection layer is 40 atomic % or less. A first sum of nitrogen content and oxygen content of the back-surface antireflection layer is less than a second sum of nitrogen content and oxygen content of the front-surface antireflection layer.

Abstract: In a mask blank for manufacturing a transfer mask, the mask blank has a light-shielding film on a transparent substrate. The light-shielding film is made of a material containing tantalum as a main metal component and includes a highly oxidized layer which has an oxygen content of 60 at % or more and which is formed as a surface layer of the light-shielding film. The highly oxidized layer is placed on a side opposite to a transparent substrate side.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus and method includes a light source, an illuminating unit having a polarization controller and an object lens for illuminating a specimen with light emitted from the light source and passed through the polarization controller and the object lens, a detection unit having a sensor for detecting light from the specimen illuminated by the illuminating unit, a processor which processes a signal output from the sensor so as to detect a defect on the specimen, and a display which displays information output from the processor. The processor processes an image formed from the signal output from the sensor in which the image is reduced in speckle pattern.