Abstract: A mask blank has a structure where a thin film for pattern formation and a hard mask film are stacked in this order on a transparent substrate, featured in that the thin film is formed of a material containing chromium, the hard mask film includes a stacked structure of a lower layer and an upper layer, the lower layer is formed of a material containing silicon and oxygen, the upper layer is formed of a material containing tantalum and oxygen with an oxygen content of 30 atom % or more, and the ratio of a thickness of the upper layer relative to a total thickness of the hard mask film is 0.7 or less.

Abstract: A mask blank includes a substrate having a main surface on which a multilayer reflective film and the pattern-forming thin film are provided in this order. The thin film contains tantalum, niobium, and nitrogen. An X-ray diffraction pattern obtained by analyzing the thin film by Out-of-Plane measurement of X-ray diffraction satisfies the relationship of at least one of Imax1/Iavg1?7.0 and Imax2/Iavg2?1.0, where Imax1 is a maximum value of diffraction intensity at a diffraction angle 2? in a range of 34 to 36 degrees, Iavg1 is an average value of diffraction intensity at a diffraction angle 2? in a range 32 to 34 degrees, Imax2 is a maximum value of diffraction intensity at a diffraction angle 2? of 40 to 42 degrees, and Iavg2 is an average value of diffraction intensity at a diffraction angle 2? in a range of 38 to 40 degrees.

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: A mask blank has a structure where a thin film for pattern formation and a hard mask film are stacked in this order on a transparent substrate, featured in that the thin film is formed of a material containing chromium, the hard mask film includes a stacked structure of a lower layer and an upper layer, the lower layer is formed of a material containing silicon and oxygen, the upper layer is formed of a material containing tantalum and oxygen with an oxygen content of 30 atom % or more, and the ratio of a thickness of the upper layer relative to a total thickness of the hard mask film is 0.7 or less.

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: Provided is a mask blank for a phase shift mask including an etching stopper film. The mask blank has a structure where a transparent substrate has stacked thereon an etching stopper film and a phase shift film in this order, in which the phase shift film contains silicon and oxygen, in which the phase shift film has a refractive index n1 of 1.5 or more for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k1 of 0.1 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, in which the etching stopper film has a refractive index n2 of 2.5 or more and 3.1 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k2 of 0.4 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, and the refractive index n2 and the extinction coefficient k2 satisfy at least one of a set of specified conditions.

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: Provided is a mask blank for a phase shift mask including an etching stopper film. A mask blank has a structure where a transparent substrate has layered thereon an etching stopper film and a phase shift film in this order, in which the phase shift film contains silicon and oxygen, in which the phase shift film has a refractive index n1 of 1.5 or more for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k1 of 0.1 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, in which the etching stopper film has a refractive index n2 of 2.6 or more for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k2 of 0.4 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, and the refractive index n2 and the extinction coefficient k2 satisfy at least one of k2?[(?0.188×n2)+0.879] and k2?[(2.75×n2)?6.945].

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: Provided is a mask blank for a phase shift mask including an etching stopper film. The mask blank has a structure where a transparent substrate has stacked thereon an etching stopper film and a phase shift film in this order, in which the phase shift film contains silicon and oxygen, in which the phase shift film has a refractive index n1 of 1.5 or more for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k1 of 0.1 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, in which the etching stopper film has a refractive index n2 of 2.5 or more and 3.1 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k2 of 0.4 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, and the refractive index n2 and the extinction coefficient k2 satisfy at least one of a set of specified conditions.

Abstract: Provided is a mask blank for a phase shift mask including an etching stopper film. A mask blank has a structure where a transparent substrate has layered thereon an etching stopper film and a phase shift film in this order, in which the phase shift film contains silicon and oxygen, in which the phase shift film has a refractive index n1 of 1.5 or more for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k1 of 0.1 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, in which the etching stopper film has a refractive index n2 of 2.6 or more for light of 193 nm wavelength and an extinction coefficient k2 of 0.4 or less for light of 193 nm wavelength, and the refractive index n2 and the extinction coefficient k2 satisfy at least one of k2?[(?0.188×n2)+0.879] and k2?[(2.75×n2)?6.945].

Abstract: A mask blank for a phase shift mask having a phase shift film on a transparent substrate. The phase shift film generates a phase difference of 150 degrees or more and 200 degrees or less and transmits exposure light of an ArF excimer laser at a transmittance of 10% or more. The film has a low transmitting layer and a high transmitting layer, stacked alternately to form a total of six or more layers from a side of the transparent substrate. The low transmitting layer is made of a material containing silicon and nitrogen and having a nitrogen content of 50 atom % or more. The high transmitting layer is made of a material containing silicon and oxygen and having an oxygen content of 50 atom % or more. The low transmitting layer has a thickness greater than that of the high transmitting layer, which has a thickness of 4 nm or less.

Abstract: There is provided a mold blank comprising a hard mask, wherein the hard mask layer has a composition containing chromium, nitrogen, and oxygen and has a content variation structure in which content of the nitrogen is varied continuously or gradually in a layer thickness direction and content of the oxygen is varied in the layer thickness direction continuously or gradually substantially in an opposite direction to the nitrogen.

Abstract: A functionally gradient inorganic resist that changes in its state by heat, having a main surface irradiated with laser beams and a rear surface opposed to the main surface; the functionally gradient inorganic resist including a single layer resist, wherein at least a composition of the single layer resist is continuously varied from the main surface side to the rear surface side, and anisotropy of an area in which a temperature reaches a fixed temperature when being irradiated with laser beams locally, is continuously increased from the main surface side to the rear surface side in the single layer resist.