Abstract: Provided is an article sorting device that can handle various containers without necessarily requiring a change of parts. The article sorting device includes a rotating table, a pocket, a guide, a position control unit, and a sorting unit. The position control unit controls a radial position of the pocket to a specified position that is a first position or a second position located radially outward relative to the first position. The sorting unit guides an article to different paths depending on whether the radial position of the pocket is at the first position or the second position when a circumferential position of the pocket reaches a sorting position.

Abstract: Provided is a transport device that can transport two or more types of articles without necessarily requiring a change of parts. The transport device includes a guide extending in a transport direction of an article, and a holding unit configured to hold the article between the holding unit and the guide and to move in the transport direction. The holding unit includes two or more roller units. In each roller unit, two or more rollers, including a first roller and a second roller with a diameter larger than a diameter of the first roller, are aligned along an axial direction. The holding unit is movable in the axial direction. The holding unit is moved in the axial direction to thereby switch the rollers abutting the article among the two or more rollers.

Abstract: A fine pattern is formed with high pattern precision, and a time required for fabricating a mold is considerably shortened. Provided are mask blanks used for manufacturing a sub-master mold by transferring the fine pattern provided on a surface of an original mold by imprint, having a hard mask layer including a chromium compound layer expressed by a chemical formula CrOxNyCz (x>0), on a substrate.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing an imprint mold formed with a highly accurate fine pattern by the use of a mask blank. In a mask blank having a thin film for forming a pattern on a transparent substrate, the thin film comprises an upper layer formed of a material containing Cr and nitrogen and a lower layer formed of a material containing a compound mainly composed of Ta and capable of being etched by dry etching using a chlorine-based gas. The upper layer and the lower layer of the thin film are etched by dry etching using a chlorine-based gas substantially free of oxygen and then the substrate is etched by dry etching using a fluorine-based gas, thereby obtaining an imprint mold.

Abstract: A polarization element has a polarizer with an aggregate of metal pieces: Plasmon resonance frequency of a metal piece varies according to the polarization direction of a irradiated on it. In the polarization element, the plasmon resonance frequency in a predetermined direction of a metal piece is substantially equal to the frequency of light irradiated on the polarization element. The real part and the imaginary part of permittivity at the plasmon resonance frequency of a metal piece's constituent material and the refractive index (na) of a dielectric layer satisfy a particular relation.

Abstract: A low reflective photomask blank suitable for shortened exposure wavelengths is disclosed. A photomask blank (1) having a single-layer or multilayer light-shielding film (3) arranged on a translucent substrate (2) and mainly containing a metal is characterized by comprising an antireflective film (6), which at least contains silicon and oxygen and/or nitrogen, on the light-shielding film (3).

Abstract: A reflective mask blank has a substrate (11) on which a reflective layer (12) for reflecting exposure light in a short-wavelength region including an extreme ultraviolet region and an absorber layer (16) for absorbing the exposure light are successively formed. The absorber layer (16) has an at least two-layer structure including as a lower layer an exposure light absorbing layer (14) formed by an absorber for the exposure light in the short-wavelength region including the extreme ultraviolet region and as an upper layer a low-reflectivity layer (15) formed by an absorber for inspection light used in inspection of a mask pattern. The upper layer is made of a material containing tantalum (Ta), boron (B), and nitrogen (N). The content of B is 5 at % to 30 at %. The ratio of Ta and N (Ta:N) falls within a range of 8:1 to 2:7. Alternatively, the reflective mask blank has a substrate on which a multilayer reflective film and an absorber layer are successively formed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polarization element which, by utilizing the fact that the plasmon resonance frequency of a metal piece varies according to the polarization direction of a light irradiated on the metal piece, is constituted by a polarizer comprising such an aggregate of metal pieces that the plasmon resonance frequency in a predetermined direction of a metal piece is substantially equal to the frequency of light irradiated on a polarization element, and the real part and the imaginary part of permittivity at the plasmon resonance frequency of a metal material constituting the metal piece and the refractive index (na) of a dielectric layer satisfy a particular relation.

Abstract: A mask blank includes a substrate and a thin film formed thereon and used to form a pattern. The mask blank is adapted to be subjected to dry etching corresponding to a method of producing an exposure mask by patterning the thin film by dry etching using an etching gas substantially free from oxygen with a resist pattern formed on the thin film used as a mask. The thin film has a protective layer formed at least at its upper layer and containing 60 atomic % or more oxygen. For example, the dry etching is performed by the use of a chlorine-based gas substantially free from oxygen.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing an imprint mold formed with a highly accurate fine pattern by the use of a mask blank. In a mask blank having a thin film for forming a pattern on a transparent substrate, the thin film comprises an upper layer formed of a material containing Cr and nitrogen and a lower layer formed of a material containing a compound mainly composed of Ta and capable of being etched by dry etching using a chlorine-based gas. The upper layer and the lower layer of the thin film are etched by dry etching using a chlorine-based gas substantially free of oxygen and then the substrate is etched by dry etching using a fluorine-based gas, thereby obtaining an imprint mold.

Abstract: A reflective mask blank has a substrate (11) on which a reflective layer (12) for reflecting exposure light in a short-wavelength region including an extreme ultraviolet region and an absorber layer (16) for absorbing the exposure light are successively formed. The absorber layer (16) has an at least two-layer structure including as a lower layer an exposure light absorbing layer (14) formed by an absorber for the exposure light in the short-wavelength region including the extreme ultraviolet region and as an upper layer a low-reflectivity layer (15) formed by an absorber for inspection light used in inspection of a mask pattern. The upper layer is made of a material containing tantalum (Ta), boron (B), and nitrogen (N). The content of B is 5 at % to 30 at %. The ratio of Ta and N (Ta:N) falls within a range of 8:1 to 2:7. Alternatively, the reflective mask blank has a substrate on which a multilayer reflective film and an absorber layer are successively formed.

Abstract: A mask blank includes a substrate and a thin film formed thereon and used to form a pattern. The mask blank is adapted to be subjected to dry etching corresponding to a method of producing an exposure mask by patterning the thin film by dry etching using an etching gas substantially free from oxygen with a resist pattern formed on the thin film used as a mask. The thin film has a protective layer formed at least at its upper layer and containing 60 atomic % or more oxygen. For example, the dry etching is performed by the use of a chlorine-based gas substantially free from oxygen.

Abstract: A reflective mask blank has a substrate (11) on which a reflective layer (12) for reflecting exposure light in a short-wavelength region including an extreme ultraviolet region and an absorber layer (16) for absorbing the exposure light are successively formed. The absorber layer (16) has an at least two-layer structure including as a lower layer an exposure light absorbing layer (14) formed by an absorber for the exposure light in the short-wavelength region including the extreme ultraviolet region and as an upper layer a low-reflectivity layer (15) formed by an absorber for inspection light used in inspection of a mask pattern. The upper layer is made of a material containing tantalum (Ta), boron (B), and nitrogen (N). The content of B is 5 at % to 30 at %. The ratio of Ta and N (Ta:N) falls within a range of 8:1 to 2:7. Alternatively, the reflective mask blank has a substrate on which a multilayer reflective film and an absorber layer are successively formed.

Abstract: A low reflective photomask blank suitable for shortened exposure wavelengths is disclosed. A photomask blank (1) having a single-layer or multilayer light-shielding film (3) arranged on a translucent substrate (2) and mainly containing a metal is characterized by comprising an antireflective film (6), which at least contains silicon and oxygen and/or nitrogen, on the light-shielding film (3).

Abstract: A reflective mask blank has a substrate (11) on which a reflective layer (12) for reflecting exposure light in a short-wavelength region including an extreme ultraviolet region and an absorber layer (16) for absorbing the exposure light are successively formed. The absorber layer (16) has an at least two-layer structure including as a lower layer an exposure light absorbing layer (14) formed by an absorber for the exposure light in the short-wavelength region including the extreme ultraviolet region and as an upper layer a low-reflectivity layer (15) formed by an absorber for inspection light used in inspection of a mask pattern. The upper layer is made of a material containing tantalum (Ta), boron (B), and nitrogen (N). The content of B is 5 at % to 30 at %. The ratio of Ta and N (Ta:N) falls within a range of 8:1 to 2:7. Alternatively, the reflective mask blank has a substrate on which a multilayer reflective film and an absorber layer are successively formed.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a photo mask blank by forming an opaque film or a semi-transmission film on a transparent substrate, the film is subjected to irradiation of an ion generated by an ion source. A warp of the substrate by a film stress can be reduced (the film stress is relaxed), and density and denseness of the film can be enhanced. The film may be deposited on the transparent substrate by a sputtering method.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a photo mask blank by forming an opaque film or a semi-transmission film on a transparent substrate, the film is subjected to irradiation of an ion generated by an ion source. A warp of the substrate by a film stress can be reduced (the film stress is relaxed), and density and denseness of the film can be enhanced. The film may be deposited on the transparent substrate by a sputtering method.