Abstract: A square substrate has a pair of opposed major surfaces and peripheral end faces therebetween, wherein a tapered edge portion is disposed between the peripheral end face and each major surface to define an inner boundary with the major surface, and has a width of 0.2–1 mm from the peripheral end face. Both or either one of the major surfaces of the substrate has a flatness of up to 0.5 ?m in an outside region of the substrate that extends between a position spaced 3 mm inward from the peripheral end face and the inner boundary of the tapered edge portion.

Abstract: A half-tone stacked film is designed so as to have a stacked structure of a first half-tone film and a second half-tone film, and the film thickness d, the refractive index n to exposure light and the extinction coefficient k of these half-tone films are designed so that one of these half-tone films becomes a phase advancement film and the other becomes a phase retardation film. When the film thickness (nm), the refractive index, and the extinction coefficient of the phase advancement film are represented by d(+), n(+) and k(+), respectively; and the film thickness (nm), the refractive index, and the extinction coefficient of the phase retardation film are d(?), n(?), and k(?), respectively; the phase advancement film has the relationship of k(+)>a1·n(+)+b1, and the phase retardation film has the relationship of k(?)<a2·n(?)+b2.

Abstract: A phase shift mask blank is composed of a transparent substrate and a phase shift film thereon. The phase shift film is made of at least two types of layer stacked in alternation, each type having a different composition and containing at least one element selected from among metals, silicon, oxygen and nitrogen. The alternately layered film enables a high-quality phase shift mask blank having improved chemical resistance to be achieved.

Abstract: A light-shieldable film is formed on one principal plane of an optically transparent substrate, and the light-shieldable film has a first light-shieldable film and a second light-shieldable film overlying the first light-shieldable film. The first light-shieldable film is a film that is not substantially etched by fluorine-based (F-based) dry etching and is primarily composed of chromium oxide, chromium nitride, chromium oxynitride or the like. The second light-shieldable film is a film that is primarily composed of a silicon-containing compound that can be etched by F-based dry etching, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon/transition-metal oxide, silicon/transition-metal nitride or silicon/transition-metal oxynitride.

Abstract: In a halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a substrate, a light absorbing film, and a phase shifter film, the light absorbing film contains a metal element of Group 4A in a distribution having a higher metal element content in an upper region than in a lower region. Also provided is a halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a halftone phase shift film of a single layer or multiple layers having a preselected phase difference and transmittance, wherein at least one layer of the halftone phase shift film contains at least 90 atom % of silicon and a plurality of metal elements, typically Mo and Zr or Hf.

Abstract: For the manufacture of a halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a translucent film of one or more layers having a controlled phase and transmittance, at least one layer of the translucent film comprising Si, Mo and Zr at the same time, a target comprising at least Zr and Mo in a molar ratio Zr/Mo between 0.05 and 5 is useful.

Abstract: In preparing a halftone phase shift mask blank, a metal and silicon-containing compound film serving as a halftone phase shift film is formed on a transparent substrate by a co-sputtering process including the steps of disposing a metal-containing target and a silicon target in a chamber, feeding sputtering gases into the chamber, and applying electric powers across both the targets at the same time. The sputtered region area of the metal-containing target is smaller than the sputtered region area of the silicon target.

Abstract: In a halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a halftone phase shift film on a substrate which is transparent to exposure light, the halftone phase shift film comprises a metal, silicon, and optionally oxygen and nitrogen. The halftone phase shift film experiences a phase difference change of up to 1 deg. and a transmittance change of up to 0.2% before and after it is exposed to light in a cumulative dose of 1 kJ/cm2. The halftone phase shift film has excellent resistance to exposure light, specifically high-energy exposure light of short wavelength such as ArF or F2 laser beam (193 or 157 nm).

Abstract: In a phase shift mask blank comprising a phase shift multilayer film on a substrate, the phase shift multilayer film consists of at least one layer of light absorption function film and at least one layer of phase shift function film, and the light absorption function film has an extinction coefficient k which increases as the wavelength changes from 157 nm to 260 nm, and has a thickness of up to 15 nm. The phase shift mask blank has minimized wavelength dependency of transmittance and can be processed with a single dry etching gas.

Abstract: A photomask blank comprising a multilayer film including at least four layers of different compositions, wherein the interface between the layers is moderately graded in composition; a phase shift mask blank comprising a phase shift film of at least two layers including a surface layer of a composition based on a zirconium silicide compound and a substrate adjacent layer of a composition based on a molybdenum silicide compound, and a further layer between one layer and another layer of a different composition, the further layer having a composition moderately graded from that of the one layer to that of the other layer; a phase shift mask blank comprising a phase shift film including a plurality of layers containing a metal and silicon in different compositional ratios which are stacked in such order that a layer having a higher etching rate is on the substrate side and a layer having a lower etching rate is on the surface side.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of producing a phase shift mask blank wherein the method includes at least a step of forming one or more layers of phase shift films on a substrate by a sputtering method, and in the step, the phase shift films are formed by the sputtering method while simultaneously discharging plural targets having different compositions. Thereby, a phase shift mask blank having a desired composition and quality, in particular, having a phase shift film with few defects can be easily produced.

Abstract: An angular substrate polishing method includes the steps of holding an angular substrate having a surface to be polished within a guide ring of a substrate holding head; pressing the substrate surface to be polished, and also one surface of the guide ring, against a polishing pad; and independently rotating the polishing pad and the substrate-holding head together with the substrate it holds while pressing the polishing pad-contacting surface of the guide ring against the polishing pad, to thereby polish the substrate surface. During the polishing step, a pressing force is applied to the guide ring which is separate from the pressing force applied to the substrate, enhancing the flatness of the polished substrate.

Abstract: In a photomask blank comprising a light-shielding film and an antireflective film on a transparent substrate, the light-shielding film and the antireflective film are formed of a chromium base material containing oxygen, nitrogen and carbon such that the content of carbon decreases stepwise or continuously from a surface side toward the substrate. The photomask blank can be etched at a controlled rate to produce perpendicular walls. A photomask is manufactured by lithographically patterning the photomask blank. The photomask blank and photomask have uniform film properties and contribute to the microfabrication of semiconductor ICs of greater density and finer feature size.

Abstract: In the manufacture of a photomask blank, a seed layer of a chromium material containing oxygen, nitrogen and/or carbon is formed on a transparent substrate before a light-shielding film and an antireflective film are deposited thereon. Any film on the seed layer builds up in accordance with fine granular growth, and so the resulting photomask blank has an improved surface roughness, which enables high-sensitivity detection in the process of defect inspection and circuit pattern inspection. By lithographically patterning the photomask blank, a photomask is fabricated.

Abstract: A halftone phase shift mask blank has a phase shifter film on a transparent substrate. The phase shifter film is composed of a metal silicide compound containing Mo, at least one metal selected from Ta, Zr, Cr and W, and at least one element selected from O, N and C. The halftone phase shift mask blank has improved processability and high resistance to chemicals, especially to alkaline chemicals.

Abstract: In a phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a phase shift film thereon, after the phase shift film is formed on the substrate, it is surface treated with ozone water having an ozone concentration of at least 1 ppm. The resulting phase shift film is of quality in that it experiences minimized changes of phase difference and transmittance upon immersion in chemical liquid during subsequent mask cleaning step or the like.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetron sputtering system, which ensures a formation of a desired thin film, using a thick target. In the sputtering process, a portion of the target does not have erosion free portions. The present invention provides a magnetron sputtering system comprising a chamber for sputtering, a target electrode 5 installed inside said chamber, a substrate electrode 6 installed in the chamber opposite to the target electrode, a ring-shaped magnet 2 installed so as to enclose the side surface of the target electrode, and a semi-circular disk shaped magnet installed opposite to the target-mounted surface of the target electrode, wherein the semi-circular disk shaped magnet is rotated in the circumferential direction of the target electrode and is magnetized in the direction perpendicular to the target electrode. This ensures a specific magnetic field component to be generated over the thick planar target surface 3.

Abstract: A phase shift mask blank includes a transparent substrate and a phase shift film composed primarily of a metal and silicon. The substrate has an etch rate A and the phase shift film has an etch rate B when the blank is patterned by reactive ion etching, such that the etch selectivity B/A is at least 5.0. When a phase shift mask is manufactured from the blank, the substrate is less prone to overetching, providing good controllability and in-plane uniformity of the phase shift in patterned areas. The phase shift mask can be used to fabricate semiconductor integrated circuits to a smaller minimum feature size and a higher level of integration.

Abstract: A photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate on which are formed at least one light-shielding film and at least one antireflective film minimizes film stress and eliminates substrate warp following deposition of the light-shielding film and the antireflective film, when each film is composed of a CrCO layer, a CrCON layer, or a combination of CrCO and CrCON layers. The photomask blank can be accurately patterned without distortion to give a photomask.

Abstract: An angular substrate polishing method includes the steps of holding an angular substrate having a surface to be polished within a guide ring of a substrate holding head; pressing the substrate surface to be polished, and also one surface of the guide ring, against a polishing pad; and independently rotating the polishing pad and the substrate-holding head together with the substrate it holds while pressing the polishing pad-contacting surface of the guide ring against the polishing pad, to thereby polish the substrate surface. During the polishing step, a pressing force is applied to the guide ring which is separate from the pressing force applied to the substrate, enhancing the flatness of the polished substrate.