Patents by Inventor Souichi Fukaya
Souichi Fukaya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 9488907Abstract: In the chromium-containing material film of the present invention, an element is added thereto and is capable of bringing a mixture of the element and the chromium into a liquid phase at a temperature of 400° C. or lower. The use of such a chromium-containing material film as an optical film (e.g., a light-shielding film, an etching mask film, or an etching stopper film) of a photo mask blank can achieve an improvement in chlorine-dry etching while retaining the same optical characteristics and the like as those of the conventional chromium-containing material film, thereby increasing the patterning precision.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2015Date of Patent: November 8, 2016Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroki Yoshikawa, Souichi Fukaya, Yukio Inazuki, Tsuneo Yamamoto, Hideo Nakagawa
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Patent number: 9440375Abstract: A hard mask film 2 provided on substrate 1 is formed by tin-containing chromium-containing material. In the chromium-containing material including tin, which forms the hard mask film 2, the etching resistance to fluorine-containing dry etching is equal to or higher than the etching resistance of the tin-free chromium-containing material, and it shows a significantly high etching rate as compared with a chromium-containing material free of tin under conditions for chlorine-containing dry etching. As a result, the time for chlorine-containing dry etching is shortened, and damage to a resist pattern is reduced. Thus, high-precision pattern transfer can be performed. The present invention provides a novel technique for increasing etching process-ability by increasing a dry-etching rate of a hard mask film made of a chromium-containing material while assuring a hard mask function of the hard mask film.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2013Date of Patent: September 13, 2016Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Souichi Fukaya, Hideo Nakagawa, Kouhei Sasamoto
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Publication number: 20160077424Abstract: A photomask blank includes a chromium-based material film as a light-shielding film, wherein the chromium-based material film has an optical density per unit thickness at a wavelength of 193 nm of at least 0.050/nm, and the chromium-based material film has a tensile stress or compressive stress corresponding to an amount of warp of up to 50 nm. The present invention provides a photomask blank having a thin film of chromium-based material which is lowered in film stress while retaining a high optical density per unit film thickness. This enables high-accuracy patterning of a chromium-based material film.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2015Publication date: March 17, 2016Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Souichi FUKAYA, Yukio INAZUKI
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Publication number: 20160077425Abstract: A photomask blank includes a chromium-based material film as a hard mask film containing at least one selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen, wherein a ratio (A/B) of etching rates per unit film thickness is in a range from 0.7 to 0.9, and the chromium-based material film has a tensile stress or compressive stress corresponding to an amount of warp of up to 70 nm. The present invention provides a photomask blank having a thin film of chromium-based material which is enhanced in etch resistance and lowered in film stress. This enables high-accuracy patterning of a chromium-based material film.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2015Publication date: March 17, 2016Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Souichi FUKAYA, Kouhei SASAMOTO
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Patent number: 9268212Abstract: A light-shielding film 2 is formed on a transparent substrate 1. A hard mask film 3 is formed on this light-shielding film 2. The entire hard mask film 3 is made of a chromium-containing material including tin. The film made a chromium-containing material including tin can cause a significant increase in the etching rate at the time of chlorine-containing dry etching. Furthermore, comparing with a film made of a chromium-containing material in which part of chromium is replaced with a light element, the above film has an equal or higher level of etching resistance to fluorine-dry etching. Thus, burden on a photoresist at the time of etching the chromium-containing material film can be reduced. Therefore, high-precision pattern transfer can be performed even in the case that the resist film is thinned.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2013Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Souichi Fukaya, Hideo Nakagawa, Kouhei Sasamoto
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Publication number: 20160033859Abstract: A method for designing a photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and an optical film thereon is provided. The photomask blank is processed into a transmissive photomask having a pattern of optical film such that the film pattern may be transferred when exposure light is transmitted by the photomask. The optical film is selected using a specific reflectance, which is equal to the reflectance divided by the film thickness, as an index.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 16, 2015Publication date: February 4, 2016Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Kouhei SASAMOTO, Hideo KANEKO, Yukio INAZUKI, Souichi FUKAYA
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Patent number: 9188852Abstract: A light-shielding film 2 formed on a transparent substrate 1 has a monolayer structure or a multilayer structure. At least one layer is formed by film-formation with a chromium-containing material including tin. The light-shielding film 2 has an optical density of 2 or higher and 4 or lower and has a reflection-preventing function. The layer made of a chromium-containing material including tin, which constitutes the light-shielding film 2, can cause a significant increase in the etching rate at the time of chlorine-containing dry etching including oxygen. Thus, burden on the resist pattern or hard mask pattern at the time of transferring a pattern on the light-shielding film is reduced, and therefore it is possible to carry out pattern transfer with high precision.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2013Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Souichi Fukaya, Hideo Nakagawa, Kouhei Sasamoto
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Patent number: 9158192Abstract: A half-tone phase shift film 2 and a light-shielding film 3 are stacked on transparent substrate 1. The light-shielding film 3 has a monolayer structure or a multilayer structure. At least one layer is formed by film-formation with a chromium-containing material including tin. The half-tone phase shift film 2 is made of a molybdenum silicon nitride oxide. The layer made of a chromium-containing material including tin can cause a significant increase in the etching rate at the time of chlorine-containing dry-etching including oxygen. Thus, burden on the resist pattern or hard mask pattern at the time of transferring a pattern on the light-shielding film is reduced, and therefore it is possible to carry out pattern transfer with high precision. The present invention provides a novel technique that can increase a dry-etching rate of a light-shielding film made of a chromium-containing material while assuring various characteristics required for the light-shielding film.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2013Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Souichi Fukaya, Hideo Nakagawa, Kouhei Sasamoto
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Publication number: 20150192849Abstract: In the chromium-containing material film of the present invention, an element is added thereto and is capable of bringing a mixture of the element and the chromium into a liquid phase at a temperature of 400° C. or lower. The use of such a chromium-containing material film as an optical film (e.g., a light-shielding film, an etching mask film, or an etching stopper film) of a photo mask blank can achieve an improvement in chlorine-dry etching while retaining the same optical characteristics and the like as those of the conventional chromium-containing material film, thereby increasing the patterning precision.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 8, 2015Publication date: July 9, 2015Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroki YOSHIKAWA, Souichi Fukaya, Yukio Inazuki, Tsuneo Yamamoto, Hideo Nakagawa
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Patent number: 9063427Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a photomask blank in which there is little warpage and is which an amount of warpage change after a photomask manufacturing process ends is also small. First, a phase shift film is deposited (S101), next, the phase shift film is subjected to a heat treatment within a temperature range of 260° C. to 320° C. for four hours or more (S102), and thereafter a flash irradiation treatment is performed thereon (S103). A light-shielding film is deposited on the phase shift film after the aforementioned treatments (S104), to thereby obtain a photomask blank (S105).Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2013Date of Patent: June 23, 2015Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventor: Souichi Fukaya
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Publication number: 20150160549Abstract: A photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a chromium-containing film deposited thereon is provided. The chromium-containing film comprises at least one CrC compound layer comprising up to 50 at % of Cr, at least 25 at % of O and/or N, and at least 5 at % of C. From the blank, a photomask having a photomask pattern formed on the substrate is produced, the photomask being used in photolithography of forming a resist pattern with a line width of up to 0.1 ?m, using exposure light having a wavelength of up to 250 nm.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2014Publication date: June 11, 2015Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Kouhei SASAMOTO, Yukio INAZUKI, Souichi FUKAYA, Hideo NAKAGAWA, Hideo KANEKO
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Publication number: 20150159264Abstract: A film is sputter deposited on a substrate by providing a vacuum chamber (3) with first and second targets (1, 2) such that the sputter surfaces (11, 21) of the first and second targets (1, 2) may face the substrate (5) and be arranged parallel or oblique to each other, simultaneously supplying electric powers to the first and second targets (1, 2), and depositing sputtered particles on the substrate while controlling sputtering conditions such that the rate at which sputtered particles ejected from one target reach the sputter surface of the other target and deposit thereon is not more than the rate at which the sputtered particles are removed from the other target by sputtering.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2014Publication date: June 11, 2015Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kouhei SASAMOTO, Souichi FUKAYA, Hideo NAKAGAWA, Yukio INAZUKI
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Patent number: 8968972Abstract: In the chromium-containing material film of the present invention, an element is added thereto and is capable of bringing a mixture of the element and the chromium into a liquid phase at a temperature of 400° C. or lower. The use of such a chromium-containing material film as an optical film (e.g., a light-shielding film, an etching mask film, or an etching stopper film) of a photo mask blank can achieve an improvement in chlorine-dry etching while retaining the same optical characteristics and the like as those of the conventional chromium-containing material film, thereby increasing the patterning precision.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2011Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroki Yoshikawa, Souichi Fukaya, Yukio Inazuki, Tsuneo Yamamoto, Hideo Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20150010853Abstract: In a chamber (50), a quartz substrate (10) having a main surface on which an optical film (20) is formed is put on a susceptor (30). A flash lamp (60) is housed in a lamp house (90), and the optical film (20) is irradiated with flash light through two quartz plates (70a and 70b). A transmittance adjustment region (80) is formed on a surface of the quartz plate (70b) of the two quartz plates (70a and 70b), and the amount of light with which the optical film (20) is irradiated has in-plane distribution. If the optical film (20) is irradiated with the flash light, optical characteristics of the optical film (20) change depending on the received irradiation energy. Hence, for example, the characteristics of the optical film are not uniform, the optical film is irradiated with flash light having such irradiation energy distribution that cancels the in-plane distribution.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2014Publication date: January 8, 2015Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Souichi Fukaya, Yukio Inazuki
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Publication number: 20140120460Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a photomask blank in which there is little warpage and is which an amount of warpage change after a photomask manufacturing process ends is also small. First, a phase shift film is deposited (S101), next, the phase shift film is subjected to a heat treatment within a temperature range of 260° C. to 320° C. for four hours or more (S102), and thereafter a flash irradiation treatment is performed thereon (S103). A light-shielding film is deposited on the phase shift film after the aforementioned treatments (S104), to thereby obtain a photomask blank (S105).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2013Publication date: May 1, 2014Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventor: Souichi FUKAYA
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Patent number: 8709686Abstract: In the chromium-containing material film of the present invention, an element is added thereto and is capable of bringing a mixture of the element and the chromium into a liquid phase at a temperature of 400° C. or lower. The use of such a chromium-containing material film as an optical film (e.g., a light-shielding film, an etching mask film, or an etching stopper film) of a photo mask blank can achieve an improvement in chlorine-dry etching while retaining the same optical characteristics and the like as those of the conventional chromium-containing material film, thereby increasing the patterning precision.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2011Date of Patent: April 29, 2014Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroki Yoshikawa, Souichi Fukaya, Yukio Inazuki, Tsuneo Yamamoto, Hideo Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20130309601Abstract: A light-shielding film 2 formed on a transparent substrate 1 has a monolayer structure or a multilayer structure. At least one layer is formed by film-formation with a chromium-containing material including tin. The light-shielding film 2 has an optical density of 2 or higher and 4 or lower and has a reflection-preventing function. The layer made of a chromium-containing material including tin, which constitutes the light-shielding film 2, can cause a significant increase in the etching rate at the time of chlorine-containing dry etching including oxygen. Thus, burden on the resist pattern or hard mask pattern at the time of transferring a pattern on the light-shielding film is reduced, and therefore it is possible to carry out pattern transfer with high precision.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2013Publication date: November 21, 2013Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Souichi Fukaya, Hideo Nakagawa, Kouhei Sasamoto
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Publication number: 20130309598Abstract: A half-tone phase shift film 2 and a light-shielding film 3 are stacked on transparent substrate 1. The light-shielding film 3 has a monolayer structure or a multilayer structure. At least one layer is formed by film-formation with a chromium-containing material including tin. The half-tone phase shift film 2 is made of a molybdenum silicon nitride oxide. The layer made of a chromium-containing material including tin can cause a significant increase in the etching rate at the time of chlorine-containing dry-etching including oxygen. Thus, burden on the resist pattern or hard mask pattern at the time of transferring a pattern on the light-shielding film is reduced, and therefore it is possible to carry out pattern transfer with high precision. The present invention provides a novel technique that can increase a dry-etching rate of a light-shielding film made of a chromium-containing material while assuring various characteristics required for the light-shielding film.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2013Publication date: November 21, 2013Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Souichi FUKAYA, Hideo Nakagawa, Kouhei Sasamoto
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Publication number: 20130309599Abstract: The method for manufacturing a photomask blank according to the present invention, when manufacturing a photomask blank having at least one functional layer on a transparent substrate, in a step of film-formation of such a functional film where the functional film includes a chromium-containing element and an a metallic element that is capable of bringing a mixture of the metallic element and the chromium into a liquid phase at a temperature of 400° C. or lower, a chromium target (target A) and a target (target B) mainly containing at least one kind of the metallic element are simultaneously sputtered (co-sputtered). The present invention provides a technique for manufacturing a functional film having a small variation in its characteristics such as optical density and a low detect, and showing a high etching rate.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2013Publication date: November 21, 2013Inventors: Hiroki YOSHIKAWA, Souichi Fukaya, Yukio Inazuki, Hideo Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20130306596Abstract: A hard mask film 2 provided on substrate 1 is formed by tin-containing chromium-containing material. In the chromium-containing material including tin, which forms the hard mask film 2, the etching resistance to fluorine-containing dry etching is equal to or higher than the etching resistance of the tin-free chromium-containing material, and it shows a significantly high etching rate as compared with a chromium-containing material free of tin under conditions for chlorine-containing dry etching. As a result, the time for chlorine-containing dry etching is shortened, and damage to a resist pattern is reduced. Thus, high-precision pattern transfer can be performed. The present invention provides a novel technique for increasing etching process-ability by increasing a dry-etching rate of a hard mask film made of a chromium-containing material while assuring a hard mask function of the hard mask film.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2013Publication date: November 21, 2013Applicant: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Souichi FUKAYA, Hideo Nakagawa, Kouhei Sasamoto