Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate, a multilayer reflective film formed on the substrate and having a structure in which a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer are alternately laminated, and an absorbing film stacked on the multilayer reflective film and adapted to absorb EUV exposure light. The absorbing film includes a phase shift layer adapted to give a predetermined phase difference to the EUV exposure light having passed therethrough and reflected by the multilayer reflective film with respect to the EUV exposure light directly incident on and reflected by the multilayer reflective film, and an absorber layer stacked on the phase shift layer and adapted to absorb and attenuate the EUV exposure light passing therethrough, either alone or jointly with the phase shift layer.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of cleaning a substrate, comprising cleaning at least one surface of a substrate located in a liquid by injecting pressurized cleaning liquid containing bubbles or cleaning particles from a injection nozzle to at least one surface of the substrate.

Abstract: By forming on a substrate a reference point mark having a concave or convex shape with its side walls being generally upright, even if a multilayer reflective film, an absorber film, and so on are formed over the reference point mark, sufficient contrast for inspection light is obtained so that the position of the reference point mark can be identified with high accuracy.

Abstract: Provided is a reflective mask blank, wherein even if inspection light for defect inspection is irradiated onto an uppermost surface of a multilayer reflective film or of an absorber film formed over a reference point mark, sufficient contrast is obtained between a position of the reference point mark and its peripheral portion so that the position of the reference point mark can be identified with high accuracy. By forming a reference point mark (11) in the form of a recess having a depth of 10 ?m or more and a width of 80 ?m or more on a main surface of a substrate (12), even if a multilayer reflective film (13), an absorber film (15), and so on are formed over the reference point mark (11), sufficient contrast for the inspection light is obtained so that the position of the reference point mark (11) can be identified with high accuracy.

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: To provide a reflective mask blank for exposure that can solve a problem of adsorption failure in fixing a reflective mask using an electrostatic chuck and thus can flatten the surface of the mask using the electrostatic chuck, thereby realizing high-accuracy pattern transfer. In a reflective mask blank for exposure having a multilayer reflective film formed on a board and adapted to reflect exposure light and an absorbent layer formed on the multilayer reflective film and adapted to absorb the exposure light, the shape of a surface of the mask blank on its side opposite to its transfer pattern forming surface is a shape having a convex surface.

Abstract: A reflective mask of this invention includes a multilayer reflective film (13), on a substrate (11), having a structure in which high refractive index layers and low refractive index layers are alternately laminated, and an absorbing film (15) stacked on the multilayer reflective film (13) and adapted to absorb EUV exposure light. The absorbing film (15) is a phase shift film that allows the EUV exposure light having passed therethrough and reflected by the multilayer reflective film to have a predetermined phase difference with respect to the EUV exposure light directly incident on and reflected by the multilayer reflective film. A plurality of the layers or all the layers of the multilayer reflective film (13) in a blind area are removed from its upper layer.

Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate, a multilayer reflective film formed on the substrate and having a structure in which a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer are alternately laminated, and an absorbing film stacked on the multilayer reflective film and adapted to absorb EUV exposure light. The absorbing film includes a phase shift layer adapted to give a predetermined phase difference to the EUV exposure light having passed therethrough and reflected by the multilayer reflective film with respect to the EUV exposure light directly incident on and reflected by the multilayer reflective film, and an absorber layer stacked on the phase shift layer and adapted to absorb and attenuate the EUV exposure light passing therethrough, either alone or jointly with the phase shift layer.

Abstract: A reflective mask blank and a reflective mask each have, on a multilayer reflective film, a protective film that protects the multilayer reflective film from etching during pattern formation of an absorber layer or a buffer layer formed on the protective film. The protective film is formed by a ruthenium compound containing ruthenium (Ru) and at least one selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), niobium (Nb), zirconium (Zr), yttrium (Y), boron (B), titanium (Ti), and lanthanum (La). A reflection enhancement film of Ru may be further formed on the surface of the protective film.

Abstract: To provide a reflective mask blank for exposure that can solve a problem of adsorption failure in fixing a reflective mask using an electrostatic chuck and thus can flatten the surface of the mask using the electrostatic chuck, thereby realizing high-accuracy pattern transfer. In a reflective mask blank for exposure having a multilayer reflective film formed on a board and adapted to reflect exposure light and an absorbent layer formed on the multilayer reflective film and adapted to absorb the exposure light, the shape of a surface of the mask blank on its side opposite to its transfer pattern forming surface is a shape having a convex surface.

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 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 reflection mask blank and a method of producing a reflection mask blank by forming, on a substrate, at least a multilayer reflection film for reflecting exposure light and an absorber layer formed on the multilayer reflection film for absorbing the exposure light. In order to avoid change over lapsed time in properties of the multilayer reflection film, the substrate with the multilayer reflection film is subjected to heat treatment. The heat treatment is during deposition and/or after deposition of the multilayer reflection film. A reflection mask is made from the reflection mask blank according to a reflection mask production method and a semiconductor is made from the reflection mask according to a semiconductor production method.

Abstract: A reflective mask blank and a reflective mask each have, on a multilayer reflective film, a protective film that protects the multilayer reflective film from etching during pattern formation of an absorber layer or a buffer layer formed on the protective film. The protective film is formed by a ruthenium compound containing ruthenium (Ru) and at least one selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), niobium (Nb), zirconium (Zr), yttrium (Y), boron (B), titanium (Ti), and lanthanum (La). A reflection enhancement film of Ru may be further formed on the surface of the protective film.

Abstract: This invention is a method of producing a reflective mask comprising a substrate, a reflective multilayer film formed on the substrate to reflect exposure light, and at least one layer formed on the reflective multilayer film to define a nonreflecting region for the exposure light. The method comprises the steps of: (a) patterning a layer formed on and adjacent to a topmost layer of the reflective multilayer film; and (b) removing a reaction product produced following patterning in the step (a) and deposited on an exposed surface of the reflective multilayer film which is exposed as a result of patterning in the step (a). The step (a) may be performed by the use of an oxygen-containing plasma process.

Abstract: An x-ray mask blank and an x-ray mask wherein, assuming that Ramax and Ramin are defined as a maximum value of Ra and a minimum value of Ra of a surface roughness (Ra: center-line average roughness) on a plurality of points within a predetermined area on an x-ray membrane 12, respectively, the surface of the x-ray membrane 12 has a surface condition so that it may satisfy an expression: (Ramax?Ramin)/(Ramax+Ramin)?0.15.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a reflection type mask blank by forming a multilayer reflection film reflecting exposure light on a substrate and forming an absorber layer absorbing the exposure light on the multilayer reflection film includes a step of forming, between the substrate and the multilayer reflection film, a stress correction film opposite in direction to film stress of the multilayer reflection film and smaller in absolute value than the film stress of the multilayer reflection film, a step of heat-treating the stress correction film, and a step of heat-treating the multilayer reflection film.

Abstract: In a reflective-type mask blank (10) for exposure which blank includes a substrate (1) having a principal surface, a reflective multilayer film (2) formed on the principal surface, and an absorber film (4) formed on the reflective multilayer film, an intermediate layer (3) is interposed between the reflective multilayer film and the absorber film and is resistant against an etching environment of the absorber film. The intermediate layer is made of a material comprising Ta as a main metal component. The reflective multilayer film is for reflecting exposure light which travels from the outside of the reflective-type mask blank towards the principal surface. The absorber film is for absorbing the exposure light.

Abstract: A multilayer-reflection-film-coated substrate includes a substrate, a multilayer reflection film formed on the substrate and reflecting an exposure light, and a conductive film formed on an opposite side of the substrate from the multilayer reflection film in a region excluding at least a peripheral portion of the substrate. The conductive film is made of a material containing chromium (Cr). The conductive film contains nitrogen (N) on a substrate side and at least one of oxygen (O) and carbon (C) on a surface side. A reflection type mask blank for exposure is obtained by forming an absorber film for absorbing the exposure light on the multilayer reflection film of the multilayer-reflection-film-coated substrate. A reflection type mask is obtained by forming a pattern on the absorber film of the reflection type mask blank for exposure.

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.