Abstract: A metal film is provided as a light shielding layer on one principle surface of a photomask substrate. The metal film cannot be substantially etched by chlorine-based dry etching containing oxygen ((Cl+O)-based dry etching) and can be etched by chlorine-based dry etching not containing oxygen (Cl-based dry etching) and fluorine-based dry etching (F-based dry etching). On the light shielding layer, a metal compound film as an antireflective layer. The metal compound film cannot be substantially etched by chlorine-based dry etching not containing oxygen (Cl based) and can be etched by at least one of chlorine-based dry etching containing oxygen ((Cl+O) based) and fluorine-based dry etching (F based).

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 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: A film-depositing target for use in the manufacture of a halftone phase shift mask blank includes 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 including silicon, molybdenum and zirconium at the same time as constituent elements, and at least two elements, zirconium and molybdenum in a molar ratio Zr/Mo between 0.05 and 5.

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 to be used as a material for a photomask is provided with a mask pattern having a transparent area and an effectively opaque area to exposure light on a transparent substrate. On the transparent board, one or more layers of light shielding films are formed with or without other film (A) in between, at least one layer (B) which constitutes the light shielding film includes silicon and a transition metal as main component, and a molar ratio of silicon to the transition metal is silicon:metal=4-15:1 (atomic ratio). The photomask provided with the mask pattern having the transparent area and the effectively opaque area to exposure light on the transparent board is also provided.

Abstract: A metal film is provided as a light shielding layer on one principle surface of a photomask substrate. The metal film cannot be substantially etched by chlorine-based dry etching containing oxygen ((Cl+O)-based dry etching) and can be etched by chlorine-based dry etching not containing oxygen (Cl-based dry etching) and fluorine-based dry etching (F-based dry etching). On the light shielding layer, a metal compound film as an antireflective layer. The metal compound film cannot be substantially etched by chlorine-based dry etching not containing oxygen (Cl based) and can be etched by at least one of chlorine-based dry etching containing oxygen ((Cl+O) based) and fluorine-based dry etching (F based).

Abstract: A photomask blank has a light-shielding film composed of a single layer of a material containing a transition metal, silicon and nitrogen or a plurality of layers that include at least one layer made of a material containing a transition metal, silicon and nitrogen, and has one or more chrome-based material film. The high transition metal content ensures electrical conductivity, preventing charge-up in the photomask production process, and also provides sufficient chemical stability to cleaning in photomask production. The light-shielding film has a good resistance to dry etching of the chrome-based material film in the presence of chlorine and oxygen, thus ensuring a high processing accuracy.

Abstract: A photomask blank is provided comprising an etch stop film which is disposed on a transparent substrate and is resistant to fluorine dry etching and removable by chlorine dry etching, a light-shielding film disposed on the etch stop film and including at least one layer composed of a transition metal/silicon material, and an antireflective film disposed on the light-shielding film. When the light-shielding film is dry etched to form a pattern, pattern size variation arising from pattern density dependency is reduced, so that a photomask is produced at a high accuracy.

Abstract: A photomask blank comprises a transparent substrate, a light-shielding film deposited on the substrate and comprising a metal or metal compound susceptible to fluorine dry etching, and an etching mask film deposited on the light-shielding film and comprising another metal or metal compound resistant to fluorine dry etching. When the light-shielding film is dry etched to form a pattern, pattern size variation arising from pattern density dependency is reduced, so that a photomask is produced at a high accuracy.

Abstract: A light-shielding film for exposure light is formed on one principal plane of a transparent substrate made of quartz or the like that serves as a photomask substrate. The light-shielding film can serve not only as the so-called “light-shielding film” but also as an anti-reflection film. In addition, the light-shielding film has a total thickness of 100 nm or less, 70% or more of which is accounted for by the thickness of a chromium compound that has an optical density (OD) per unit thickness of 0.025 nm?1 for light having a wavelength of 450 nm. In the case where the photomask blank is used for fabricating a mask designed for ArF exposure, the thickness and composition of the light-shielding film are selected in such a manner that the OD of the light-shielding film is 1.2 to 2.3 for 193 or 248 nm wavelength light.

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: For providing a flame retardant pressure-sensitive adhesive tape with a substrate, which is odorless, does not corrode or discolor the adherend and at the incineration, does not release a halogen gas or a sulfurous acid gas having an adverse effect on the environment, an odorless and non-halogen flame retardant pressure-sensitive adhesive tape with a cloth substrate is disclosed, comprising a cloth substrate having coated thereon, preferably together with a vulcanized natural rubber-base flame retardant composition layer, a vulcanized natural rubber-base flame retardant pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, both being obtained by a takifier resin, a flame retardant (a metal hydroxide and an inorganic flame retardant aid) and a natural rubber-base elastomer vulcanized with aminoalkylalkoxysilane. The substrate is preferably a flame retardation-treated cloth substrate obtained by impregnating an inflammable cloth substrate with a natural rubber-base flame retardant composition.

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 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: For providing a flame retardant pressure-sensitive adhesive tape with a substrate, which is odorless, does not corrode or discolor the adherend and at the incineration, does not release a halogen gas or a sulfurous acid gas having an adverse effect on the environment, an odorless and non-halogen flame retardant pressure-sensitive adhesive tape with a cloth substrate is disclosed, comprising a cloth substrate having coated thereon, preferably together with a vulcanized natural rubber-base flame retardant composition layer, a vulcanized natural rubber-base flame retardant pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, both being obtained by a takifier resin, a flame retardant (a metal hydroxide and an inorganic flame retardant aid) and a natural rubber-base elastomer vulcanized with aminoalkylalkoxysilane. The substrate is preferably a flame retardation-treated cloth substrate obtained by impregnating an inflammable cloth substrate with a natural rubber-base flame retardant composition.

Abstract: The method for manufacturing coated steel sheet has the steps of: immersing a steel sheet in a hot-dip coating bath to form an Al—Zn base coating layer containing 20 to 95 mass % Al on the steel sheet, forming a passivated layer on the coating layer; and applying thermal history to the coating layer. The thermal history is applied immediately after the steel sheet left the hot-dip coating bath or in a temperature range of from T(° C.) between 130° C. and 300° C. to 100° C.

Abstract: A method for recovering phosphate from sludge includes the processes of treating sludge drawn from a water treatment system at a sewage treatment plant in an anaerobic condition to release polyphosphate accumulated in the sludge into solution, and recovering phosphate in the solution using a seed crystal material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a gate apparatus for injection molding, that enables injection-molding moldings having a relatively small height and forming a plurality of cavities in an associated injection-molding die, the number of the cavities being greater than that of the cavities of the conventional injection-molding die of the same size. The gate assembly comprises an injection-molding die having a female die provided with a cavity, a down gate having an upper cylindrical portion, a middle taper portion and a lower small cylindrical hole formed in the lower end of the middle taper portion, and a cross gate formed through a wall separating the cavity and the lower small cylindrical hole; and a nozzle chip having a lower taper portion of a shape conforming to the middle taper portion of the down gate.