Abstract: A halftone phase shift mask blank is provided comprising a transparent substrate and a halftone phase shift film which is composed of a silicon base material having a Si+N+O content of at least 90 at %, a Si content of 30-70 at %, a N+O content of 30-60 at %, and an O content of up to 30 at %, and has a thickness of up to 70 nm. The halftone phase shift film is thin enough for mask pattern processing, undergoes minimal pattern size variation degradation upon exposure to sub-200 nm radiation, and maintains a necessary phase shift and transmittance.

Abstract: A photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a Cr-containing film is provided. The Cr-containing film includes a layer which is composed of a C-containing Cr compound and further contains 0 or 0 and N. The layer has a C/Cr atomic ratio of at least 0.3 and a N/Cr atomic ratio of up to 0.1, and has a Cr content of up to 50 at % and a C/O atomic ratio of at least 0.8, or a Cr content of up to 60 at % and a C/O atomic ratio of at least 1. The photomask blank is processed into a photomask by dry etching the Cr-containing film.

Abstract: A halftone phase shift film is formed on a transparent substrate by reactive sputtering using a silicon target, an inert gas, and a nitrogen-containing reactive gas. A hysteresis curve is drawn by sweeping the flow rate of the reactive gas, and plotting the sputtering voltage or current during the sweep versus the flow rate of the reactive gas. In a transition mode sputtering step of sputtering in a region corresponding to a range from more than the lower limit of reactive gas flow rate providing the hysteresis to less than the upper limit, the target power, the inert gas flow rate and/or the reactive gas flow rate is increased or decreased continuously or stepwise.

Abstract: A photomask blank for an exposure light of ArF excimer laser, including a transparent substrate and a light-shielding film containing molybdenum, silicon, and nitrogen. The light-shielding film is formed in a single layer or a multilayer composed of a single composition layer or a composition gradient layer, a reflectance of the light-shielding film on a side remote from the substrate is 40% or less, and among the refractive indexes at the surfaces on the substrate side and the side remote from the substrate of all layers, a difference between the highest and lowest refractive indexes is 0.2 or less, and among the extinction coefficients at the surfaces, a difference between the highest and lowest extinction coefficients is 0.5 or less. The light-shielding film assumes a satisfactory and undeteriorated sectional shape of a mask pattern in an etching process in mask processing or defect correcting.

Abstract: In a phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a phase shift film deposited thereon and having a phase shift of 150-200° with respect to sub-200 nm light, the phase shift film is composed of a silicon base material consisting of silicon, nitrogen and optionally oxygen, has a thickness of up to 70 nm, and provides a warpage change of up to 0.2 ?m in a central region of a surface of the substrate before and after the deposition of the phase shift film on the substrate.

Abstract: A halftone phase shift film is formed on a transparent substrate by reactive sputtering using a silicon target, an inert gas, and a nitrogen-containing reactive gas. A hysteresis curve is drawn by sweeping the flow rate of the reactive gas, and plotting the sputtering voltage or current during the sweep versus the flow rate of the reactive gas. In a transition mode sputtering step of sputtering in a region corresponding to a range from more than the lower limit of reactive gas flow rate providing the hysteresis to less than the upper limit, the target power, the inert gas flow rate and/or the reactive gas flow rate is increased or decreased continuously or stepwise.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A photomask blank (1) having: a transparent substrate (10); a first film (11) etched by chlorine/oxygen-based dry etching and made of a material having resistance against fluorine-based dry etching; and a second film (12) formed adjacent to the first film and made of a material which comprises silicon and oxygen or silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen and has an Si—Si bond and which is substantially not etched by chlorine/oxygen-based dry etching, wherein: the photoresist adhesive performance is improved; the resist pattern is stably maintained without degrading, collapsing, or peeling even when a fine resist pattern is formed from a photoresist film; and an excellent shape and dimensional accuracy is obtained in regard to etching of a lower layer film in which the resist pattern is used.

Abstract: In a phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a phase shift film deposited thereon and having a phase shift of 150-200° with respect to sub-200 nm light, the phase shift film is composed of a silicon base material consisting of silicon, nitrogen and optionally oxygen, has a thickness of up to 70 nm, and provides a warpage change of up to 0.2 ?m in a central region of a surface of the substrate before and after the deposition of the phase shift film on the substrate.

Abstract: A photomask blank has on a transparent substrate, an optional first film, a second film, a third film, and a fourth film. The first and third films are formed of silicon-containing materials which are resistant to chlorine base dry etching and removable by fluorine base dry etching. The second and fourth films are formed of chromium-containing materials which are resistant to fluorine base dry etching and removable by chlorine base dry etching. An etching clear time of the fourth film is longer than an etching clear time of the second film, on chlorine base dry etching.

Abstract: A halftone phase shift photomask blank has on a transparent substrate, a first film serving as a halftone phase shift film, a second film serving as a light shielding film, a third film serving as a hard mask film, and a fourth film. The first and third films are formed of silicon-containing materials which are resistant to chlorine base dry etching and removable by fluorine base dry etching. The second and fourth films are formed of silicon-free, chromium-containing materials which are resistant to fluorine base dry etching and removable by chlorine base dry etching.

Abstract: A method for preparing a photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a chromium-containing film contiguous thereto involves the step of depositing the chromium-containing film by sputtering a metallic chromium target having an Ag content of up to 1 ppm. When a photomask prepared from the photomask blank is repeatedly used in patternwise exposure to ArF excimer laser radiation, the number of defects formed on the photomask is minimized.

Abstract: A photomask blank including a transparent substrate, and at least one film (A) containing chromium and nitrogen and free of silicon and at least one film (B) containing silicon and oxygen, and free of a transition metal that are contacted to each other In the blank, when an intension of secondary ions is measured along a thickness direction of the films by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), an intension of secondary ions derived from Cr2O5 is lower than an intension of secondary ions derived from SiN, at a position located at the interface or its vicinity of the film (A) and film (B) and having a maximum intensity of secondary ions derived from SiCrO5.

Abstract: A photomask blank including a transparent substrate, and at least one film (A) containing chromium and free of silicon and at least one film (B) containing silicon, and oxygen or oxygen and nitrogen, and free of a transition metal that are contacted to each other In the blank, when an intension of secondary ions is measured along a thickness direction of the films by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), an intension of secondary ions derived from Cr2O5 is lower than an intension of secondary ions derived from Cr, at a position located at the interface or its vicinity of the film (A) and film (B) and having a maximum intensity of secondary ions derived from SiCrO5.

Abstract: A halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a halftone phase shift film thereon is provided. The halftone phase shift film includes at least one layer composed of a silicon base material having a transition metal content?3 at %, a Si+N+O content?90 at %, a Si content of 30-70 at %, a N+O content of 30-60 at %, and an O content?30 at %, and having a sheet resistance?1013/?/?. The halftone phase shift film undergoes minimal pattern size variation degradation upon exposure to sub-200 nm radiation, and has chemical resistance and improved processability.

Abstract: During reactive sputtering using a silicon-containing target, an inert gas, and a nitrogen-containing reactive gas, a hysteresis curve is drawn by sweeping the flow rate of the reactive gas, and plotting the sputtering voltage or current during the sweep versus the flow rate of the reactive gas. In the step of sputtering in a region corresponding to a range from more than the lower limit of reactive gas flow rate providing the hysteresis to less than the upper limit, the target power, the inert gas flow rate and/or the reactive gas flow rate is increased or decreased continuously or stepwise. The halftone phase shift film including a layer containing transition metal, silicon and nitrogen is improved in in-plane uniformity of optical properties.

Abstract: In a halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a halftone phase shift film thereon, the halftone phase shift film is composed of a silicon base material consisting of silicon, nitrogen and 0-6 at % of oxygen, has a refractive index n of at least 2.4, an extinction coefficient k of 0.4-0.7, and a thickness of 40-67 nm. The halftone phase shift film is thin enough to be advantageous for photomask pattern formation, has chemical resistance against chemical cleaning, and maintains a necessary phase shift for phase shift function and a necessary transmittance for halftone function.

Abstract: A halftone phase shift mask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a halftone phase shift film thereon is prepared through the step of depositing the halftone phase shift film on the substrate by using a sputtering gas containing rare gas and nitrogen gas, and plural targets including at least two silicon targets, applying powers of different values to the silicon targets, effecting reactive sputtering, and rotating the substrate on its axis in a horizontal direction. The halftone phase shift film has satisfactory in-plane uniformity of optical properties.

Abstract: In a photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate, a resistance layer, and a conductive layer, the resistivity and thickness of the conductive layer and the resistivity and thickness of the resistance layer are selected so as to meet a specific equation (1). In EB lithography, a ground can be established at a necessary fully low resistance value, and EB writing be carried out at a high accuracy.

Abstract: A photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a chromium-containing film is provided. The chromium-containing film is constructed by one or more chromium compound layers which are formed of a chromium compound containing Cr, N and optionally O, and have a composition having a Cr content ?30 at % and a total Cr+N+O content ?93 at %, and meeting the formula: 3Cr?2O+3N. A chromium compound layer meeting a first composition having an N/Cr atomic ratio ?0.95, a Cr content ?40 at %, a total Cr+N content ?80 at %, and an O content ?10 at % is included to a thickness of more than 70% to 100% of the overall thickness of the chromium-containing film.