Applied Materials, Inc.

Amitabh Sabharwal

Ajay Kumar

Madhavi R Chandrachood

Richard Lewington

Darin Bivens

Saravjeet Singh

Alan Hiroshi Ouye

Sheeba J Panayil

Xiaoyi Chen

Zhigang Mao

Banqiu Wu

Khiem K Nguyen

Graeme Jamieson Scott

Keven Kaisheng Yu

Madhavi R Chandraachood

Embodiments of the present invention provides methods to etching a mask layer, e.g., an absorber layer, disposed in a film stack for manufacturing a photomask in EUV applications and phase shift and binary photomask applications. In one embodiment, a method of etching an absorber layer disposed on a photomask includes transferring a film stack into an etching chamber, the film stack having a chromium containing layer partially exposed through a patterned photoresist layer, providing an etching gas mixture including Cl, Oand at least one hydrocarbon gas in to a processing chamber, wherein the Cland Ois supplied at a Cl:Oratio greater than about 9, supplying a RF source power to form a plasma from the etching gas mixture, and etching the chromium containing layer through the patterned photoresist layer in the presence of the plasma.

Method for improving CD micro-loading in photomask plasma etching

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for plasma etching substrates and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus with protection for edges, sides and backs of the substrates being processed. Embodiments of the present invention provide an edge protection plate with an aperture smaller in size than a substrate being processed, wherein the edge protection plate may be positioned in close proximity to the substrate in a plasma chamber. The edge protection plate overlaps edges and/or sides on the substrate to provide protection to reflective coatings on the edge, sides, and back of the substrate.

Apparatus and methods for dry etch with edge, side and back protection

The present disclosure provides a substrate support assembly includes a substrate pedestal having an upper surface for receiving and supporting a substrate, a cover plate disposed on the substrate support pedestal, and two or more lift pins movably disposed through the substrate support pedestal and the cover plate. The cover plate includes a disk body having a central opening. The two or more lift pins are self supportive. Each of the two or more lift pins comprises one or more contact pads, and the contact pads of the lift pins extend into to the central opening of the cover plate to receive and support a substrate at an edge region of the substrate.

Direct lift process apparatus

An electrode having a first portion and a second portion is formed over a substrate to couple to a bias RF power. The first portion is configured to compensate for an electric field at the second portion to even out a distribution of an etching strength over a workpiece placed over the electrode.

Electrodes for etch

A method and apparatus for etching photomasks are provided herein. In one embodiment, a method of etching an ARC layer or an absorber layer disposed on a photomask includes transferring a film stack into an etching chamber, the film stack having an ARC layer or an absorber layer partially exposed through a patterned layer, providing a gas mixture including at least one fluorine containing gas in to a processing chamber, applying a source RF power to form a plasma from the gas mixture, applying a first type of RF bias power to the substrate for a first period of time, applying a second type of RF bias power away from the substrate for a second period of time, and etching the ARC layer or the absorber layer through the patterned layer in the presence of the plasma.

Method for etching EUV material layers utilized to form a photomask

A method and apparatus for etching photomasks is provided herein. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a process chamber having a support pedestal adapted for receiving a photomask. An ion-neutral shield is disposed above the pedestal and a deflector plate assembly is provided above the ion-neutral shield. The deflector plate assembly defines a gas flow direction for process gases towards the ion-neutral shield, while the ion-neutral shield is used to establish a desired distribution of ion and neutral species in a plasma for etching the photomask.

Method and apparatus for photomask plasma etching

A method of fabricating yttria parts is provided herein. In one embodiment, the method includes sintering a yttria sample, machining the sintered sample to form a part, and annealing the part in a three-stage process that includes heating the part at a predetermined heating rate, maintaining the part at a constant annealing temperature, and cooling the part at a predetermined cooling rate.

Method and apparatus for photomask etching

A method and apparatus for etching photomasks are provided herein. The apparatus includes a process chamber with a shield above a substrate support. The shield comprises a plate with apertures, and the plate has two zones with at least one characteristic, such as material or potential bias, that is different from each other. The method provides for etching a photomask substrate with a distribution of ions and neutral species that pass through the shield.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Amitabh Sabharwal