Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Sematech, Inc.

Junichi Kageyama

Kazuyuki Hayashi

Vibhu Jindal

Kazuo Sato

Yoshiaki Ikuta

Hiroshi Hanekawa

Hiroshi Nakanishi

Mika Kambe

A reflective mask blank, which includes a substrate, a reflective multilayer film for reflecting exposure light, and an absorber layer for absorbing the exposure light in this order; the reflective multilayer film having at least three fiducial marks formed in a concave shape in an area outside an exposure area for patterning the reflective multilayer film on a front side thereof, each of the fiducial marks including a concave portion having an inclination angle &#x3b1;, the absorber layer having a film thickness of from 40 to 90 nm; the absorber layer having transferred marks formed in a concave shape on a front side thereof, the transferred marks being transferred from the at least three fiducial marks, each of the transferred marks including a concave portion having an inclination angle of from 35 to 80&#xb0;; and a difference between the inclination angle &#x3b2; and the inclination angle &#x3b1; (inclination angle &#x3b2;&#x2212;inclination angle &#x3b1;) being at least 10&#xb0;.

Reflective mask blank and process for producing the reflective mask blank

A process for inspecting an EUV mask blank capable of distinguishing phase defects and amplitude defects and capable of detecting small amplitude defects, a process for producing an EUV mask blank using the inspection process, and an EUV mask blank obtainable by such a process. A process for inspecting a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography having a multilayer reflective film and an absorber layer. The process includes a first step of detecting in-plane defects in the multilayer reflective film by applying EUV light to the surface of the multilayer reflective film, a second step of detecting in-plane defects from the absorber layer by applying light having a wavelength of from 150 to 600 nm to the surface of the absorber layer, and a step of distinguishing phase defects and amplitude defects in the reflective mask blank by comparison between the first and second in-plane defect data.

Reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, and process for its inspection and process for its production

A substrate with a conductive film to be used for producing a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, comprising a substrate and a conductive film formed on the substrate, wherein the conductive film has at least two layers of a lower layer formed on the substrate side and an upper layer formed on the lower layer; the lower layer is a CrN type film which contains Cr and N; the upper layer is a CrON type film which contains Cr, N and O; in the CrN type film, the total content of Cr and N is at least 85 at %, and the compositional atomic ratio of Cr to N is Cr:N=9.5:0.5 to 3:7; in the CrON type film, the total content of Cr, N and O is at least 85 at %, and the compositional atomic ratio of Cr to (N+O) is Cr:(N+O)=9.5:0.5 to 3:7; and the film thickness of the CrON type film is from 0.5 to 3 nm, and the standard deviation of the film thickness distribution of the CrON type film is at most 0.18 nm.

Reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, substrate with funtion film for the mask blank, and methods for their production

A deposition chamber shield having a stainless steel coating of from about 100 microns to about 250 microns thick wherein the coated shield has a surface roughness of between about 300 microinches and about 800 microinches and a surface particle density of less than about 0.1 particles/mmof particles between about 1 micron and about 5 microns in size and no particles below about 1 micron in size, and process for production thereof is disclosed.

Coating of shield surfaces in deposition systems

A process for cleaning and restoring deposition shield surfaces which results in a cleaned shield having a surface roughness of between about 200 microinches and about 500 microinches and a particle surface density of less than about 0.1 particles/mmof particles between about 1 micron and about 5 microns in size and no particles less than about 1 micron in size and method for use thereof is disclosed.

Process for cleaning shield surfaces in deposition systems

To provide a process for producing an EUV mask blank, capable of reducing foreign matter attributable to a sputtering target, and a process for producing a substrate with a functional film for such a mask blank. A process for producing a reflective mask blank for EUVL, which comprises at least a step of forming a Mo/Si multilayer reflective film, a step of forming a ruthenium (Ru) film or Ru compound film as a protective layer on the multilayer reflective film, and a step of forming an absorber layer to absorb EUV light, on the Ru film or Ru compound film, wherein the formation of the Mo film, the Si film, and the Ru film or Ru compound film, is carried out by means of an ion beam sputtering method, and in the formation of the Si film of the Mo/Si multilayer reflective film and in the formation of the Ru film or Ru compound film, the target angle, the type of the process gas, the process gas pressure, the RF power of ion source, the suppresser voltage, the ion beam voltage and the ion beam current are adjusted to be substantially the same; and based on an erosion region of a sputtering target used for the formation of the Si film, an erosion region and a non-erosion region of a sputtering target to be used for the formation of the Ru film or Ru compound film, are predicted, roughening treatment is applied to the non-erosion region thus predicted of the Ru target or Ru compound target, and then the formation of the Ru film or Ru compound film is carried out.

Process for producing reflective mask blank for EUV lithography and process for producing substrate with functional film for the mask blank

To provide a glass substrate-holding tool which is capable of avoiding scratching to the deposition surface of a glass substrate and dusting thereby caused as well as scratching and deposition of foreign substances at a center portion of the rear surface of the substrate and which is capable of suppressing dusting from the holding tool itself at the time of forming a multi-layered reflection film and an absorptive layer. A glass substrate-holding tool having, formed on a surface of a flat base, a catching portion for catching and holding by van der Waals forces, wherein the catching portion is in contact with only the periphery of the glass substrate.

Glass substrate-holding tool

A transparent substrate for a cover for a solar battery and a method for producing the same are presented. Hemispherical concave portions are formed in a surface of light entering side of a cover glass almost over the entire surface wherein the ratio d/D of the depth d of the central portion of each concave portion to the radius D of the opening of the concave portion is from 0.10 to 0.50 and the proportion of area occupied by a flat portion where no concave portion is formed in the surface of light entering side is not more than 40%.

Growing community of inventors

Chiyoda-ku, Japan

Junichi Kageyama