Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Kazuhiro Nishikawa

Yukio Inazuki

Hideo Kaneko

Takuro Kosaka

Shinichi Igarashi

Hiroki Yoshikawa

Satoshi Okazaki

Tsuneo Terasawa

Mitsuo Umemura

Jun Hatakeyama

Toshinobu Ishihara

Hideto Kato

Katsuya Takemura

Yoshinori Hirano

Tetsuya Inukai

Hiroshi Kanbara

Miki Kobayashi

Masaru Kobayashi

A substrate with a multilayer reflection film for an EUV mask blank including a substrate, and a multilayer reflection film formed on the substrate is provided. The multilayer reflection film includes a Si/Mo laminated portion and a protection layer containing Ru and including a lower layer composed of Ru, and an upper layer composed of a material containing Ru and at least one selected from the group consisting of metals other than Ru, and metalloids.

Substrate with multilayer reflection film for EUV mask blank, manufacturing method thereof, and EUV mask blank

A substrate with a multilayer reflection film for an EUV mask blank including a substrate, and a multilayer reflection film formed on the substrate is provided. The multilayer reflection film includes a Si/Mo laminated portion in which Si layers and Mo layers are alternately laminated, and a layer containing Si and N intervenes at one or more portions between the Si layer and the Mo layer of the Si/Mo laminated portion, and is contact with both of the Si layer and the Mo layer.

A binary photomask blank has a light-shielding film on a transparent substrate, the light-shielding film composed mainly of transition metal M and Si, or M, Si and N, and having an optical density of at least 3.0. The light-shielding film includes a layer containing M, Si and N so as to meet the formula: B&#x2266;0.68&#xd7;A+0.23 wherein A is an atomic ratio M/Si and B is an atomic ratio N/Si, and has a thickness of up to 47 nm. The binary photomask blank has a thin light-shielding film capable of fully shielding exposure light.

Binary photomask blank, preparation thereof, and preparation of binary photomask

A photomask is manufactured by providing a photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate, a phase shift film, and a light-shielding film, the phase shift film and the light-shielding film including silicon base material layers, a N+O content in the silicon base material layer of the phase shift film differing from that of the light-shielding film, and chlorine dry etching the blank with oxygen-containing chlorine gas in a selected O/Cl ratio for selectively etching away the silicon base material layer of the light-shielding film.

Photomask making method, photomask blank and dry etching method

A binary photomask blank has on a transparent substrate a light-shielding film including substrate-side and surface-side compositionally graded layers, having a thickness of 35-60 nm, and composed of a silicon base material containing a transition metal and N and/or O. The substrate-side compositionally graded layer has a thickness of 10-58.5 nm , and a N+O content of 25-40 at % at its lower surface and 10-23 at % at its upper surface. The surface-side compositionally graded layer has a thickness of 1.5-8 nm, and a N+O content of 10-45 at % at its lower surface and 45-55 at % at its upper surface.

Binary photomask blank and binary photomask making method

In a photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate, an optical film of material containing a transition metal and silicon, and a hard mask film, the hard mask film is a multilayer film including a first layer of a chromium-based material containing 20-60 atom % of oxygen and a second layer of a chromium-based material containing at least 50 atom % of chromium and less than 20 atom % of oxygen. The hard mask film having a thickness of 2.0 nm to less than 10 nm is resistant to fluorine dry etching.

Photomask blank, photomask, and making method

A resist composition comprising (A) an alkali-insoluble or substantially insoluble polymer having acidic functional groups protected with acid labile groups, which polymer becomes alkali-soluble upon elimination of the acid labile groups, (B) a photoacid generator, and (C) a 1,2-naphthoquinonediazidosulfonyl group-bearing compound has a high resolution and sensitivity, and provides resist patterns of excellent plating resistance when used in UV lithography at an exposure light wavelength of at least 300 nm.

Resist composition and patterning process

A positive resist composition contains (1) a novolak resin having a weight average molecular weight calculated as polystyrene of 2,000-10,000 as an alkali-soluble resin, (2) a low nucleus compound having a phenolic hydroxyl group and 2-5 benzene rings as a dissolution promoter, and (3) a compound having a 1,2-naphthoquinonediazidosulfonyl group in a molecule and a degree of esterification of at least 65% as a photosensitive agent. By forming a resist layer on a substrate from the positive resist composition, and baking the resist layer at 100.degree.-130.degree. C. before exposure or before development, followed by exposure and development, there is formed a resist pattern having a micro-groove of desired configuration. This resist pattern lends itself to a lift-off technique.

Positive resist composition suitable for lift-off technique and pattern

In a resist composition, a novolak resin including at least one recurring unit of the formula (1): ##STR1## wherein n is an integer of 1 to 4 and m is an integer of 0 to 3, having a weight average molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000 calculated as polystyrene, and having the hydrogen atom of a hydroxyl group therein replaced by a 1,2-naphthoquinonediazidosulfonyl group in a proportion of 0.03 to 0.27 mol per hydrogen atom serves as an alkali-soluble resin and a photosensitive agent. The composition is uniform in that the photosensitive agent is uniformly incorporated in the novolak resin, and thus forms a uniform resist film. It is a useful positive resist having improved sensitivity, resolution, heat resistance, and film retentivity.

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Joetsu, Japan

Kazuhiro Nishikawa