Mask for extreme ultraviolet lithography process and method of fabricating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10061190-B2
Application number	US-201514825572-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2015
Priority date	Jun 4, 2015
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A mask for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process is provided. The mask includes a substrate, a reflection layer including first material layers and second material layers which are alternately and repeatedly stacked on the substrate, a capping layer on the reflection layer, and a phase shift layer and an absorber layer sequentially stacked on the capping layer. Sidewalls of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer may be oblique to a top surface of the capping layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mask for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process, the mask comprising:
a substrate;
a reflection layer including first material layers and second material layers which are alternately and repeatedly stacked on the substrate;
a capping layer on the reflection layer; and
a phase shift layer and an absorber layer sequentially stacked on the capping layer, such that the phase shift layer is interposed between the capping layer and absorber layer,
wherein sidewalk of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer are oblique to a top surface of the capping layer, and
wherein a normalized image log slope (NILS) value and a critical dimension (CD) bias value are controlled according to an angle between a vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalls of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer.

2. The mask of claim 1 , wherein an angle between a vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalk of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is equal to or less than 10 degrees.

3. The mask of claim 2 , wherein a normalized image log slope (NILS) value is the maximum value when the angle between the vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalk of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is 10 degrees.

4. The mask of claim 2 , wherein, if the angle between the vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalls of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is greater than 10 degrees, a normalized image log slope (NILS) value decreases as the angle increases.

5. The mask of claim 4 , wherein, if the angle between the vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalls of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is equal to or less than 0 degrees, the NILS value increases as the angle increases.

6. The mask of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall of the phase shift layer is coplanar with the sidewall of the absorber layer.

7. The mask of claim 1 , wherein a width of a structure consisting of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer becomes progressively greater toward the top surface of the capping layer.

8. The mask of claim 1 , wherein a width of a structure consisting of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer becomes progressively less toward the top surface of the capping layer.

9. The mask of claim 1 , wherein a refractive index of the phase shift layer is substantially equal to a refractive index of the absorber layer, and
wherein an absorption coefficient of the phase shift layer is different from an absorption coefficient of the absorber layer.

10. The mask of claim 1 , wherein a sum of thicknesses of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is 40 nm.

11. The mask of claim 10 , wherein the thickness of the phase shift layer and the thickness of the absorber layer are controlled to control a reflectivity under a condition that the sum of the thicknesses of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is maintained at 40 nm.

12. A method of fabricating a mask for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process, the method comprising:
alternately and repeatedly stacking first material layers and second material layers on a substrate to form a reflection layer;
forming a capping layer on the reflection layer;
forming a phase shift layer on the capping layer;
forming an absorption layer on the phase shift layer; and
successively patterning the absorption layer and the phase shift layer to form an absorber layer and a phase shift layer which have sidewalls oblique to a top surface of the capping layer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein a normalized image log slope (NILS) value and a critical dimension (CD) bias value are controlled according to an angle between a vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalls of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer.

14. A mask for en extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process, the mask comprising:
a substrate;
a reflection layer disposed on the substrate, the reflection layer reflecting an irradiated extreme ultraviolet (EUV);
a capping layer disposed on the reflection layer to protect the reflection layer;
a phase shift layer disposed on the capping layer, the phase shift layer having a sidewall inclined to a vertical line of a top surface of the capping layer, and the phase shift layer modulating a phase of the irradiated EUV; and
an absorber layer disposed on the phase shift layer, the absorber layer having a sidewall inclined to the vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer, and the absorber layer absorbing the irradiated EUV,
wherein a normalized image log slope (NILS) value and a critical dimension (CD) bias value are controlled according to an angle between the vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalls of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer.

15. The mask of claim 14 , wherein the phase shift layer and the absorber layer have a trapezoid-shaped cross section or a reverse trapezoid-shaped cross section.

16. The mask of claim 14 , wherein a sum of thicknesses of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is 40 nm,
wherein the thickness of the phase shift layer is equal to or less than 35 nm, and
wherein the thickness of the absorber layer is equal to or greater than 5 nm.

17. The mask of claim 14 , wherein the angle between the vertical line of the top surface of the capping layer and the sidewalls of the phase shift layer and the absorber layer is equal to or less than 10 degrees.

18. The mask of claim 14 , wherein the phase shift layer and the absorber layer are formed of materials different from each other,
wherein a refractive index of the phase shift layer is substantially equal to a refractive index of the absorber layer, and
wherein an absorption coefficient of the phase shift layer is different from an absorption coefficient of the absorber layer.

19. The mask of claim 18 , wherein the minimum width of the phase shift layer is equal to the maximum width of the absorber layer; or the maximum width of the phase shift layer is equal to the minimum width of the absorber layer.

Assignees

• Industry Univ Cooperation Foundation Hanyang Univ Iucf Hyu
• Iucf Hyu

Inventors

• Kim Jung Sik
• Ahn Jinho
• Hong Seongchul
• Song Hyun Min
• Lee Jae Uk
• Lee Seung Min
• Kim Jung Hwan

Classifications

• G03F1/22 Primary

  Masks or mask blanks for imaging by radiation of 100nm or shorter wavelength, e.g. X-ray masks, extreme ultraviolet [EUV] masks; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• G03F1/26

  Phase shift masks [PSM]; PSM blanks; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• G03F1/24

  Reflection masks; Preparation thereof · CPC title