Photomask and a fabrication method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10345692-B2
Application number	US-201715399205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2017
Priority date	Nov 29, 2016
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A method of fabricating a photomask includes depositing a phase shifter over a light transmitting substrate, depositing a shading layer over the light transmitting substrate, and removing a portion of the shading layer and a portion of the phase shifter to expose a portion of the light transmitting substrate. The phase shifter having at least two semiconductor layers and at least two dielectric layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a photomask, comprising:
depositing a phase shifter over a light transmitting substrate, the phase shifter having at least two semiconductor layers and at least two dielectric layers;
depositing a shading layer over the light transmitting substrate; and
removing a portion of the shading layer and a portion of the phase shifter to expose a portion of the light transmitting substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the phase shifter over the light transmitting substrate comprises:
depositing a first semiconductor layer over the light transmitting substrate;
depositing at least one first dielectric layer and at least one second semiconductor layer over the first semiconductor layer in an alternating fashion; and
depositing a second dielectric layer over the at least one first dielectric layer and the at least one second semiconductor layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the first semiconductor layer or the second semiconductor layer comprises depositing silicon, germanium, silicon germanium or silicon carbide.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the first semiconductor layer comprises forming the first semiconductor layer to have a thickness ranging from about 1 nanometer (nm) to about 5 nm, and depositing the at least one second semiconductor layer comprises independently forming the at least one second semiconductor layer to have a thickness ranging from about 1 nm to about 5 nm.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the at least one first dielectric layer comprises depositing silicon dioxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride, and depositing the second dielectric layer comprises depositing silicon dioxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the at least one first dielectric layer comprises independently forming the at least one first dielectric layer to have a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 20 nm, and depositing the second dielectric layer comprise forming the second dielectric layer to have a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 20 nm.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the at least one first dielectric layer and the at least one second semiconductor layer comprises:
depositing silicon nitride to be the at least one first dielectric layer; and
depositing silicon to be the at least one second semiconductor layer, wherein the silicon nitride has a greater etch rate than the silicon.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the second dielectric layer comprises:
forming the second dielectric layer to have a different material from at least one of the at least one first dielectric layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
removing a portion of the exposed light transmitting substrate to form a recess.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the phase shifter comprises:
forming the phase shifter to have a thickness ranging from about 40 nm to about 65 nm.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the phase shifter comprises:
determining the phase shifter to have a transmission rate ranging from about 6% to 18% of incident light.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the portion of the shading layer and the portion of the phase shifter comprises:
forming a protrusion at a bottom portion of the phase shifter.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the shading layer comprises:
depositing a chromium layer configured to absorb light.

14. A phase shift mask (PSM), comprising:
a light transmitting substrate; and
a phase shifter over the light transmitting substrate, wherein the phase shifter has from 2 to 12 pairs of semiconductor layers and dielectric layers stacked in an alternating fashion.

15. The PSM of claim 14 , further comprises:
a protrusion extending from a sidewall of the phase shifter, wherein a thickness and a width of the protrusion ranges from about 0.1 nanometers (nm) to 1 nanometer nm.

16. A method of fabricating a photomask, comprising:
depositing a phase shifter over a light transmitting substrate, the phase shifter comprising a first semiconductor layer, at least one pair of a first dielectric layer and a second semiconductor layer over the first semiconductor layer, and a second dielectric layer over the at least one pair of the first dielectric layer and the second semiconductor layer;
depositing a shading layer over the phase shifter; and
removing a first portion of the shading layer and a portion of the phase shifter to expose a portion of the light transmitting substrate.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
forming a protrusion on a bottom portion of each of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein depositing the shading layer comprises:
sputtering a chromium layer to have a thickness greater than 100 nanometers (nm).

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
removing a portion of the light transmitting substrate to induce a 7 C phase shift.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising removing at least a second portion of the shading layer from the phase shifter, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Chun-Lang
• Tu Chih-Chiang
• Yang Shih-Hao

Classifications

• G03F1/00 Primary

  Originals for photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g., masks, photo-masks, reticles; Mask blanks or pellicles therefor; Containers specially adapted therefor; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• G03F1/26 Primary

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

• G03F1/30

  Alternating PSM, e.g. Levenson-Shibuya PSM; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• G03F1/28

  with three or more diverse phases on the same PSM; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• H01L21/0338

  Electricity · mapped topic