Mask blank, phase shift mask, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11720014-B2
Application number	US-202017428821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2020
Priority date	Feb 13, 2019
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

The phase shift film has a function to transmit an exposure light of a KrF excimer laser at a transmittance of 2% or more, and a function to generate a phase difference of 150 degrees or more and 210 degrees or less between the exposure light transmitted through the phase shift film and the exposure light transmitted through the air for a same distance as a thickness of the phase shift film, in which the phase shift film has a structure where a lower layer and an upper layer are stacked in order from a side of the transparent substrate, in which a refractive index nL of the lower layer at a wavelength of the exposure light and a refractive index nU of the upper layer at a wavelength of the exposure light satisfy a relation of nL>nU, in which an extinction coefficient kL of the lower layer at a wavelength of the exposure light and an extinction coefficient kU of the upper layer at a wavelength of the exposure light satisfy a relation of kL>kU; and in which a thickness dL of the lower layer and a thickness dU of the upper layer satisfy a relation of dL<dU.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mask blank comprising a phase shift film on a transparent substrate,
wherein a transmittance of the phase shift film with respect to an exposure light of a KrF excimer laser is 2% or more, and
wherein the phase shift film is configured to transmit the exposure light so that transmitted light has a phase difference of 150 degrees or more and 210 degrees or less with respect to the exposure light transmitted through the air for a same distance as a thickness of the phase shift film;
wherein the phase shift film has a structure where a lower layer and an upper layer are stacked in order from a side of the transparent substrate;
wherein a refractive index n L of the lower layer at a wavelength of the exposure light and a refractive index n U of the upper layer at a wavelength of the exposure light satisfy a relation of n L >n U ;
wherein an extinction coefficient k L of the lower layer at a wavelength of the exposure light and an extinction coefficient k U of the upper layer at a wavelength of the exposure light satisfy a relation of k L >k U ; and
wherein a thickness d L of the lower layer and a thickness d U of the upper layer satisfy a relation of d L <d U .

2. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein a refractive index n U of the upper layer is 2.0 or more.

3. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein a refractive index n L of the lower layer is 2.2 or more.

4. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein an extinction coefficient k L of the lower layer is 1.0 or more.

5. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness d U of the upper layer is two times or more than a thickness d L of the lower layer.

6. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the phase shift film contains silicon and nitrogen.

7. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the lower layer is provided in contact with a surface of the transparent substrate.

8. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness d L of the lower layer is 40 nm or less.

9. The mask blank according to claim 1 comprising a light shielding film on the phase shift film.

10. A phase shift mask comprising a phase shift film having a transfer pattern on a transparent substrate,
wherein a transmittance of the phase shift film with respect to an exposure light of a KrF excimer laser is 2% or more, and
wherein the phase shift film is configured to transmit the exposure light so that transmitted light has a phase difference of 150 degrees or more and 210 degrees or less with respect to the exposure light transmitted through the air for a same distance as a thickness of the phase shift film;
wherein the phase shift film has a structure where a lower layer and an upper layer are stacked in order from a side of the transparent substrate;
wherein a refractive index n L of the lower layer at a wavelength of the exposure light and a refractive index n U of the upper layer at a wavelength of the exposure light satisfy a relation of n L >n U ;
wherein an extinction coefficient k L of the lower layer at a wavelength of the exposure light and an extinction coefficient k U of the upper layer at a wavelength of the exposure light satisfy a relation of k L >k U ; and
wherein a thickness d L of the lower layer and a thickness d U of the upper layer satisfy a relation of d L <d U .

11. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 , wherein a refractive index n U of the upper layer is 2.0 or more.

12. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 , wherein a refractive index n L of the lower layer is 2.2 or more.

13. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 , wherein an extinction coefficient k L of the lower layer is 1.0 or more.

14. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 , wherein a thickness d U of the upper layer is two times or more than a thickness d L of the lower layer.

15. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 , wherein the phase shift film contains silicon and nitrogen.

16. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 , wherein the lower layer is provided in contact with a surface of the transparent substrate.

17. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 , wherein a thickness d L of the lower layer is 40 nm or less.

18. The phase shift mask according to claim 10 comprising a light shielding film having a pattern comprising a light shielding band on the phase shift film.

19. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the step of using the phase shift mask according to claim 18 and subjecting a resist film on a semiconductor substrate to exposure transfer of the transfer pattern.

Assignees

• Hoya Corp

Inventors

• Maeda Hitoshi
• Nozawa Osamu
• Shishido Hiroaki

Classifications

• H10P76/4085

  characterised by the processes involved to create the masks · CPC title

• G03F1/32 Primary

  Attenuating PSM [att-PSM], e.g. halftone PSM or PSM having semi-transparent phase shift portion,; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• H01L21/0337

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C23C14/06

  characterised by the coating material ({C23C14/0021} , C23C14/04 take precedence) · CPC title

• G03F1/54

  Absorbers, e.g. of opaque materials · CPC title