Mask blank and method of manufacturing photomask

US12326656B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12326656-B2
Application numberUS-202117799573-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateFeb 16, 2021
Priority dateMar 23, 2020
Publication dateJun 10, 2025
Grant dateJun 10, 2025

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A mask blank has a structure where a thin film for pattern formation and a hard mask film are stacked in this order on a transparent substrate, featured in that the thin film is formed of a material containing chromium, the hard mask film includes a stacked structure of a lower layer and an upper layer, the lower layer is formed of a material containing silicon and oxygen, the upper layer is formed of a material containing tantalum and oxygen with an oxygen content of 30 atom % or more, and the ratio of a thickness of the upper layer relative to a total thickness of the hard mask film is 0.7 or less.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

The invention claimed is: 1. A mask blank having a structure where a thin film for pattern formation and a hard mask film are stacked in this order on a transparent substrate, wherein the thin film is formed of a material containing chromium, wherein the hard mask film has a stacked structure of a lower layer and an upper layer, wherein the lower layer is formed of a material containing silicon and oxygen, wherein the upper layer is formed of a material containing tantalum and oxygen and containing the oxygen of 30 atom % or more, and wherein a ratio of a thickness of the upper layer relative to a total thickness of the hard mask film is 0.7 or less. 2. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the upper layer has a thickness of 1 nm or more. 3. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the hard mask film has a thickness of 4 nm or more and 14 nm or less. 4. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the upper layer contains boron. 5. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the lower layer is formed of a material with a total content of silicon and oxygen of 96 atom % or more, or a material with a total content of silicon, nitrogen, and oxygen of 96 atom % or more. 6. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the upper layer is formed of a material with a total content of tantalum and oxygen of 90 atom % or more, or a material with a total content of tantalum, oxygen, and boron of 90 atom % or more. 7. The mask blank according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film is an absorber film. 8. The mask blank according to claim 7 comprising a phase shift film consisting of a material containing silicon between the transparent substrate and the absorber film. 9. A method of manufacturing a photomask using the mask blank according to claim 8 , comprising the steps of: forming a resist pattern on a hard mask film of the mask blank, dry-etching the hard mask film with fluorine-based gas with the resist pattern as a mask to form a hard mask pattern, dry-etching the absorber film with mixed gas of chlorine and oxygen with the hard mask pattern as a mask to form an absorber film pattern, and dry-etching the phase shift film with fluorine-based gas with the absorber film pattern as a mask to form a phase shift film pattern while removing the hard mask pattern. 10. A method of manufacturing a photomask using the mask blank according to claim 1 , comprising the steps of: forming a resist pattern on a hard mask film of the mask blank, dry-etching the hard mask film with fluorine-based gas with the resist pattern as a mask to form a hard mask pattern, and dry-etching the thin film for pattern formation with mixed gas of chlorine and oxygen with the hard mask pattern as a mask to form a thin film pattern.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • of Group IV materials · CPC title

  • Etching · CPC title

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

  • Mask blanks not covered by G03F1/20 - G03F1/34; Preparation thereof · CPC title

  • Protective coatings · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US12326656B2 cover?
A mask blank has a structure where a thin film for pattern formation and a hard mask film are stacked in this order on a transparent substrate, featured in that the thin film is formed of a material containing chromium, the hard mask film includes a stacked structure of a lower layer and an upper layer, the lower layer is formed of a material containing silicon and oxygen, the upper layer is fo…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Hoya Corp, Tekscend Photomask Corp
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification G03F1/32. Mapped technology areas include Physics.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Jun 10 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 3 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).