Extreme ultraviolet mask with capping layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025362580-A1
Application number	US-202519291229-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 5, 2025
Priority date	Nov 23, 2021
Publication date	Nov 27, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask includes a substrate, a reflective multilayer stack on the substrate, and a single layer or multi-layer capping feature on the reflective multilayer stack. The capping feature includes a capping layer or capping layers including a material having an amorphous structure. Other described embodiments include capping layer(s) that contain element(s) having a first solid carbon solubility less than about 3. In multilayer capping feature embodiments, element(s) of the respective capping layers have different solid carbon solubility properties.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of using an EUV mask, the method comprising:
exposing the EUV mask to an incident radiation, the EUV mask including:
a substrate;
a reflective multilayer stack on the substrate;
a multi-layer capping feature on the reflective multilayer stack, the multi-layer capping feature including a first capping layer including a Rh, Ir, Pt, Au or Zr containing first alloy and a second capping layer including a Rh, Ir, Pt, Au or Zr containing second alloy different from the first alloy; and
a patterned absorber layer on the multi-layer capping feature;
absorbing a portion of the incident radiation in the patterned absorber layer; transmitting a portion of the incident radiation through the first capping layer and the second capping layer; reflecting a portion of the incident radiation from the reflective multilayer stack; and directing a portion of the incident radiation that is reflected by the reflective multilayer stack to a material to be patterned.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first alloy and the second alloy are selected from RuZr, IrZr, RhZr, HfZr and NbZr, wherein Zr content of the first alloy and the second alloy is at least 5 atomic %.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first alloy and the second alloy are selected from RuRh, RuIr, RuPt, PtIr, RuIrPt, NbIr, NbPt, NbRh, RhN, IrN, RuRhN, RuIrN, RuPtN, PtIrN, RuIrPtN, NbIrN, NbPtN and NbRhN.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the first capping layer includes an element having a solid carbon solubility, at an eutectic point of a system containing the element and carbon, that is less than 3 atomic %.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the second capping layer includes an element having a solid carbon solubility, at an eutectic point of a system containing the element and carbon, that is less than 3 atomic %.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patterned absorber layer comprises a pattern of openings that expose a surface of the second capping layer.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patterned absorber layer comprises an alloy of transition metals.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reflective multilayer stack comprises alternatively stacked layers of a high refractive index material and a low refractive index material.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the reflective multilayer stack comprises the alternatively stacked layers of Mo and Si.

10 . A patterning method, comprising:
exposing a EUV mask to an incident radiation, the EUV mask including:
a substrate;
a reflective multilayer stack on the substrate;
a capping feature on the reflective multilayer stack, the capping feature including a material including an element having a solid carbon solubility, at an eutectic point of a system of the element and carbon, that is less than 3 atomic %; and
a patterned absorber layer on the capping feature;
absorbing a portion of the incident radiation in the patterned absorber layer; absorbing an amount of the incident radiation in the capping feature; reflecting a portion of the incident radiation from the reflective multilayer stack; and directing a portion of the incident radiation that is reflected by the reflective multilayer stack to a material to be patterned.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the material of the capping feature includes RuZr, IrZr, RhZr, HfZr or NbZr, wherein Zr content is at least 5 atomic %.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the material of the capping feature is an alloy selected from RuRh, RuIr, RuPt, PtIr, RuIrPt, NbIr, NbPt, NbRh, RhN, IrN, RuRhN, RuIrN, RuPtN, PtIrN, RuIrPtN, NbIrN, NbPtN and NbRhN.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the solid carbon solubility at the eutectic point is less than 2 atomic %.

14 . A method of using an EUV mask, the method comprising:
exposing the EUV mask to an incident radiation, the EUV mask including:
a substrate;
a reflective multilayer stack on the substrate;
a multi-layer capping feature on the reflective multilayer stack, the multi-layer capping feature including a first capping layer including a first alloy and a second capping layer in physical contact with the first capping layer including a second alloy different from the first alloy, wherein the first alloy and the second alloy are selected from the group consisting of IrZr, RhZr, HfZr, NbZr, PtIr, NbIr, NbPt, NbRh, RhN, IrN, PtIrN, NbIrN, NbPtN and NbRhN; and
a patterned absorber layer on the multi-layer capping feature;
absorbing a portion of the incident radiation in the patterned absorber layer; absorbing a first amount of a first portion of the incident radiation in the first capping layer; absorbing a second amount of a second portion of the incident radiation in the second capping layer, the first amount being different from the second amount; reflecting a portion of the incident radiation from the reflective multilayer stack; and directing a portion of the incident radiation that is reflected by the reflective multilayer stack to a material to be patterned.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the patterned absorber layer comprises an alloy of transition metals.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the patterned absorber layer comprises an alloy of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of tantalum (Ta), ruthenium (Ru), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), iridium (Ir), titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), rhodium (Rh), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) and palladium (Pd), and at least one alloying element selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), chromium (Cr), tantalum (Ta), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), tungsten (W), gold (Au), iridium (Ir), titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), rhodium (Rh), molybdenum (Mo), hafnium (Hf), boron (B), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), zirconium (Zr) and vanadium (V).

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the patterned absorber layer comprises a pattern of openings that expose a surface of the second capping layer but not a surface of the first capping layer.

18 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising removing portions of the material exposed to the incident radiation reflected from the EUV mask.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising removing portions of the material not exposed to the incident radiation reflected from the EUV mask.

20 . The method of claim 14 , the second capping layer has a solid carbon solubility greater than that of the first capping layer.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Hsin-Chang
• Hsu Pei-Cheng
• Lee Wei-Hao
• Lin Ping-Hsun
• Lien Ta-Cheng
• Yu Ching-Fang

Classifications

• G03F1/22

  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

• G03F1/48 Primary

  Protective coatings · CPC title

• G03F1/24 Primary

  Reflection masks; Preparation thereof · CPC title