公开(公告)号：US20210325772A1

公开(公告)日：2021-10-21

申请号：US17235220

申请日：2021-04-20

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Hirotomo KAWAHARA ,  Hiroyoshi TANABE ,  Toshiyuki UNO ,  Hiroshi HANEKAWA ,  Daijiro AKAGI

IPC: G03F1/24

Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes a substrate, a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light, and an absorption layer for absorbing EUV light. The reflective layer and the absorption layer are formed on or above the substrate in this order. The absorption layer contains tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb), and the absorption layer has a composition ratio Ta:Nb of Ta (at %) to Nb (at %) of from 4:1 to 1:4. Among diffraction peaks derived from the absorption layer observed at 2θ: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half width FWHM of 1.0° or more.

公开(公告)号：US20250155792A1

公开(公告)日：2025-05-15

申请号：US19022508

申请日：2025-01-15

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Yuya NAGATA ,  Daijiro AKAGI ,  Kenichi SASAKI ,  Hiroaki IWAOKA

IPC: G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48

Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and a phase shift film that shifts a phase of the EUV light. The substrate, the multilayer reflective film, the protection film, and the phase shift film are arranged in this order. The phase shift film is made of an Ir-based material containing Ir as a main component, and the protection film is made of a Rh-based material containing Rh as a main component.

公开(公告)号：US20240427227A1

公开(公告)日：2024-12-26

申请号：US18823099

申请日：2024-09-03

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Daijiro AKAGI ,  Hiroaki IWAOKA ,  Wataru NISHIDA ,  Ichiro ISHIKAWA ,  Kenichi SASAKI

IPC: G03F1/24

Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and an absorption film that absorbs the EUV light. The substrate, the multilayer reflective film, the protection film, and the absorption film are arranged in this order from bottom to top. The protection film includes an upper layer made of a rhodium-based material containing Rh as a main component that contains only Rh, or contains Rh and at least one element selected from a group consisting of N, O, C, B, Ru, Nb, Mo, Ta, Ir, Pd, Zr, and Ti; and a lower layer satisfying a condition k

公开(公告)号：US20240280890A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-22

申请号：US18648522

申请日：2024-04-29

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Takuma KATO ,  Daijiro AKAGI ,  Takeshi OKATO ,  Ryusuke OISHI ,  Yusuke ONO

IPC: G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48 ,  G03F1/52 ,  G03F1/54 ,  G03F1/78 ,  G03F1/80

CPC classification number: G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48 ,  G03F1/52 ,  G03F1/54 ,  G03F1/78 ,  G03F1/80

Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and an absorption film that absorbs the EUV light, in this order. The protection film contains 50 at % or more of Rh. When a band-shaped gray scale image parallel to an interface between the protection film and the multilayer reflective film is obtained by imaging a cross section of the protection film with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and a luminance profile of the gray scale image in a longitudinal direction of the gray scale image is created, a number of peaks of the luminance profile per 100 nm in the longitudinal direction of the gray scale image is 50 or more.

公开(公告)号：US20240210814A1

公开(公告)日：2024-06-27

申请号：US18596919

申请日：2024-03-06

Applicant: AGC INC.

Inventor： Hirotomo KAWAHARA ,  Daijiro AKAGI ,  Hiroaki IWAOKA ,  Toshiyuki UNO ,  Michinori SUEHARA ,  Keishi TSUKIYAMA

IPC: G03F1/32 ,  G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48

CPC classification number: G03F1/32 ,  G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48

Abstract: The present invention relates to a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, including: a substrate, a multilayer reflective film reflecting EUV light, and a phase shift film shifting a phase of the EUV light, in which the substrate, the multilayer reflective film, and the phase shift film are formed in this order, the phase shift film includes a layer 1 including ruthenium (Ru) and nitrogen (N), and the layer 1 has an absolute value of a film stress of 1,000 MPa or less.

公开(公告)号：US20230324785A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-12

申请号：US18198881

申请日：2023-05-18

Applicant: AGC INC.

Inventor： Hirotomo KAWAHARA ,  Daijiro AKAGI ,  Hiroaki IWAOKA ,  Toshiyuki UNO ,  Michinori SUEHARA ,  Keishi TSUKIYAMA

IPC: G03F1/32 ,  G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48

CPC classification number: G03F1/32 ,  G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48

Abstract: The present invention relates to a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, including: a substrate, a multilayer reflective film reflecting EUV light, and a phase shift film shifting a phase of the EUV light, in which the substrate, the multilayer reflective film, and the phase shift film are formed in this order, the phase shift film includes a layer 1 including ruthenium (Ru) and nitrogen (N), and the layer 1 has an absolute value of a film stress of 1,000 MPa or less.

公开(公告)号：US20230305383A1

公开(公告)日：2023-09-28

申请号：US18201705

申请日：2023-05-24

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Hirotomo KAWAHARA ,  Hiroyoshi TANABE ,  Toshiyuki UNO ,  Hiroshi HANEKAWA ,  Daijiro AKAGI

IPC: G03F1/24

CPC classification number: G03F1/24

Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes a substrate, a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light, and an absorption layer for absorbing EUV light. The reflective layer and the absorption layer are formed on or above the substrate in this order. The absorption layer contains tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb), and the absorption layer has a composition ratio Ta:Nb of Ta (at %) to Nb (at %) of from 4:1 to 1:4. Among diffraction peaks derived from the absorption layer observed at 2θ: from 20° to 50° by out-of-plane XRD method, a peak having the highest intensity has a half width FWHM of 1.0° or more.

公开(公告)号：US20250036020A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-30

申请号：US18911231

申请日：2024-10-09

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Wataru NISHIDA ,  Daijiro AKAGI ,  Hiroaki IWAOKA ,  Hiroshi HANEKAWA ,  Taiga FUDETANI ,  Masaru HORI ,  Takayoshi TSUTSUMI

IPC: G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48 ,  G03F1/52 ,  G03F1/54

Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes: a substrate, a multilayer reflective film including molybdenum layers and silicon layers alternately and being configured to reflect EUV light, an intermediate film, a protective film, and an absorber film, in this order, in which the intermediate film includes silicon and nitrogen, an atomic weight ratio of a content of the nitrogen to a content of the silicon is 0.22 to 0.40 or 0.15 or less, the protective film includes one or more layers selected from the group consisting of a layer including rhodium and a layer including a rhodium-containing material, and the rhodium-containing material includes rhodium and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, titanium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, ruthenium, palladium, tantalum, and iridium.

公开(公告)号：US20250004360A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-02

申请号：US18884196

申请日：2024-09-13

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Daijiro AKAGI ,  Takuma KATO ,  Keishi TSUKIYAMA ,  Toshiyuki UNO ,  Hiroshi HANEKAWA ,  Ryusuke OISHI ,  Sadatatsu IKEDA ,  Yukihiro IWATA ,  Chikako HANZAWA

IPC: G03F1/24 ,  G03F1/48

Abstract: A reflective mask blank includes a substrate, a multilayered reflection film configured to reflect EUV rays, a protection film configured to protect the multilayered reflection film, and an absorption film configured to absorb the EUV rays in this order. The protection film contains Rh as a main component. The multilayered reflection film includes an uppermost layer that is closest to the protection film in the multilayered reflection film and contains Si and N. In the uppermost layer, an element ratio (N/Si) of N to Si is greater than 0.00 and less than 1.50, and an element ratio (O/Si) of O to Si is 0.00 or greater and less than 0.44.

公开(公告)号：US20240272541A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-15

申请号：US18444020

申请日：2024-02-16

Applicant: AGC Inc.

Inventor： Daijiro AKAGI ,  Hiroaki IWAOKA ,  Wataru NISHIDA ,  Ichiro ISHIKAWA ,  Kenichi SASAKI

IPC: G03F1/24

CPC classification number: G03F1/24

Abstract: A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography includes a substrate; a multilayer reflective film that reflects EUV light; a protection film that protects the multilayer reflective film; and an absorption film that absorbs the EUV light. The substrate, the multilayer reflective film, the protection film, and the absorption film are arranged in this order from bottom to top. The protection film includes an upper layer made of a rhodium-based material containing Rh as a main component that contains only Rh, or contains Rh and at least one element selected from a group consisting of N, O, C, B, Ru, Nb, Mo, Ta, Ir, Pd, Zr, and Ti; and a lower layer satisfying a condition


k