# US 11,442,356 B2 · Lithography mask with an amorphous capping layer

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- Number: US 11,442,356 B2
- Document ID: US11442356B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/872,212
- Filed: 2020-05-11
- Published: 2021-11-11
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-11
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Hsin-Chang Lee; Pei-Cheng Hsu; Chih-Tao Chien; Ming-Wei Chen; Ta-Cheng Lien
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442356B2

## CPC

- G03F 1/24: Reflection masks; Preparation thereof
- G03F 1/38: Masks having auxiliary features, e.g. special coatings or marks for alignment or testing; Preparation thereof
- G03F 1/48: Protective coatings
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)

## Abstract

A multi-layer reflective structure is disposed over the substrate. An amorphous capping layer is disposed over the multi-layer reflective structure. The amorphous capping layer may contain ruthenium, oxygen, niobium, nitrogen, tantalum, or zirconium. An amorphous layer may also be disposed between the multi-layer reflective structure and the amorphous capping layer. The amorphous layer includes amorphous silicon, amorphous silicon oxide, or amorphous silicon nitride.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus, comprising:
a substrate;
a multi-layer reflective structure disposed over the substrate; and
an amorphous capping layer disposed over the multi-layer reflective structure.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the amorphous capping layer contains ruthenium.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the amorphous capping layer further contains: oxygen, niobium, nitrogen, tantalum, or zirconium.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the amorphous capping layer includes Ru, RuO2, RuNb, RuNbO, RuON, RuN, RuNbON, RuTaON, RuZr, or RuZrO.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the amorphous capping layer includes:
RuNb in which wherein an atomic weight of the Nb is less than 50%; or
RuNbO in which wherein an atomic weight of the Nb is less than 50%.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprises: an amorphous layer disposed between the multi-layer reflective structure and the amorphous capping layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the amorphous layer includes amorphous silicon, amorphous silicon oxide, or amorphous silicon nitride.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer reflective structure includes a plurality of pairs of silicon and molybdenum films.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography mask.

### Claim 10

A method, comprising:
forming a multi-layer reflective structure over a substrate;
depositing or growing an amorphous layer over the multi-layer reflective structure; and
depositing or growing a capping layer over the amorphous layer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the substrate, the multi-layer reflective structure, the amorphous layer, and the capping layer are parts of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography mask, and wherein the method further comprises: providing the EUV lithography mask to an entity that performs an EUV lithography process.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the depositing or growing the amorphous layer comprises depositing or growing an amorphous silicon layer, an amorphous silicon oxide layer, or an amorphous silicon nitride layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the depositing or growing the capping layer comprises depositing or growing an amorphous material that contains ruthenium as the capping layer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the amorphous material further contains: oxygen, niobium, nitrogen, tantalum, or zirconium.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising: before the depositing or growing the amorphous layer, performing a plasma treatment process on the multi-layer reflective structure.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the plasma treatment process comprises applying Ar plasma, O2 plasma, or N2 plasma.

### Claim 17

A method, comprising:
forming a multi-layer reflective structure over a substrate;
treating the multi-layer reflective structure with plasma; and
after the treating, forming an amorphous capping layer over the multi-layer reflective structure.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising: after the treating but before the forming the amorphous capping layer, forming a first layer over the multi-layer reflective structure, wherein the amorphous capping layer is formed over the first layer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the first layer is formed to have a different type of amorphous layer than the amorphous capping layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the treating comprises treating the multi-layer reflective structure with Ar plasma, O2 plasma, or N2 plasma.