EUV Mask Blank Absorber Defect Reduction
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsBinni Varghese, Vibhu Jindal, Azeddine Zerrade, Shiyu Liu, Ramya Ramalingam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of coating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticle carrier assemblies are disclosed. The method includes depositing an adhesion layer on the EUV reticle carrier assembly, depositing at least one EUV absorber layer on the EUV reticle carrier assembly and depositing a stress-relieving layer on EUV reticle carrier assembly. The coated EUV reticle carrier assemblies exhibit reduced particle defect generation during EUV mask blank manufacturing.
Claims20
A method of coating an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticle carrier assembly, the method comprising:
- depositing an adhesion layer on an EUV reticle carrier assembly, the EUV reticle carrier assembly comprising a carrier base and a carrier top shield having an opening configured to receive an EUV reticle blank and the EUV reticle carrier assembly comprising an EUV reticle carrier assembly surface stress and a surface energy, the adhesion layer having an adhesion layer surface energy such that the adhesion layer does not increase the surface stress of the EUV reticle carrier assembly;
- depositing at least one EUV absorber layer on the EUV reticle carrier assembly, the at least one EUV absorber layer having an EUV absorber layer surface energy that is intermediate to the EUV reticle carrier assembly surface energy and the adhesion layer surface energy;
- and
- depositing a stress-relieving layer on EUV reticle carrier assembly, the stress-relieving layer having a surface energy that is less than the EUV absorber layer surface energy of the at least one EUV absorber layer.
A method of coating an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticle carrier assembly, the method comprising:
- placing a dummy EUV reticle blank in an opening of an EUV reticle carrier assembly, the EUV reticle carrier assembly comprising a carrier base, and a carrier top shield having the opening therein configured to receive an EUV reticle blank, the EUV reticle carrier assembly comprising a surface stress and a surface energy;
- depositing an adhesion layer on the EUV reticle carrier assembly, the adhesion layer the adhesion layer having a surface energy such that the adhesion layer does not increase the surface stress of the EUV reticle carrier assembly;
- depositing at least one EUV absorber layer on the EUV reticle carrier assembly, the at least one EUV absorber layer having an EUV absorber layer surface energy that is intermediate to the EUV reticle carrier assembly surface energy and the adhesion layer surface energy;
- replacing the dummy EUV reticle blank with an EUV reticle blank in the opening of the carrier top shield;
- depositing a stress-relieving layer on EUV reticle carrier assembly, the stress-relieving layer having a surface energy that is less than the EUV absorber layer surface energy of the at least one EUV absorber layer;
- and
- depositing alternating layers of the at least one EUV absorber layer and the stress-relieving layer on the EUV reticle carrier assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.