Method for mask fabrication and repair
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsYen-Cheng Lu, Shinn-Sheng Yu, Anthony Yen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for repairing phase defects for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask is disclosed. The method includes receiving a patterned EUV mask with at least one phase-defect region, determining location and size of the phase-defect region, depositing an absorber material to cover the phase-defect region and removing a portion of the patterned absorption layer near the phase-defect region in the patterned EUV mask to form an absorber-absent region.
Claims20
A method for repairing a phase defect in an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask, the method comprising:
- receiving a patterned EUV mask, the patterned EUV mask including:
- an absorptive region, and
- a reflective region having at least one phase-defect region;
- determining location and size of the phase-defect region;
- depositing an absorber material to cover the phase-defect region;
- and
- removing a portion of the absorptive region near the phase-defect region in the patterned EUV mask to form an absorber-absent region.
An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask, comprising:
- a patterned EUV mask, the patterned EUV mask including:
- a low thermal expansion material (LTEM) substrate;
- a reflective multilayer (ML) above the surface of the LTEM substrate;
- a defect on the surface of the LTEM substrate or embedded in the reflective ML;
- a patterned absorption layer above the ML to create a reflective region and an absorptive region;
- a resultant phase-defect region in the reflective region;
- an absorber material covering the phase-defect region;
- and
- an absorber-absent region in the absorptive region near the phase-defect region.
A method for repairing a phase defect in an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask, the method comprising:
- receiving a patterned EUV mask, the patterned EUV mask including:
- an absorptive region;
- and
- a reflective region having at least one phase-defect region;
- determining location and size of the phase-defect region by one of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and aerial image metrology system (AIMS);
- depositing an absorber material to cover the phase-defect region with a shape corresponding to the location and size of the phase-defect region;
- and
- removing a portion of the absorptive region near the phase-defect region in the patterned EUV mask to form an absorber-absent region with a shape corresponding to the location and size of the phase-defect region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.