Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
The response of the applicant has been read and given careful consideration. Rejections of the previous action not repeated below are withdrawn based upon the amendment and arguments of the applicant. Responses to the arguments of the applicant are presented after the first rejection they are directed to.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goda et al. WO 2021221123, in view of Nam et al. KR 20110120785, Ishibashi et al. JP 2004006798 and Kataoka et al. JP 2020-034666
Goda et al. WO 2021221123 (machine translation attached) in example 1-1, teaches the formation of a (unpatterned) mask blank including a substrate with a Mo/Si reflective multilayer, a Ru capping layer, a 20 nm SnO layer (Sn 1:O 1.6) and an outermost 2nm layer of TaO. This was then coated with a resist and patterned to form a mask [0067-0073]. Example 1-2 is similar, but uses a 47 nm SnO-SiO layer (50:50) and a 1.5 nm TaO outermost layer [0074]. Examples 1-5 teaches a 35 nm SnO-SiO (50:50) layer and a 1.5 nm TaO outermost layer [0077]. The outermost layer 5 contains 80 atomic% or more in total of at least one type selected from the second material group described later, and the material of the second material group is the above-mentioned material having high radical resistance. It is a material that satisfies the above conditions. The compound material of the outermost layer 5 can be mixed with, for example, another material in addition to the second material group, but the outermost layer 5 is a material of the second material group so as not to reduce the radical resistance. It is desirable that it is composed of a compound material containing at least 80 atomic% or more of. Here, the "second material group" in the present embodiment means tantalum (Ta), aluminum (Al), ruthenium (Ru), molybdenum (Mo), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn). ), And vanadium (V), and a group of materials composed of its oxides, nitrides, oxynitrides, and indium oxides (InxOy (y> 1.5x)). That is, the outermost layer 5 in the present embodiment is tantalum (Ta), aluminum (Al), ruthenium (Ru), molybdenum (Mo), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), indium (In). , And vanadium (V), and one or more selected from the material group composed of oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides thereof, totaling 80 atomic% or more. In addition to the above materials, the materials constituting the outermost layer 5 include, for example, beryllium (Be), calcium (Ca), scandium (Sc), vanadium (V), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and cobalt (Fe). Co), copper (Cu), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), molybdenum (Mo), technetium (Tc), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), silver (Ag), barium ( Ba), tungsten (W), ruthenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), gold (Au), and rhodium (Ra), as well as their oxides, nitrides, fluorides, borides, oxynitrides. It may be a material containing at least one element selected from a substance, an acid rhodium, and a rhodium oxynitride in a composition ratio of less than 20% [0035-0040]. The absorber layer includes a first material where the "first material group" in the present embodiment means indium (In), tin (Sn), tellurium (Te), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag). ), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), and Bismuth (Bi), and a group of materials composed of oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides thereof. That is, at least one layer constituting the absorption layer 4 in the present embodiment is indium (In), tin (Sn), tellurium (Te), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag). ), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), and Bismuth (Bi), and one or more selected from the material group composed of oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides thereof, totaling 50 atomic%. It includes the above. Since the material constituting the first material group has a large extinction coefficient k, the transfer performance is improved when at least one layer constituting the absorption layer 4 is formed of the material constituting the first material group. Can be made to. The absorption layer 4 is formed on the capping layer 3 by, for example, sputtering, but the film quality of the absorption layer 4 is due to the roughness of the absorption layer pattern after etching, the in-plane dimensional uniformity, or the in-plane uniformity of the transferred image. Is preferred to be sufficiently amorphous. Therefore, the absorption layer 4 is at least one selected from boron (B), nitrogen (N), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and hafnium (Hf), and oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides thereof. It may be formed of a compound material containing less than 50 atomic% of the seed material [0028-0033].
Nam et al. KR 20110120785 (machine translation attached) teaches that in conventional 2 layer systems the lower absorber and upper absorber reduces the change in the compositions of the layers to be within 1-50 at% the reduce reflectance at the interface. Changes in the composition ratio, film density and stress result in necking in the pattern formed by dry etching and is attributable to sudden/large changes in the composition of the absorber film which can be solved by using a continuous gradient at the interface [0086]
Ishibashi et al. JP 2004006798 (machine translation attached) in example 11 teaches the formation of an EUV mask including a reflective multilayer, a buffer layer and a graded absorber layer, where a TaB sputtering target was used and the composition of the sputtering gas was initially nitrogen which formed TaBN and then gradually the nitrogen was reduced and oxygen added to form TaBO, so that the composition was gradually changed during the formation to yield a layer which was 65 nm thick.. The absorber was then patterned using a resist and dry etching. The resultant patterned mask was used to expose a resist with a semiconductor device pattern [0076-0078]. The concentration of nitrogen and oxygen in the layer as a function of thickness is illustrated in figure 12.
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Example 6 formed a reflective multilayer, CrN buffer layer and a 50 nm TaBN absorber layers as in example 4 [0060], followed by a 12nm TaBO low reflection layer. This was then coated with a resist and patterned to form a photomask from the maskblank. The mask was then used to expose a resist with a pattern useful for forming a semiconductor device [0066-0067]. The layer has at least an absorber layer composed of an absorber of exposure light in a short wavelength region including an extreme ultraviolet region as a lower layer, and a low reflection layer composed of an absorber of inspection light used for inspection of a mask pattern as an upper layer. It has a two-layer structure, the upper low-reflection layer, chromium, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc, gallium, germanium, molybdenum, palladium, silver, cadmium, tin, antimony, tellurium, iodine, hafnium, tungsten, titanium, Nitride, oxide, oxynitride of at least one substance selected from gold and alloys containing these elements, or a material further containing silicon, or silicon oxynitride A reflective mask blank, characterized in that it comprises at least one substance selected from the object [0011] A thirteenth invention is characterized in that an intermediate region in which the composition continuously changes from the composition of the lower layer to the composition of the upper layer is provided between the lower layer and the upper layer of the absorber layer. The reflective mask blank according to any one of the above [0012]. The alternating use of silicon and molybdenum targets during formation of the reflective multilayer, followed by the Si target for the buffer layer and a Ta target for the (absorber ) layer and a TiSi target for the low reflection layer, where DC magnetron sputtering is used for forming each of these layers is taught in example 1. Where the Ta61N39 layer was 50 nm and the Ta21Si17O47N15 low reflection layer was 20 nm thick. The absorber was then patterned using a resist and dry etching. The resultant patterned mask was used to expose a resist with a semiconductor device pattern [0046-0052]. The thickness of the upper layer is 5-30 nm [0014,0029,0036]. The absorber is preferably 60 nm or less, preferably 30-60 nm [0036].
Kataoka et al. JP 2020-034666 (machine translation attached) teaches with respect to example 8, a substrate with a conductive (CrN) backside layer. The front surface is coated with a Mo/Si reflective multilayer, a Ru capping layer, a 24.1 nm Co2Ta and a 7.2 nm CoTa3 layer which is then patterned. Example 5 is similar, but use a 36.4 nm CoTa layer and a 1.4 nm CoTa3 layer. Example 15 is similar, but uses a 19.6 nm Ni2Ta layer and a 12.7 nm NiTa3 layer (see table 1 at [01564-0176], Examples 3-8 and 10-15 read on at least some of the claims. The use of co-sputtering with a plurality of target or single metals or alloys in the formation of the absorber film is disclosed [0113]
Goda et al. WO 2021221123 in examples 1-2 and 1-5 teach EUV photomask blanks and photomasks including absorption bilayers of SnO-SiO/TaO where the lower layer is (50% SiO), but does not teach a graded transition between the layers. The 50at% SiO is held to be have a Si content of 25- 16.7% (SiO1 to SiO2, the first being a suboxide and the second being the stoichiometric dioxide)
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify examples 1-2 or 1-5 of Goda et al. WO 2021221123 by grading the transition from the 35 or 47 nm thick SnO-SiO lower layer to the 1.5 nm TaO outermost layer to reduces the suddenness of the transition to reduce reflectance due to the interface between the SnO-SiO/TaO bilayer and reduce necking during etching/patterning as taught by Nam et al. KR 20110120785 at [0086], noting that it is known in the art to transition from one material to another across the interface by lowering the amount of one element while increasing the amount of another as evidenced in the teachings of Ishibashi et al. JP 2004006798,particularly example 11 and figure 12 and the layers of Kataoka et al. JP 2020-034666 which increase in Ta content and decrease in Co or Ni content from the lower layer to the upper layer. The Ta, Si, Sn and O make up 100 at% of the absorber layer.
In the arguments of 3/24/2026, the applicant argues that the prior art applied in the rejection of 1/20/2025 does not teach the low reflective (absorbing) layer is Ta, Sn, Si, O where the Si content is 5-40 at%, the Sn content decreases and the Ta content increases with the increasing thickness of the layer (distance from the substrate). The applicant argues that the claimed mask blank has good hydrogen resistance and (when etched) has good cross-sectional shape.
The position of the examiner is that the hydrogen resistance of the TaO surface layer is inherent to the material and that Nam et al. KR 20110120785 teaches that the use of a graded transition reduces necking during the etch, which addresses the cross-sectional shape argument.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goda et al. WO 2021221123, in view of Nishiyama et al. JP 2006190900, Nam et al. KR 20110120785, Ishibashi et al. JP 2004006798 and Kataoka et al. JP 2020-034666
Nishiyama et al. JP 2006190900 (machine translation attached) in example 1 teaches a substrate with a reflective Mo/Si multilayer (12), a carbon buffer layer (13), a CrN etch stop layer (17), a 27 nm InSb absorber layer (14) and a 18 nm TiSiO antireflection layer (15). This is then coated with a resist and patterned [0085-0102]. The antireflection film containing tantalum has a reflectivity for EUV light as low as 0.08% to 0.4% and a reflectivity for DUV light as low as 1% to 8% by selecting appropriate film forming conditions. In addition, when etching the light absorbing film containing indium, it can function as an etching mask, and pattern processing of the light absorbing film can be formed with high dimensional accuracy. The antireflection film containing chromium has a low reflectance of 0.1% to 0.6% for EUV light and a reflectance of 2% to 8% for DUV light, and etches a light absorbing film containing indium. In this case, it can function as an etching mask, and the pattern processing of the light absorption film can be formed with high dimensional accuracy. This main component is preferably contained in the antireflection film at 10 at% to 60 at%. If it is less than 10 at%, the absorption of light at the EUV wavelength is small, and the effect of reducing the film thickness tends to be small. If it exceeds 60 at%, the metal property is high and the reflectivity at the DUV wavelength tends to be high. When the antireflection film contains tantalum as a main component, it can further contain at least one element selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and silicon as a subcomponent . In addition to the function as an etching mask, the antireflection film containing these subcomponents can obtain good contrast in pattern defect inspection using light in the DUV wavelength region. The content of these subcomponents is preferably 40 at% to 90 at% in the antireflection film. If it is less than 40 at%, the content of tantalum is too large, so that the antireflection effect tends to be small. If it exceeds 90 at%, the chemical stability of the film tends to be reduced, and the effect of reducing the film thickness tends to be low due to the low tantalum content. [0064-0070].
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify examples 1-2 or 1-5 of Goda et al. WO 2021221123 by forming a 1.5 nm TaSiO outermost layer as is known in the art from Nishiyama et al. JP 2006190900 and grading the transition from the 35 or 47 nm SnO-SiO lower layer to the 1.5 nm TaSiO outermost layer to reduces the suddenness of the transition to reduce reflectance due to the interface between the SnO-SiO/TaSiO bilayer and reduce necking during etching/patterning as taught by Nam et al. KR 20110120785 at [0086], noting that it is known in the art to transition from one material to another across the interface by lowering the amount of one element while increasing the amount of another as evidenced in the teachings of Ishibashi et al. JP 2004006798,particularly example 11 and figure 12 and the layers of Kataoka et al. JP 2020-034666 which increase in Ta content and decrease in Co or Ni content from the lower layer to the upper layer. The Ta, Si, Sn and O make up 100 at% of the absorber layer.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Martin J Angebranndt whose telephone number is (571)272-1378. The examiner can normally be reached 7-3:30 pm EST.
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MARTIN J. ANGEBRANNDT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1737
/MARTIN J ANGEBRANNDT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 April 12, 2026
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