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 Rejections of the previous action, not repeated below are withdrawn based upon the amendment and arguments of the applicant. Response to the arguments of the applicant are presented after the first rejection they are directed to. The perfection of priority is acknowledged as well as the statement of common ownership of the instant application and WO 202111383 by Hoya corporation not later that the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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 1-9 and 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Ikeda WO 2019225737.
Ikeda WO 2019225737 (cited by applicant, machine translation attached to this action) in example 5, forms a phase EUV photomask including a substrate, a reflective multilayer, a RuNb capping/protective layer, a 16.5 nm TaN (k=0.032, buffer layer ) and a 22.9 nm RuNb film (k=0.014, absorber layer) which had an absolute reflectance of 13.1% and a relative reflectance of 19.6% and a phase shift of 180 degrees . The mask blanks is then patterned to form a patterned mask [0217-0226]. The mask blanks is then patterned to form a patterned mask [0151--0170]. The phase shift film 4 of the present embodiment has a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is made of a material containing at least one element of tantalum (Ta) and chromium (Cr). The second layer is composed of at least one of ruthenium (Ru), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) and rhenium (Re ). The phase shift film 4 of the reflective mask blank 100 of this embodiment includes a first layer and a second layer of a predetermined material, thereby obtaining a phase shift pattern 4a having a relative reflectance of 6% to 40%. be able to. The phase shift film 4 of the reflective mask blank 100 of this embodiment can have an absolute reflectance of 4% to 27% by using a predetermined material. Further, the phase shift film 4 of the reflective mask blank 100 of the present embodiment is a film necessary for obtaining a predetermined phase difference (phase difference between reflected light from the opening and reflected light from the phase shift pattern 4a). The thickness is thin. Therefore, in the reflective mask 200, the shadowing effect caused by the phase shift pattern 4a can be further reduced. Further, by using the reflective mask 200 manufactured from the reflective mask blank 100 of the present embodiment, the throughput in manufacturing the semiconductor device can be improved. The material of the first layer containing tantalum (Ta) is one or more selected from tantalum (Ta), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), carbon (C), boron (B), and hydrogen (H). The material containing these elements is mentioned. Among these, the material of the first layer is particularly preferably a material containing nitrogen (N) in tantalum (Ta). Specific examples of such materials include tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum oxynitride (TaON), tantalum boride nitride (TaBN), and tantalum boride oxynitride (TaBON). The second layer of the phase shift film 4 of the reflective mask blank 100 of the present embodiment (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “predetermined Ru-based material”) will be described. The second layer is composed of ruthenium (Ru), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) and rhenium (Re ), A material containing a metal containing at least one element. The refractive index n of Ru is n = 0.886 (extinction coefficient k = 0.177), which is preferable as a material for the phase shift film 4 having high reflectivity. However, Ru-based compounds such as RuO tend to have a crystallized structure and have poor processing characteristics. That is, the crystallized metal crystal particles tend to have a large sidewall roughness when the phase shift pattern 4a is formed. For this reason, there is a case where the predetermined phase shift pattern 4a is adversely affected. On the other hand, when the metal of the material of the phase shift film 4 is amorphous, adverse effects when forming the phase shift pattern 4a can be reduced. By adding a predetermined element (X) to Ru, the metal of the material of the phase shift film 4 can be made amorphous, and the processing characteristics can be improved. As the predetermined element (X), at least one of Cr, Ni, Co, V, Nb, Mo, W, and Re can be selected. Binary materials (RuCr, RuNi, and RuCo) obtained by adding a predetermined element (X) to Ru have better processing characteristics than RuTa, which is a conventional material. When Ta is oxidized, it is difficult to etch with chlorine-based gas and oxygen gas. In particular, RuCr is excellent in processing characteristics because it can be easily etched with a mixed gas of chlorine-based gas and oxygen gas. In addition, RuCr can process the first layer and the second layer with the same dry etching gas when the material of the first layer contains Cr. Binary materials (RuCr, RuNi, and RuCo) in which a predetermined element (X) is added to Ru have an amorphous structure and can be easily etched with a mixed gas of chlorine-based gas and oxygen gas. It is. Further, these materials can be etched with oxygen gas. The same applies to ternary materials (RuCrNi, RuCrCo and RuNiCo) and quaternary materials (RuCrNiCo). In addition to the above-described binary materials, binary materials (RuV, RuNb, RuMo, RuW, and RuRe) obtained by adding V, Nb, Mo, W, or Re to Ru include conventional RuTa and Workability is better than that. Like RuCr, RuW and RuMo are particularly excellent in processing characteristics. In addition, a binary material (RuV, RuNb, RuMo, RuW and RuRe) in which a predetermined element (X) is added to Ru has an amorphous structure and can be easily formed by a mixed gas of a chlorine-based gas and an oxygen gas. It is possible to etch. Further, these materials can be etched with oxygen gas. The same applies to ternary materials and quaternary materials. That is, when the material of the second layer contains Ru and Cr, the composition range (atomic ratio) of Ru and Cr is preferably Ru: Cr = 40: 1 to 1:20, and 40: 1 to 3: 7. Is more preferable. The film thickness is preferably 5 to 50 nm, and more preferably 15 to 35 nm [The predetermined Ru-based material includes Ru and at least one element of Cr, Ni, Co, V, Nb, Mo, W, and Re within a range that does not significantly affect the refractive index and the extinction coefficient. Other elements can be included. The predetermined Ru-based material can include an element such as nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), or boron (B). For example, when nitrogen (N) is added to a predetermined Ru-based material, oxidation of the phase shift film 4 can be suppressed, so that the properties of the phase shift film 4 can be stabilized. In addition, when nitrogen (N) is added to a predetermined Ru-based material, the crystal state can be easily made amorphous regardless of sputtering film formation conditions. In this case, the nitrogen content is preferably 1 atomic% or more, and more preferably 3 atomic% or more. The nitrogen content is preferably 10 atomic% or less. Oxygen (O), carbon (C), boron (B), and the like are also included in the phase shift film 4 within a range that does not significantly affect the refractive index and the extinction coefficient in order to stabilize the phase shift film 4. Can be added to the material. In the case where the material of the phase shift film 4 contains Ru, at least one element of Cr, Ni, Co, V, Nb, Mo, W, and Re, and other elements, The content is preferably 10 atomic percent or less, and more preferably 5 atomic percent or less.[0050-0095] Thereafter, the resist pattern 11a was removed by ashing or resist stripping solution. Finally, wet cleaning using pure water (DIW) was performed to manufacture the reflective mask 200 of Example 2 (FIG. 2E). If necessary, a mask defect inspection can be performed after wet cleaning, and mask defect correction can be performed as appropriate [0167]
Calculation for example 5:
21.5 x ( 0.032)2 x (16.5)2 – (52.5 x 0.014 x 22.9) + 32.1 = 5.99 – 16.8 + 32.1 = 21.26 which is greater than 19.6
This a new reference, not previously addressed by the applicant.
Claims 1-9 and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda WO 2019225737.
Ikeda WO 2019225737 does not exemplify a photomask meeting the recited limitations where the absorber film is CrRu as recited in claims 19 and 20.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify example 5 by replacing the RuNi layer with a RuCr alloy having a similar refractive index and extinction formed with a similar thickness with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful photomask blank.
Claims 1-9 and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda WO 2019225737, in view of Xiong et al. 20120238096 and Takehisa et al. JP 2012118162, Nam et al. KR 101579852.
Xiong et al. 20120238096 teaches that although commonly available inspection stations operate at 193 nm, those skilled in the art will recognize that inspection technologies may be extended to operate in the EUV regime (e.g., 13.5 nm). As such, EUV based inspection systems may be configured to match the EUV wavelength used in lithographic processes, utilized to etch the patterns onto IC wafers [0029]. Figure 5c illustrates a correction of the absorber (46), where the absorber has been removed and a buffer layer (42) protects the reflective multilayer (43) [0035].
Takehisa et al. JP 2019144069 (machine translation attached) establishes that the size of an unacceptable defect in the EUV mask 10 is significantly smaller than that of a conventional ArF mask, making it difficult to detect. Accordingly, an actinic inspection that uses EUV light, that is, illumination light having the same wavelength as that of exposure light having a wavelength of 13.5 nm, is indispensable for pattern inspection. Note that the actinic inspection apparatus for blanks of the EUV mask 10 is disclosed in the prior art (NPL1) [0004].
Nam et al. KR 101579852 (machine translation attached) describes in example 1, a substrate with a Mo/Si reflective multilayer, a 2.5 nm Ru capping layer, (65.8% reflectance at 13.5 nm) and a InTaN/InTaO absorber bilayer, where the upper layer has a reflectance at 13.5 nm of 1.07%. The inspection wavelength was 193 nm [0079-0087]. A buffer layer is not shown, but is provided between the capping layer and the absorber layer top protect the capping and reflective multilayer from being damaged during patterning of the absorber or a repair process to correct a black or white defect in the absorber pattern. The buffer pattern can be a Cr based compound having etch selectivity to etching by focused ion beams or electron beams combined with a fluorine gas, such as XeF2 or the like. It may have a thickness of 5-15 nm [0052-0053]. The use of 193 or 257 as the inspection wavelengths is disclosed [0045].
Ikeda WO 2019225737 does not exemplify the EUV inspection of the patterned mask
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the mask of example 5 of over Ikeda WO 2019225737 by inspecting the mask after patterning using 13.5 nm based upon the direction to inspection and defect correction at [0167] of Ikeda WO 2019225737 and the teachings of Xiong et al. 20120238096 and Takehisa et al. JP 2012118162, noting that longer inspection wavelengths cannot defect small defects in the pattern and to correct the Cr containing absorber pattern as needed using an electron beams in the presence of a fluorinated gas such as XeF2 as taught in Nam et al. KR 101579852 at [0052-0053].
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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MARTIN J. ANGEBRANNDT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1737
/MARTIN J ANGEBRANNDT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 June 12, 2026
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