Method of Manufacturing a Mask

• US 20130071775A1
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Prushinskiy, Valeriy, Hyun, Wonsik, Na, HeungYeol, Kim, Minsoo, Pyo, YoungShin, Hong, JaeMin
• Granted Patent: US 8,927,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/5
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/02 Local etching
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/20 Masks or mask blanks for imaging by charged particle beam [CPB] radiation, e.g. by electron beam; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/76 Patterning of masks by imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/80 Etching

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a mask may include forming initial ribs and removing edge portions of the initial ribs to form final ribs, each of which has a top width smaller than that of the initial rib. A space between the initial ribs may be smaller than a width of a slit limited by the final ribs.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a mask, comprising the steps of:

patterning a mask substrate to form initial ribs; and

removing upper edge portions of the initial ribs to form final ribs limiting slits and having top widths smaller than top widths of the initial ribs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the forming of the initial ribs and the forming of the final ribs comprises at least one photolithography process.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the forming of the initial ribs comprises:

forming a first photoresist pattern on a top surface of the mask substrate, the first photoresist pattern having a top width greater than top widths of the final ribs;

forming a second photoresist pattern on a bottom surface of the mask substrate so as to face the first photoresist pattern, the second photoresist pattern having a bottom width substantially equivalent to bottom widths of the final ribs;

etching the top and bottom surfaces of the mask substrate using the first and second photoresist patterns as etching masks to form first and second recesses;

forming a third photoresist pattern to cover the first photoresist pattern and the first recess; and

etching the mask substrate using the first, second and third photoresist patterns as etching masks to form a through hole limiting sidewalls of the initial ribs.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a space between the first photoresist patterns is less than widths of the slits.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the forming of the final ribs comprises:

forming a bottom photoresist pattern to cover the second photoresist pattern and portions of the sidewalls of the initial ribs; and

etching the upper edge portions of the initial ribs using the first, second and third photoresist patterns and the bottom photoresist pattern as etching masks;

wherein, in a plan view, the bottom photoresist pattern has a width substantially equivalent to top widths of the final ribs.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the forming of the final ribs comprises:

removing the first to third photoresist patterns;

forming a bottom photoresist pattern to cover bottom surfaces and the sidewalls of the initial ribs;

forming an upper photoresist pattern on top surfaces of the initial ribs, the upper photoresist pattern having a width substantially equivalent to the top widths of the final ribs and facing the bottom photoresist pattern; and

etching the upper edge portions of the initial ribs using the upper and bottom photoresist patterns as etching masks.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the forming of the through hole is performed in an isotropic etching manner using a wet etching process.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mask is one of a deposition mask used for a deposition process and a photo mask used for a photolithography process.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the final ribs has a mirror-symmetric trapezoidal section having a top width which is greater than a bottom width thereof;

and

wherein the final rib comprises a linear sidewall extending downward from an edge of a top surface of the final rib along a vertical direction, and a curved sidewall extending from an edge of the linear sidewall to an edge of a bottom surface of the final rib in an upward concave manner.

10. A method of manufacturing a mask, comprising the steps of:

forming an initial rib using a photolithography process; and

removing upper edge portions of the initial rib using a photolithography process so as to form a final rib limiting a slit and having a top width smaller than a top width of the initial rib;

wherein the final rib has a mirror-symmetric trapezoidal section having a top width which is greater than a bottom width thereof; and

wherein the final rib comprises a linear sidewall extending downward from an edge of a top surface of the final rib along a vertical direction, and a curved sidewall extending from an edge of the linear sidewall to an edge of the bottom surface thereof in an upward concave manner.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of forming the initial rib comprises:

forming a first photoresist pattern on a top surface of a mask substrate, the first photoresist pattern including portions arranged with a space smaller than a width of the slit, and each portion of the first photoresist pattern having a width greater than the top width of the final rib;

forming a second photoresist pattern on a bottom surface of the mask substrate, the second photoresist pattern including portions, each having a width substantially equivalent to a bottom width of the final rib and each being aligned with an axis passing through a center of a corresponding portion of the first photoresist pattern;

etching the top surface of the mask substrate using the first photoresist pattern as an etching mask to form a first recess having a depth smaller than a vertical length of the linear sidewall of the final rib, and etching the bottom surface of the mask substrate using the second photoresist pattern as an etching mask to form a second recess having a depth smaller than a height of the curved sidewall of the final rib;

forming a third photoresist pattern to cover the first photoresist pattern and the first recess; and

etching the mask substrate using the first, second and third photoresist patterns as etching masks to form an extended curvilinear sidewall of the initial rib having a curvilinear length greater than a curvilinear length of the curved sidewall of the final rib.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming of the final rib comprises:

forming a bottom photoresist pattern to cover the second photoresist pattern and a portion of the extended curvilinear sidewall of the initial rib; and

etching the extended curvilinear sidewall of the initial rib using the bottom s photoresist pattern as an etching mask to form the final rib having the linear sidewall and the curved sidewall;

wherein, in plan view, the bottom photoresist pattern has a width substantially equivalent to the top width of the final rib.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming of the final rib comprises:

removing the first, second and third photoresist patterns;

forming a bottom photoresist pattern to cover a bottom surface and the extended curvilinear sidewall of the initial rib;

forming an upper photoresist pattern on a top surface of the initial rib, the upper photoresist pattern including portions, each portion having a width substantially equivalent to the top width of the final rib, and each portion being aligned with an axis passing through a center of a corresponding portion of the bottom photoresist pattern; and

etching the upper edge portions of the initial rib using the upper and bottom photoresist patterns as etching masks to form the final rib having the linear sidewall and the curved sidewall.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mask is one of a deposition mask used for a deposition process of one of a flat panel display and a semiconductor device, and a photo mask used for a photolithography process of one of a flat panel display and a semiconductor device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the forming of the extended curvilinear sidewall of the initial rib is performed in an isotropic etching manner using a wet etching process.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the mask is one of a deposition mask used for a deposition process of one of a flat panel display and a semiconductor device, and a photo mask used for a photolithography process of one of a flat panel display and a semiconductor device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the forming of the extended curvilinear sidewall of the initial rib is performed in an isotropic etching manner using a wet etching process.