Reflection mask, method of producing mask and method of forming pattern using the mask

• US 5,328,784 A
• Filed: 09/05/1991
• Issued: 07/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fukuda, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSASCO, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US07/755,126
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 430/5, 430/22, 430/269, 430/311, 430/321, 378/34, 378/35
• US Class Current: 430/5
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/24 Reflection masks; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/26 Phase shift masks [PSM]; PSM blanks; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/30 Alternating PSM, e.g. Levenson-Shibuya PSM; Preparation thereof

Abstract

By using a reflection mask for reflective reduction projection exposure which uses vacuum ultraviolet rays or soft X-rays of wavelength λ, there is enhancement of the resolution of the projection exposure by making the height of adjacent or neighboring reflective surfaces to be deviated by about (2n-1) xλ/(4 cos Θ) (where n=1, 2, 3, - - - ) with respect to the angle Θ subtended by the normal to the above reflective surfaces and the direction of incidence of the ultraviolet rays or the soft X-rays, thus inverting the phases of the vacuum ultraviolet rays or the soft X-rays reflected by the neighboring reflection regions. Therefore, the applicable range of the reduction projection exposure can be extended to 0.1 um or smaller.

Claims

1. A reflection mask used for optically forming patterns, comprising:

a plurality of optically reflective surfaces for reflecting at least one of ultraviolet rays and X-rays of a wavelength, said reflective surfaces having different levels to change the phase relationship between rays respectively reflected by said reflective surfaces of different levels;

wherein said reflective surfaces each consist of a multilayer mirror; and

wherein the different levels between adjacent ones of said reflective surfaces correspond to one-half the period of the multilayer of the multilayer mirror.

2. A reflection mask according to claim 1, wherein said reflective surfaces adjacent each other are sufficiently spaced apart to provide the different levels and to invert the phase of the at least one of ultraviolet rays and x-rays reflected by the adjacent reflective surfaces respectively.

3. A reflection mask according to claim 2 wherein each of said reflective surfaces has a variance in height, in the direction of the different levels, smaller than about 4 angstroms.

4. A reflection mask according to claim 2, wherein the number of layers of the multilayer mirror of each of the reflective surfaces are equal to each other for uniformity of reflectivity.

5. A reflection mask according to claim 4, further including ray absorption material between adjacent reflective surfaces.

6. A reflection mask according to claim 1, further including ray absorption material between adjacent reflective surfaces.

7. A method of forming a pattern with the reflection mask of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

forming at least two parallel spaced apart, adjacent, beams of at least one of ultraviolet rays and soft X-rays of a wavelength within the range of 5 nm to 200 nm;

projecting the beams respectively on adjacent reflective surfaces of the reflection mask at a substantial acute angle θ

that is subtended by a normal to the reflective surfaces and the direction of incidence of the beams while maintaining the reflective surfaces parallel and at a difference in level sufficient to phase shift the beams as they are reflected from the surfaces so that the phase of the adjacent beams will be inverted after reflection from the respective adjacent reflective surfaces;

passing the reflected beams through an optical system and thereby optically reducing the reflected beams to produce reduced adjacent beams;

projecting the reduced adjacent beams onto a substrate and thereby exposing a surface layer of the substrate; and

forming an integrated semiconductor circuit using the exposed surface layer.

8. The method of claim 7, further including providing each of the reflective surfaces with a variation in height smaller than 10% of the difference in level between adjacent reflective surfaces.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of providing provides the variation in height for each of the reflective surfaces to be smaller than about 4 angstroms.

10. The method of claim 7, further including absorbing radiation in absorber areas between adjacent reflective surfaces.

11. Apparatus for forming integrated circuits, including the reflection mask of claim 1 and further comprising:

light source means for projecting an exposure beam of one of ultraviolet rays and soft X-rays, of wavelength λ

within the range of 5 nm to 200 nm and of coherent light as a uniform wave front;

said reflection mask being mounted so that its reflective surfaces of different levels substantially simultaneously reflect adjacent portions of said exposure beam so that the adjacent reflected beam portions have a corresponding wave front and are about 180°

out of phase with respect to each other, and so that the angle of incidence of the beam is acute with respect to a normal to the reflective surfaces;

optical system means for optically reducing the adjacent reflected beam portions to form a reduced size exposure pattern; and

means for holding a partially formed integrated circuit in the path of the reduced size exposure pattern so that the beam portions photoreact with the surface of the partially formed integrated circuit.

12. A method of forming a photoreactive surface pattern on an integrated circuit portion during the fabrication of at least LSI, comprising the steps of:

forming a beam of soft X-rays of a wavelength λ

;

providing a mask substrate formed of different surfaces in the pattern so that the height of the surfaces that are adjacent each other differ by about (2n-1)×

λ

/(4 cos θ

) (wherein n=1, 2, 3, - - - ), and wherein the angle θ

is subtended by a normal to said different surfaces and the direction of incidence of the soft X-rays;

providing as deposits on the different surfaces multi-layer soft X-ray mirrors as respective different level adjacent reflective surfaces, respectively differing in level corresponding to one-half the period of the multi-layer of the multi-layer mirror to thereby provide a reflection mask;

projecting the beam simultaneously on adjacent reflective surfaces of the reflection mask at the substantial acute angle θ

that is subtended by a normal to the reflective surfaces and the direction of incidence of the beam to the reflective surfaces, while maintaining the reflective surfaces respectively differing in level sufficiently to phase shift different portions of the beam as they are reflected from the surfaces so that the phase of the adjacent reflected different portions of the beam will be inverted with respect to each other after reflection from the respective reflective surfaces;

passing the reflected portions of the beam through a reduction reflecting optical system and optically reducing the reflected portions of the beam to produce reduced adjacent portions of the beam;

projecting the reduction adjacent portions of the beam onto a workpiece substrate for exposing a surface layer of the workpiece substrate; and

forming an integrated semiconductor circuit using the exposed surface layer.

13. The method of claim 12, further including providing the multi-layer mirror with the number of layers of the multi-layers for adjacent reflective surfaces to be equal to each other to provide uniformity of the reflectivity.

14. A method of forming a mask for radiation of wavelength λ

to produce a photoreactive surface pattern on an integrated circuit portion during the fabrication of at least LSI, comprising the steps of;

throughout a mask substrate, forming surfaces in the pattern so that the height of the surfaces that are adjacent each other differ by about (2n-1)×

λ

/(4 cos θ

) (wherein n=1, 2, 3, - - - ), and wherein the angle θ

is subtended by a normal to said reflective surfaces and the direction of incidence of the radiation of a wavelength λ

; and

depositing on the surfaces multi-layer soft X-ray mirrors as different level adjacent reflective surfaces respectively differing in level corresponding to one-half the period of the multi-layer of the multi-layer mirror.

15. A method of claim 14, further including providing the multi-layer mirror with the number of layers of the multi-layers for adjacent reflective surfaces to be equal to each other to provide uniformity of the reflectivity.