IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,468,240
Granted Patent B2
US 7,468,240 · App. 11/716,637 · Granted Dec 23, 2008

Patterning method using photomask

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,468,240
App. No.
11/716,637
Granted
Dec 23, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

An isolated light-shielding pattern formed from a light-shielding film region 101 and a phase shift region 102 is formed on a transparent substrate 100 serving as a mask. The phase shift region 102 has a phase difference with respect to a light-transmitting region of the transparent substrate 100 . Moreover, the width of the phase shift region 102 is set such that a light-shielding property of the phase shift region 102 becomes at least about the same as that of a light-shielding film having the same width.

Claims (13)

1. A patterning method using a photomask comprising the steps of:

forming a resist film on a substrate;

conducting pattern exposure to the resist film using the photomask; and

developing the resist film subjected to the pattern exposure so as to form a resist pattern,

wherein in the photomask,

an isolated light-shielding pattern is formed on a transparent substrate that is transparent to exposure light,

the light-shielding pattern is formed from a light-shielding film region formed from a light-shielding film, and a phase shift region having a phase difference with respect to a light-transmitting region of the transparent substrate which has no light-shielding pattern, and

the step of conducting pattern exposure uses an oblique incidence illumination method.

2. The patterning method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of conducting pattern exposure uses annular exposure.

3. The patterning method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of conducting pattern exposure uses quadrupole exposure.

4. The patterning method according to claim 1 , wherein in the photomask a contour of the light-shielding film region is the same as a feature of the light-shielding pattern.

5. The patterning method according to claim 1 , wherein in the photomask the phase difference of the phase shift region with respect to the light-transmitting region is (170+360×n) to (190+360×n) degrees (where n is an integer) with respect to a wavelength of the exposure light.

6. The patterning method according to claim 1 , wherein in the photomask the phase difference of the phase shift region with respect to the light-transmitting region is provided by etching the phase-shift region in the transparent substrate.