Applied Materials, Inc.
Extreme ultraviolet mask absorber and processes for manufacture

Abstract:

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a substrate; a multilayer stack of reflective layers on the substrate; a capping layer on the multilayer stack of reflecting layers; and an absorber layer on the capping layer, the absorber layer made from amorphous tantalum nitride formed by non-reactive sputtering.