JP6565473B2 - Exposure mask and management method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure mask used for pattern transfer to a transfer target and a management method thereof.

  In a lithography process in a manufacturing process of an electronic device such as a semiconductor element, a pattern is produced by exposure through an exposure mask. With the recent miniaturization and high integration of elements, the light source of exposure light generates KrF excimer laser (248 nm), ArF excimer laser (248 nm) that generates light having a shorter wavelength than g-line (436 nm) or i-line (365 nm). 193 nm) and further to EUV (13.5 nm). However, the exposure light of short wavelength has high energy, and there is a phenomenon that foreign matter (growing foreign matter: also called haze, haze, or cloudy) grows on the exposure mask with time, and the exposure mask is contaminated. . If the growth foreign matter adheres to the exposure mask, the irradiation light is blocked or reflected. If the growth foreign matter exceeds a predetermined size, the transferred pattern is lost, the pattern is short-circuited, etc. This causes a problem that pattern defects occur.

As one of the causes of such growth foreign matter, for example, when chemicals such as sulfuric acid and ammonia used for mask cleaning remain on the surface of the exposure mask, these are the lasers at the time of exposure. A reaction is caused by irradiation to produce ammonium sulfate and the like. For this reason, in the inspection after the exposure mask is manufactured, even if it is in a good state with no defects, foreign substances are generated on the exposure mask due to repeated laser irradiation exposure, and the foreign substances grow over time. Will cause serious contamination. Moreover, foreign matter may be generated even with a small exposure amount depending on the exposure mask, which makes it difficult to manage the exposure mask.
Some exposure masks include a translucent cover (pellicle) through a frame positioned so as to surround a pattern region so that foreign matter does not directly adhere to the mask. However, when gas is released from the resin film pellicle or the adhesive used to fix the pellicle to the frame, the gas is filled into the space surrounded by the substrate, frame, and pellicle of the exposure mask, Reaction may be caused by laser irradiation at the time of formation, and foreign matter may be generated. Therefore, the exposure mask having the pellicle also has a problem due to the adhesion of growth foreign matter.

  In order to cope with such a problem, for example, a Haze generation prediction substrate holding a causative substance of a growth foreign substance is irradiated with a laser to slightly grow the cause substance, and this Haze generation prediction substrate is used as an exposure mask. Optimizing processes and members by leaving them on the process of exposure, storage, etc., and periodically inspecting the occurrence of foreign substances on the Haze generation prediction substrate to predict the environment and members that are likely to generate growth foreign substances at an early stage Has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-153725 A

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 requires a dedicated substrate for predicting the occurrence of haze for each exposure mask, which hinders the reduction in manufacturing costs of semiconductor elements and the like.
In addition to the exposure mask, it is necessary to place a dedicated substrate on the exposure machine and to expose the dedicated substrate. Further, it is necessary to place the dedicated substrate on a storage case, etc., and the process is complicated. there were.

Further, the growth of growth foreign substances is affected by the amount of causative substances, but the amount of causative substances detected by the method described in Patent Document 1 is only the amount of causative substances on a dedicated substrate, and each exposure mask. Since the amount of each causative substance could not be monitored, it was difficult to ensure that each exposure mask was free from contamination due to the growth of growth foreign matter. In addition, the intensity of cleaning cannot be managed for each exposure mask depending on the state of growth of foreign substances, and cleaning is performed more strongly than necessary, which may damage the exposure mask surface. .
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is an exposure mask capable of easily grasping the occurrence of growth foreign matter, being easily managed, and avoiding contamination by the growth foreign matter. And its management method.

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides an exposure mask comprising a transparent substrate and a light-shielding film pattern located on one surface of the transparent substrate, wherein the transparent substrate includes a main pattern region, An outer region located around the main pattern region, the light shielding film pattern is located in the main pattern region, and a plurality of inspection sites are defined in the outer region, The transparent substrate is exposed at least at a part of the inspection part, a light shielding layer is located at a part of the inspection part, both the part of the inspection part where the transparent substrate is exposed and the light shielding layer , There is a growth foreign substance causing substance, and the growth foreign substance causing substance is a sulfur-containing compound, a phosphorus-containing compound, a nitrogen-containing compound, an aggregate formed by irradiating a sulfur-containing compound with a laser, and a phosphorus-containing compound with a laser irradiation. Agglomerates formed And, at least 1 Tanedea aggregates formed by irradiating a laser beam to the nitrogen-containing compound is, in mutual plurality of test sites, the concentration of the growing foreign matter causative agent has a different such so that configuration.

Further, the present invention provides an exposure mask comprising a transparent substrate and a light-shielding film pattern located on one surface of the transparent substrate, wherein the transparent substrate is positioned around the main pattern region and the main pattern region. An outer region to be defined, the light shielding film pattern is located in the main pattern region, an inspection region is defined in the outer region, and the transparent substrate is at least partially in the inspection region Is exposed , a semi-transparent light-shielding layer having a plurality of fine openings is located in at least a part of the inspection site, and there is a growth foreign substance-causing substance in the inspection site. Substances include sulfur-containing compounds, phosphorus-containing compounds, nitrogen-containing compounds, aggregates formed by irradiating a sulfur-containing compound with laser, aggregates formed by irradiating a phosphorus-containing compound with laser, and nitrogen-containing compounds with laser Irradiate At least one of the formed aggregates was said that the transparent substrate is present the growing foreign matter causative agent in both of the exposed portion and the semi-transmissive light-shielding layer is configured.
As another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the inspection sites are defined in the outer region, and the density of the fine apertures of the transflective light shielding layer is different among the plurality of the inspection sites. It was.
As another aspect of the present invention, the concentration of the growth foreign substance-causing substance is uniform among the plurality of inspection sites.

  The exposure mask management method of the present invention is any one of the above-described exposure mask management methods, wherein the exposure mask cleaning time and cleaning strength are based on the size of the growth foreign matter generated at the inspection site. The configuration is such that the use limit is judged.

The exposure mask of the present invention can easily grasp the occurrence of growth foreign matter, can be easily managed, and can avoid contamination by the growth foreign matter.
The exposure mask management method of the present invention makes it possible to easily grasp the occurrence of growth foreign substances for individual exposure masks and to take appropriate measures.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an exposure mask according to the present invention. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing an example of an examination site. FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line II. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing another example of the examination site, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view, and FIGS. 3B and 3C are longitudinal sectional views taken along line II-II. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing another example of the examination site, where FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line III-III. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing another example of the examination site, in which FIG. 5A is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line IV-IV. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a drawing showing another embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention, FIG. 7 (A) is a plan view, and FIG. 7 (B) is the exposure mask shown in FIG. 7 (A). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the VV line. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention. 9 is a drawing showing another embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention, FIG. 9 (A) is a plan view, and FIG. 9 (B) is the exposure mask shown in FIG. 9 (A). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the VI-VI line. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an example of an inspection site using a barcode pattern arranged in the outer region of the transparent substrate. 14 is a vertical partial sectional view taken along line VII-VII of the examination site shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that the drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the dimensions of each member, the ratio of sizes between the members, etc. are not necessarily the same as the actual ones, and represent the same members. However, in some cases, the dimensions and ratios may be different depending on the drawing.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an exposure mask according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the exposure mask 11 includes a transparent substrate 12 and a light shielding film pattern that is a main pattern located on one surface 12 a of the transparent substrate 12.

On one surface 12 a of the transparent substrate 12, a main pattern region 13 (enclosed by a chain line) and an outer region 14 located around the main pattern region 13 are defined. Such a transparent substrate 12 may be a transparent substrate used in a conventional exposure mask, for example, a glass substrate, a synthetic quartz substrate, a resin substrate, or the like.
A light shielding film pattern (not shown) is located in the main pattern region 13. The light shielding film pattern is, for example, a chrome thin film in which a light transmitting portion is formed in a desired pattern shape. The light-shielding film pattern is either a binary type that allows the transmission or non-transmission of exposure light, and the light-shielding part is a half-tone type that can transmit a little light and uses the interference with the light-transmitting part to improve the resolution. May be.

In addition, an inspection region 15 is defined in the outer region 14 with a shape and dimensions as will be described later, and a growth foreign substance-causing substance exists in the inspection region 15. The growth foreign matter is generated by irradiation with short-wave exposure light from a light source such as a KrF excimer laser (248 nm), an ArF excimer laser (193 nm), or EUV (13.5 nm). As a generation cause substance, a sulfur-containing compound, a phosphorus-containing compound, and a nitrogen-containing compound are considered. In the present invention, sulfur-containing compounds, phosphorus-containing compounds, nitrogen-containing compounds, aggregates formed by irradiating a sulfur-containing compound with laser, aggregates formed by irradiating a phosphorus-containing compound with laser, and nitrogen-containing compounds Aggregates formed by irradiating with a laser are used as a growth foreign substance-causing substance, and at least one of them is present at the examination site 15. The amount of the growth foreign substance causing substance present in the inspection site 15 can be appropriately set in consideration of the type of the growth foreign substance causing substance, for example, in the range of about 0.2 to 100 ng / cm ² . If the amount of the growing foreign matter causative agent is less than 0.2 ng / cm ^2, occurrence of growing foreign matter in the growing foreign matter causative agent becomes difficult, and the amount of growing foreign matter causative agent exceeds 100 ng / cm ² In such a case, the generation of growth foreign substances in the growth foreign substance-causing substance becomes excessive, and it becomes difficult to predict the generation of growth foreign substances.

The laser that irradiates the sulfur-containing compound, phosphorus-containing compound, and nitrogen-containing compound in order to form the above-mentioned agglomerates depends on the irradiated substance, for example, so that the irradiation dose is in the range of 10 to 200 kJ / cm ^2. Can be set as appropriate.
The inspection site 15 is one in which the transparent substrate 12 is exposed at least partially so that the exposure light irradiated from the back surface of the transparent substrate 12 is irradiated to the growth foreign substance causing substance.

2 to 5 are a partial plan view and a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the inspection site 15 defined in the outer region 14. In the illustrated example, a light shielding layer 16 (shown with an inclined chain line) is present around the examination site 15.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the inspection region 15 has the transparent substrate 12 exposed in the entire region defined as the inspection region (FIG. 2A), and the growth foreign matter is exposed on the exposed transparent substrate 12. The causative substance 17 exists substantially uniformly (FIG. 2 (B)).

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, about half of the inspection site 15 is the light shielding portion 15s, the light shielding layer 16 is present, the remaining region is the light transmitting portion 15p, and the transparent substrate 12 is exposed ( 3A, the light shielding layer 16 is shown with an inclined chain line). The growth foreign substance-causing substance 17 is present substantially uniformly in both the light shielding portion 15s and the light transmitting portion 15p of the inspection site 15 (FIG. 3B). Note that the light shielding layer present in the light shielding portion 15s may be a light shielding layer 16 'having a thickness smaller than that of the light shielding layer 16 existing around the examination site 15, as shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, about half of the inspection site 15 is the light shielding portion 15s, the semi-transmissive light shielding layer 16 ″ is present, the remaining area is the light transmitting portion 15p, and the transparent substrate 12 is exposed. (FIG. 4A, the transflective light shielding layer 16 ″ is shown with an inclined two-dot chain line). The growth foreign substance-causing substance 17 is present substantially uniformly in both the light shielding portion 15s and the light transmitting portion 15p of the inspection site 15 (FIG. 4B). The transflective light-shielding layer 16 ″ has a plurality of fine openings, the fine openings have a size of 40 nm to 2.0 μm, and the fine openings have a density of 5 × 10 ^{7 to} 2.5 × 10 ^13. / cm can be appropriately set in the ^second range, for example, it may be a semi-permeable membrane of a so-called half-tone mask.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the transflective light shielding layer 16 ″ is present in the entire region defined as the examination site 15 (FIG. 5A, and the transflective light shielding layer 16 ″ has an inclined two-dot chain line. The transparent substrate 12 is exposed in the fine openings of the transflective light shielding layer 16 ". The growth foreign substance causing substance 17 is the entire area of the transflective light shielding layer 16" located at the inspection site 15. (FIG. 5B).

  Although the shape of the test site 15 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 is a square shape, the shape and size of the test site 15 may hinder the observation of the size of the growth foreign material generated from the growth foreign material causing substance 17. The inspection site 15 can be defined so as not to come. The rectangular shape in the illustrated example can be appropriately defined within a range of about 1 mm × 1 mm to 10 mm × 10 mm, for example. Further, the position of the inspection site 15 in the external region 14 of the transparent substrate 12 is not particularly limited, but can be defined as a position where exposure can be performed simultaneously in the exposure of the light shielding film pattern located in the main pattern region 13. . Moreover, it is suitable that the position is, for example, 7 mm or more away from the side end of the transparent substrate 12.

  The exposure mask 11 of the present invention may have a plurality of inspection sites 15 defined therein. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the exposure mask 11 is defined as an inspection region 15, and six inspection regions 15 A, 15 B, 15 C, 15 D, 15 E, and 15 F are defined in the outer region 14. However, the number of the plurality of examination sites 15 is not limited to six.

The six inspection parts 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F can be different in the degree of generation of growth foreign substances in each inspection part. For example, when the inspection site 15 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the concentration of the growth foreign substance causative substance 17 in each of the six inspection sites 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F Can be different. In this case, the concentration of the growth foreign substance causing substance 17 can be appropriately set in consideration of the type of the growth foreign substance causing substance 17 in the range of about 0.2 to 100 ng / cm ² , for example.

Further, when the inspection site 15 is configured as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the microscopic aperture of the semi-transmissive light shielding layer 16 ″ is formed between the six inspection sites 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F. And the density of the growth foreign substance causing substance 17 can be made uniform, and the density of the fine openings in this case is that of the six inspection sites 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F. It is possible to set the exposure amount by laser irradiation from the back surface of the transparent substrate 11 to be different from each other. For example, in the range of about 5 × 10 ^{7 to} 2.5 × 10 ¹³ pieces / cm ² , the growth foreign matter It can be set appropriately in consideration of the type of the causative substance 17 and the like.
Further, when the inspection site 15 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the six inspection sites 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F have a fine aperture in the semi-transmissive light shielding layer 16 ″. And the concentration of the growth foreign substance causing substance 17 may be different.

The six examination sites 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F may include one kind of growth foreign substance causing substance 17, and two or more kinds of growth foreign substance causing substance 17 may be present. May be. When two or more kinds of growth foreign matter causative substances 17 are present, it becomes possible to grasp the occurrence of growth foreign matters due to different generation factors.
Further, the exposure mask of the present invention may include a pellicle. FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an embodiment of such an exposure mask, FIG. 7A is a plan view, and FIG. 7B is a drawing of V of the exposure mask shown in FIG. 7A. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the -V line. In FIG. 7, the exposure mask 21 includes a transparent substrate 22 and a light shielding film pattern positioned on one surface 22 a of the transparent substrate 22.

On one surface 22 a of the transparent substrate 22, a main pattern region 23 (shown surrounded by a chain line) and an outer region 24 positioned around the main pattern region 23 are defined. A light-shielding film pattern (not shown) is located in the main pattern region 23, and an inspection region 25 is defined in the outer region 24, and a growth foreign substance-causing substance exists in the inspection region 25. To do.
In addition, a frame body 28 is disposed in the outer region 24 so as to surround the main pattern region 23 and the inspection region 25 is located outside. A pellicle 29 is stretched on the frame body 28, and the light shielding film pattern is located in a space surrounded by the transparent substrate 22, the frame body 28, and the pellicle 29.

  The transparent substrate 22 constituting the exposure mask 21, the main pattern region 23, the light shielding film pattern located in the main pattern region 23, the outer region 24, the inspection part 25, and the growth foreign substance causative substance present in the inspection part 25 Are the same as the transparent substrate 12, the main pattern region 13, the light shielding film pattern located in the main pattern region 13, the outer region 14, the inspection region 15, and the growth foreign substance causing substance 17 that constitute the exposure mask 11 described above. The description here is omitted. Further, the frame 28 and pellicle 29 constituting the exposure mask 21 can be the same as the frame and pellicle conventionally used for the exposure mask.

  Further, in the exposure mask of the present invention provided with a pellicle, a plurality of inspection sites 25 may be defined in the outer region 24 as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the exposure mask 21 is defined as an inspection region 25, and six inspection regions 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D, 25E, and 25F are defined in the outer region 24. The number of is not limited to six. Such a plurality of inspection portions 25 can be the same as the six inspection portions 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F in the exposure mask 11 shown in FIG.

  Further, the exposure mask 21 having a pellicle may be an embodiment as shown in FIG. 9 is a drawing showing an embodiment of the exposure mask of the present invention, FIG. 9 (A) is a plan view, and FIG. 9 (B) is an exposure mask VI shown in FIG. 9 (A). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the -VI line. The exposure mask 21 shown in FIG. 9 surrounds the inspection region 25 in addition to the frame 28 positioned in the outer region 24 so as to surround the main pattern region 23 and so that the inspection region 25 is positioned outside. A frame 28 'is provided, and a pellicle 29 is stretched between these frames 28, 28'. In such an embodiment, similarly to the light shielding film pattern located in the space surrounded by the transparent substrate 22, the frame body 28, and the pellicle 29, the inspection site 25 is composed of the transparent substrate 22, the frame body 28 ′, and the pellicle 29. Located in enclosed space. Therefore, it is possible to observe the occurrence of growth foreign matter at the inspection site 25 in the same environment as the light shielding film pattern.

  Further, in the exposure mask 21 having a pellicle, as shown in FIG. 10, the inspection site 25 defined in the outer region 24 may be located inside the frame body 28. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, an inspection region 25 may be defined in the outer region 24 inside the frame body 28 and the outer region 24 outside the frame member 28. In the exposure mask 21 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a plurality of inspection sites 25 may be provided.

  Further, the exposure mask of the present invention may use a bar code pattern for manufacturing management provided in the outer region of the transparent substrate, a dummy pattern for adjusting the etching amount, etc. as an inspection site. . FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an embodiment of such an exposure mask. In FIG. 12, the exposure mask 31 includes a transparent substrate 32 and a light shielding film pattern positioned on one surface 32 a of the transparent substrate 32. On one surface 32 a of the transparent substrate 32, a main pattern region 33 (enclosed by a chain line) and an outer region 34 positioned around the main pattern region 33 are defined. A light-shielding film pattern (not shown) is located in the main pattern area 33, and a barcode pattern 41 is disposed in the outer area 34, and an inspection site 35 using this barcode pattern 41 is provided. Is defined, and a growth foreign substance-causing substance is present in the inspection site 35.

  The transparent substrate 32 constituting the exposure mask 31, the main pattern region 33, the light shielding film pattern located in the main pattern region 33, and the outer region 34 are the transparent substrate 12 constituting the above-described exposure mask 11, the main pattern This can be the same as the region 13 and the light shielding film pattern located in the main pattern region 13 and the outer region 14, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating an inspection site 35 using the barcode pattern 41 disposed in the outer region 34 of the transparent substrate 32, and FIG. 14 is a VII-VII view of the inspection site 35 shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal fragmentary sectional view in a line. The bar code pattern 41 included in the exposure mask 31 has a light transmitting layer 41p in a desired bar code shape on the light shielding layer 36 (shown with an inclined chain line in FIG. 13) located in the outer region 34 of the transparent substrate 32. Are formed, and a light-shielding portion 41s made of the light-shielding layer 36 exists between the light-transmissive portions 41p. Further, the inspection part 35 is demarcated in a region where the barcode pattern 41 is disposed. In FIG. 13, the inspection part 35 is surrounded by a two-dot chain line. The inspection site 35 includes a light transmitting portion 35p and a light shielding portion 35s, and the transparent substrate 32 is exposed at the light transmitting portion 35p. The light-transmitting part 35p and the light-shielding part 35s that constitute the inspection site 35 use the light-transmitting part 41p and the light-shielding part 41s that constitute the barcode pattern 41, respectively. The growth foreign substance causing substance 37 is present substantially uniformly in both the light shielding part 35s and the light transmitting part 35p of the inspection site 35. The growth foreign substance causing substance 37 present in the inspection part 35 can be the same as the growth foreign substance causing substance 17 existing in the inspection part 15 constituting the above-described exposure mask 11, and the description thereof is omitted here. To do.

In the above example, one inspection part 35 is defined in the barcode pattern 41 included in the exposure mask 31, but a plurality of inspection parts 35 are defined in the region where the barcode pattern 41 is disposed. It may be a thing. In this case, the concentration of the growth foreign substance causing substance 37 can be made different between the individual examination sites 35. In this case, the concentration of the growth foreign substance causing substance 37 can be set as appropriate in consideration of the type of the growth foreign substance causing substance 37 in the range of about 0.2 to 100 ng / cm ² , for example.
The above-described embodiments of the exposure mask are examples, and the exposure mask of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  In such an exposure mask management method of the present invention for managing the exposure mask of the present invention, since a growth foreign substance-causing substance exists in the inspection portion of the exposure mask, the growth occurring in the inspection portion for each exposure mask. The size of the sexual foreign matter can be easily grasped continuously and quantitatively. Thereby, based on the size of the growth foreign matter generated by using the exposure mask, the cleaning time, the cleaning strength, and the use limit can be determined for each exposure mask. The size of the growth foreign substance can be grasped using an optical microscope, a mask inspection machine, or the like.

  In the exposure mask management method of the present invention, the cleaning time is determined based on whether or not the size of the growth foreign matter has reached a predetermined size. In the management of the cleaning strength of the exposure mask, even if the size of the growth foreign material reaches the size that requires cleaning of the exposure mask, it has not yet reached a size that causes a serious defect or the like. At this stage, the cleaning strength is set to an optimum condition, that is, a gentle condition that does not damage the light shielding film pattern. Further, when the use of the exposure mask is continued without performing cleaning, the use limit is determined depending on whether or not the size of the growth foreign matter has reached a predetermined size.

  Further, in the exposure mask management method of the present invention, it is possible to predict the growth of the growth foreign matter in the light shielding film pattern by continuously grasping the size of the growth foreign matter generated at the inspection site. Mask management is easy and reliable. In particular, when the exposure mask has a plurality of inspection parts and the degree of generation of the growth foreign substance from the growth foreign substance causing substance differs between the inspection parts, the inspection part where the generation of the growth foreign substance is promoted It is possible to predict the growth of the growth foreign material by continuously grasping the size of the growth foreign material at, thereby more reliably predicting the growth of the growth foreign material in the light shielding film pattern. In addition, for example, when the size of the growth foreign substance at the inspection site where the generation of the growth foreign substance is promoted rapidly increases, there is a possibility that the atmosphere in the exposure apparatus or the like is abnormal. In such a case, by performing inspection and management of the apparatus and the like, it is possible to prevent abnormal generation of growth foreign substances in the exposure mask. In addition, it is possible to manage the cleaning time based on the size of the growing foreign matter at a predetermined inspection site. That is, first, a cleaning time is determined using an inspection site where the degree of growth of a growth foreign substance is high, and cleaning is performed, and whether this cleaning time is appropriate is examined. If the cleaning time seems to be early, in the next cleaning, the cleaning time is judged using the inspection site where the degree of generation of the growth foreign matter is lower, and the cleaning is performed. On the other hand, the degree of occurrence of growth foreign matter in the inspection site for which the cleaning time is first determined is lower than the degree of growth foreign matter generation in the light-shielding film pattern in the main pattern region. In such a case, the cleaning time is determined using an inspection site where the degree of generation of the growth foreign matter is higher, and cleaning is performed. By doing so, it is possible to select an inspection site in which the degree of generation of growth foreign substances approximates the light shielding film pattern in the main pattern region, and it is possible to manage the cleaning time more accurately.

Further, in the exposure mask management method of the present invention, since the exposure mask has an inspection site, a dedicated substrate for grasping the generation of growth foreign substances is not required separately from the exposure mask. Further, it is not necessary to provide an exposure process for exposing the inspection site separately from the normal exposure process. Thereby, in the mask management method for exposure of this invention, management cost can be held down.
Further, in the exposure mask management method of the present invention, the exposure mask is used for manufacturing management by using a barcode pattern, a dummy pattern or the like provided in the outer region of the transparent substrate as the inspection portion of the exposure mask. Can be incorporated.

In addition, when the exposure mask user and the manufacturer are different, for example, when the used exposure mask is cleaned by the manufacturer or the pellicle is replaced, the manufacturer has a growth potential occurring at the inspection site. The use deterioration of the exposure mask can be quantitatively determined from the size of the foreign matter. Thereby, for example, management such as setting the cleaning strength of the exposure mask to an optimum condition can be performed.
With such an exposure mask management method of the present invention, it is possible to improve the yield and production efficiency of production lines for semiconductor devices and the like, and it is possible to reduce substrate discards and the like due to exposure mask defects. . Furthermore, since the occurrence of growth foreign matter for each individual exposure mask can be monitored, it can be ensured that the individual exposure mask is free from contamination due to the generation of growth foreign matter.

  This is useful in various manufacturing fields having a step of forming a desired pattern by exposure through an exposure mask.

11, 21, 31 ... Exposure mask 12, 22, 32 ... Transparent substrate 13, 23, 33 ... Main pattern region 14, 24, 34 ... Outer region 15, 25, 35 ... Inspection region 15p, 35p ... Translucent portion 15s 35 s... Light shielding part 16, 36... Light shielding layer 17, 37 .. growth foreign substance causing substance 28, 28 ′.

Claims (5)

In an exposure mask comprising a transparent substrate and a light-shielding film pattern located on one surface of the transparent substrate,
The transparent substrate is defined with a main pattern area and an outer area located around the main pattern area,
The light shielding film pattern is located in the main pattern region,
In the outer region, a plurality of inspection parts are defined, and the transparent substrate is exposed at least in part in the inspection part, and a light shielding layer is located in a part of the inspection part,
Both the portion of the inspection site where the transparent substrate is exposed and the light shielding layer have a growth foreign substance causing substance, and the growth foreign substance causing substance includes a sulfur-containing compound, a phosphorus-containing compound, a nitrogen-containing compound, aggregates formed by irradiating a laser beam to sulfur-containing compounds, agglomerates formed by irradiating a laser beam to phosphorus-containing compounds, and, Ri least 1 Tanedea aggregates formed by irradiating a laser beam to the nitrogen-containing compound in mutual plurality of test sites, an exposure mask in which the concentration of the growing foreign matter causative agent is characterized by different of Rukoto. In an exposure mask comprising a transparent substrate and a light-shielding film pattern located on one surface of the transparent substrate,
The transparent substrate is defined with a main pattern area and an outer area located around the main pattern area,
The light shielding film pattern is located in the main pattern region,
An inspection region is defined in the outer region, and the transparent substrate is exposed at least at a part of the inspection region, and a transflective light-shielding layer having a plurality of fine openings is formed at least at a part of the inspection region. Position to,
A growth foreign substance-causing substance is present at the inspection site, and the growth foreign substance-causing substance includes a sulfur-containing compound, a phosphorus-containing compound, a nitrogen-containing compound, an aggregate formed by irradiating a sulfur-containing compound with a laser, It is at least one of an aggregate formed by irradiating a phosphorus compound with a laser and an aggregate formed by irradiating a nitrogen-containing compound with a laser, both the portion where the transparent substrate is exposed and the transflective light shielding layer The exposure mask characterized in that the growth foreign substance-causing substance is present in the mask. Wherein the outer region, a plurality of the test sites are defined, in cross of the plurality of test sites, according to claim 2, the density of the fine aperture of the semi-transmissive shielding layer are different from each other Mask for exposure. The exposure mask according to claim 3 , wherein the concentration of the growth foreign substance causing substance is uniform among the plurality of inspection parts. In the management method of the mask for exposure in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4 ,
A method for managing an exposure mask, comprising: determining a cleaning time, a cleaning strength, and a use limit of an exposure mask based on a size of a growth foreign substance generated at the inspection site.

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