KR20110074175A - Half-tone mask for fine pattern - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A half-tone mask for a fine pattern is provided to embody a fine line width of a pixel by comprising supplementary half-tone pattern areas along a shading pattern line. CONSTITUTION: Shading pattern lines(110) forms transfer patterns formed on a transparent substrate. Supplementary half-tone pattern areas(120) are formed on each side of the shading pattern lines. A first supplementary pattern is placed close to the side of the shading pattern lines. A second supplementary pattern is formed on the transparent substrate. The second supplementary pattern is formed along the vertical direction of the first supplementary pattern.

Description

Half-tone mask for fine pattern

The present invention relates to a photomask for the implementation of LCD fine pixels.

Increasingly, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have become increasingly large in size, and interest in miniaturization of pixel patterns constituting LCDs has been amplified.

A photomask used to implement a fine pixel pattern of an LCD basically requires a process of miniaturizing a pattern of a photomask used to implement such a fine pattern.

Referring to FIG. 1A, (a) illustrates a pattern structure of a photomask including a transmission pattern 30 and a light shielding pattern 20 on a conventional transparent substrate 10. The cross-section is implemented in a form similar to the inverted trapezoid as shown (b) shows a cross-sectional view of the light shielding pattern of (a)). (c) However, in the process of minimizing the line width (CD) of the light shielding pattern, the pattern is often lost during the implementation of the fine pattern. Thus, a photolithography process for implementing a pattern in a product with such a photomask is performed. As a result, as shown in (c), a problem leading to a pattern defect P ₁ occurs.

In order to solve this problem, the slits 40 are included on the side surfaces of the transparent pattern 10 and the fine light shielding pattern 20 of the transparent substrate 10 as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1B. The problem of the loss of the pattern according to the strong exposure amount was solved. (B) shows a cross-sectional view of the light shielding pattern of (a). However, the process of patterning fine slits of 1 μm or less along the light shielding pattern is extremely difficult, and in the manufacturing process, slits are lost, damaged due to over etching, or defects of the slits themselves occur, resulting in uniformity of the pattern. (Uniformity) is very difficult to secure problems. That is, as shown in (c), when a defect of such a slit pattern occurs, an error caused by the defect is transferred (P2, P3) after being transferred to the LCD, thereby causing a disadvantage of not forming a desired pattern. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary halftone pattern region formed along a light shielding pattern in a halftone mask to realize a line width of a fine pixel, It is to provide a halftone mask that can ensure the uniformity of the pattern (uniformity).

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a half-tone mask for fine pattern transfer, comprising: a light shielding pattern line for forming a transfer pattern formed on a transparent substrate; It is possible to provide a fine pattern transfer halftone mask comprising a; auxiliary halftone pattern region formed adjacent to the side surface of the light shielding pattern line.

In particular, the auxiliary halftone pattern region formed along the light blocking pattern may include: a first auxiliary pattern in contact with a side surface of the light blocking pattern line; It is formed on the transparent substrate, it can be formed as a second auxiliary pattern formed in the vertical direction of the first auxiliary pattern.

In addition, the auxiliary halftone pattern region may be formed to have a width of 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm from a side surface of the light blocking pattern line.

The auxiliary halftone pattern region may further include a third auxiliary pattern layer connected to the first auxiliary pattern and covering an upper portion of the light blocking pattern line.

In particular, the auxiliary halftone pattern region according to the present invention described above, Mo, Si, Ta, W, Al, Cr, Hf, Zr, Me, V, Ni, Nb, Co, Ti as the main element, At least two of the elemental materials or the main elements may be a mixed material, or at least one of CO _x , O _x , and N _x may be added to the main element or the composite material. (Where x is a natural number)

It is also possible to construct a halftone mask as an embodiment different from the above-described structure. Specifically, a half-tone mask for fine pattern transfer, comprising: an auxiliary halftone pattern region formed of a semi-transparent material formed on a transparent substrate; A light blocking pattern region formed on the auxiliary halftone pattern region, wherein the auxiliary halftone region includes a fourth auxiliary pattern layer formed under the light blocking pattern region and a fifth auxiliary projecting to the outside of the light blocking pattern region; It can be formed in a structure formed of a pattern layer, in this case in particular in this case the width (Y ₁ ) of the fifth auxiliary pattern layer to be formed to be 0.5 ~ 1.5㎛.

According to the present invention, the halftone mask includes an auxiliary halftone pattern region formed along a light shielding pattern, thereby realizing the line width of the fine pixel and securing the uniformity of the pattern.

In particular, by using the auxiliary halftone pattern region, it is possible to realize a significant improvement in quality in comparison with the conventional slit-based peeling or range.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the configuration and operation according to the present invention. In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and duplicate description thereof will be omitted. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

2A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a plane of a halftone mask according to the present invention.

As shown in (a), the present invention includes a light shielding pattern line 110 for forming a transfer pattern formed on a transparent substrate in a fine pattern transfer halftone mask, and particularly, the side surface of the light shielding pattern line. It may be formed including an auxiliary halftone pattern region 120 formed adjacent to. That is, the auxiliary halftone pattern region 120 is implemented by reducing the transmittance of exposure light, rather than adjusting the light transmittance by extinguishing the interference light by the conventional slit form using the diffraction phenomenon of light. By compensating for the area that is over-exposed by photo energy in the light shielding pattern formed by the fine pattern, uniformity is ensured as shown in (b) at the time of transferring to the product. It is possible to implement a pixel pattern. In particular, since the semi-transparent material layer is formed on the pre-formed light shielding pattern, there is no fear that the pattern may collapse or be lost, thereby ensuring reliability.

2B and 2C are conceptual views illustrating main parts of a halftone mask around a cross section of FIG. 2A (a) having an auxiliary halftone region 120 according to the present invention.

Specifically, the light blocking pattern line 110 is formed on the transparent substrate 100, and the auxiliary halftone region 120 is formed to cover the side surface and the top surface of the light blocking pattern line. Other than that, it becomes a transmission part through which light passes completely.

In particular, the auxiliary halftone region 120 formed in the light shielding pattern line 110 is formed in the vertical direction of the first auxiliary pattern X2 and the first auxiliary pattern which are in contact with the side surface of the light blocking pattern line 110. The second auxiliary pattern X ₁ is formed. The first and second auxiliary patterns X ₂ are actually formed along the light shielding pattern line as shown in FIG. 2A.

In particular, preferably, the width T ₁ of the first and second auxiliary patterns has a width of 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm from the side surface of the light blocking pattern line.

Of course, the auxiliary halftone pattern region according to the present invention may include a third auxiliary pattern layer (X3) covering the upper portion of the light shielding pattern line connected to the first auxiliary pattern surrounding the side portion of the light shielding pattern line. .

According to the halftone mask according to the present invention having the above structure, the transmissive part, which is the transparent substrate region where the light L is exposed, is not formed with the pattern, is completely transmitted, and the part where the light shielding pattern line 110 is formed is shielded, and the auxiliary The light passing through the first and second auxiliary patterns to the halftone pattern region is reduced in transmittance, so that the image 130 of the photosensitive material on the actual product 140 after exposure is accurately realized, even when fine patterning is performed. Pixel pattern in which uniformity is ensured by compensating an area over photo by photo energy and transferring to a product, as shown in FIG. 2A (b). Can be implemented.

3 is a process diagram schematically illustrating a manufacturing process of a halftone mask according to the present invention.

In the halftone mask according to the present invention, (S ₁ ), first, a metal layer 110 ′ formed of a light blocking material is formed on a transparent substrate. The illustrated figure shows a cross section, but originally forms a metal layer on the entire surface of the enlarged substrate. The metal layer is preferably formed of a material that completely blocks light, and for example, CrO ₂ material may be used.

(S ₂ ) Next, a photosensitive material is coated on the metal layer, and the light shielding pattern line 110 is formed through an exposure developing process. Thereafter, the process of peeling the photosensitive material may be further performed.

After S ₃ , the semi-transmissive material layer 120 ′ is applied to the transparent substrate on which the light shielding pattern line is formed. The transflective material layer has a property of 10 to 99% transmittance, and as an example, Mo, Si, Ta, W, Al, Cr, Hf, Zr, Me, V, Ni, Nb, Co, Ti Thus, the main element material (material consisting only of the main element) or a composite material of at least two or more of the main elements are mixed, or at least one of CO _x , O _x , N _x to the main element or the composite material It is preferred that it is an added substance. The subscript is a natural number that varies depending on the major element to which it is bound. For example, Cr _x O _y , Cr _x CO _y , Cr _x O _y N _z , Si _x O _y , Si _x O _y N _z , Si _x CO _y , Si _x CO _y N _z , Mo _x Si _y , Mo _x O _y, Mo _x O _y N _z, Mo _x CO _y, Mo _x O _y N _z, Mo _x Si _y O _z, Mo _x Si _y O _z N Mo _x Si _y CO _z N, Mo _x Si _y CO _z , Ta _x O _y , Ta _x O _y N _z , Ta _x CO _y , Ta _x O _y N _z , Al _x O _y , Al _x CO _y , Al _x O _y N _z , Al _x CO _y N _z , Any one of Ti _x O _y , Ti _x O _y N _z , Ti _x CO _y or a combination thereof may be used. The subscripts x, y and z are natural numbers and represent the number of each chemical element.

(S ₄ ) Next, a photosensitive material is coated on the semi-transparent material layer 120 ′, and the first and second auxiliary patterns according to the present invention implement the auxiliary halftone pattern region 120. Exposure and development.

Halftone mask using the auxiliary halftone pattern region of the present invention according to the above-described manufacturing process has the advantage that can implement a fine pixel pattern and ensure the uniformity of the pattern (Uniformity), in particular, the conventional technology has a slit method It is possible to form a highly reliable fine pixel pattern by eliminating the problem of difficulty and increasing the defective rate of application.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a structure different from the above-described embodiment of the present invention.

That is, the difference from the above structure is that the auxiliary halftone pattern region 130 is first formed on the transparent substrate 100, and the light shielding pattern region 140 is formed on the auxiliary halftone pattern region 130. Structure. Specifically, the auxiliary halftone pattern region 130 includes a fourth auxiliary pattern layer (width: Y ₂ ) formed under the light shielding pattern region and a fifth auxiliary pattern layer (width: protruding outside the light shielding pattern region). Y ₁ ), and the width (Y ₁ ) of the fifth auxiliary pattern layer may be formed to 0.5 ~ 1.5㎛. In addition, the material forming the auxiliary halftone pattern region may be applied in the same manner as the material of the auxiliary halftone pattern region of the above-described embodiment.

The fifth auxiliary halftone pattern region of FIG. 4 is derived in the shape of the auxiliary halftone region 120 on the plan view shown in FIG. 2A, and of course, the same function can be performed.

In the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, specific examples have been described. However, various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. The technical idea of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments of the present invention but should be determined by the equivalents of the claims and the claims.

1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a structure of a photomask that implements a conventional micropattern and a problem thereof.

2A is a plan view of a halftone mask according to the present invention, FIG. 2B is a sectional view of an essential part of the present invention, and FIG. 2C is a conceptual diagram showing an operating state of the present invention.

3 is a manufacturing process diagram of a halftone mask according to the present invention.

4 is a conceptual diagram of main parts of a halftone mask as another embodiment according to the present invention.

Claims (7)

In the halftone mask for fine pattern transfer, A light shielding pattern line forming a transfer pattern formed on the transparent substrate; An auxiliary halftone pattern region formed adjacent to a side surface of the light shielding pattern line; Halftone mask for fine pattern transfer comprising a. The method according to claim 1, The auxiliary halftone pattern region, A first auxiliary pattern in contact with a side surface of the light blocking pattern line; And a second auxiliary pattern formed on the transparent substrate and formed in a vertical direction of the first auxiliary pattern. The method according to claim 2, The auxiliary halftone pattern region, A half-tone mask for fine pattern transfer, characterized in that it has a width (T ₁ ) of 0.5 ~ 1.5㎛ from the side of the light shielding pattern line. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The auxiliary halftone pattern region, It is connected to the first auxiliary pattern, And a third auxiliary pattern layer covering an upper portion of the light shielding pattern line. The method according to claim 4, Mo, Si, Ta, W, Al, Cr, Hf, Zr, Me, V, Ni, Nb, Co, Ti as main elements, For the fine pattern transfer, characterized in that the main element material or a composite material in which at least two or more of the main elements are mixed or a material in which at least one of COx, Ox and Nx is added to the main element or the composite material Halftone Mask. (Where x is a natural number) In the halftone mask for fine pattern transfer, An auxiliary halftone pattern region formed of a semi-transparent material formed on a transparent substrate; And a light shielding pattern region formed on the auxiliary halftone pattern region. The auxiliary halftone region may include a fourth auxiliary pattern layer formed under the light shielding pattern region and a fifth auxiliary pattern layer protruding to the outside of the light shielding pattern region. The method according to claim 6, The width Y ₁ of the fifth auxiliary pattern layer is 0.5 to 1.5 μm, characterized in that the fine pattern transfer halftone mask.

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