Photo mask and pattern forming method

Claim 2

A photo mask which is used to subject a resist to exposure to form a resist pattern, said photo mask comprising: a plurality of opaque regions corresponding to the resist pattern to be formed; and alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of each opaque region, said transparent regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; wherein a line width of a first one of the opaque regions is reduced uniformly along a length of the first opaque region, the width being reduced as a function of a distance from the first opaque region to a second one of the opaque regions, the second opaque region being adjacent and parallel to the first opaque region.

Claim 3

A photo mask as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resist pattern includes line patterns, each line pattern having the same width regardless of a distance between adjacent line patterns.

Claim 4

A photo mask as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first opaque region forms a resist pattern of which an adjacent pattern space is of 0.7 λ/NA or more, and the second opaque region forms a resist pattern of which an adjacent pattern space is of 0.5 λ/NA or less, and widths of said first and second opaque regions are different from each other.

Claim 5

A photo mask which is used to subject a positive resist to exposure to form line patterns having an identical line width, said photo mask comprising: a first opaque region and an adjacent second opaque region corresponding to a first line pattern and a second line pattern to be formed; alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of said first and second opaque region, said transparent regions for each of said first and second opaque regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; and a third opaque region located between the first and second adjacent opaque regions, and a distance from the first line pattern to the second line pattern is not less than a predetermined value.

Claim 6

A photo mask which is used to subject a positive resist to exposure to form line patterns having an identical line width, said photo mask comprising: a first opaque region and an adjacent second opaque region corresponding to a first line pattern and a second line pattern to be formed; alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of said first and second opaque region, said transparent regions for each of said first and second opaque regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; and a third opaque region located between the first and second adjacent opaque regions, and a distance from the first line pattern to the second line pattern is not less than a predetermined value.

Claim 7

A photo mask as claimed in claim 4, wherein a width x of said transparent region located between said first opaque region and said third opaque region satisfies the following condition: 0.5 λ/NA≦(transparent region width x)×(projection optical system reduction magnification)≦0.8 λ/NA.

Claim 8

A photo mask as claimed in claim 4, wherein said distance from the first line pattern to the second line pattern is not less than six times of the line width of the resist patterns.

Claim 9

A pattern forming method comprising the steps of: subjecting a resist to exposure with a photo mask having a plurality of opaque regions to form a resist pattern corresponding to said plurality of opaque regions, said photo mask including alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of each opaque region, said transparent regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; and reducing a line width of a first one of the opaque regions uniformly along a length of the first opaque region, the width being reduced as a function of a distance from the first opaque region to a second one of the opaque regions, the second opaque region being adjacent and parallel to the first opaque region.

Claim 10

A pattern forming method comprising the steps of: subjecting a resist to exposure with a photo mask having a plurality of opaque regions to form a resist pattern corresponding to said plurality of opaque regions, said photo mask including alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of each opaque region, said transparent regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; and reducing a line width of a first one of the opaque regions uniformly along a length of the first opaque region, the width being reduced as a function of a distance from the first opaque region to a second one of the opaque regions, the second opaque region being adjacent and parallel to the first opaque region.

Claim 11

A resist pattern forming method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said resist pattern includes line patterns, each line pattern having the same width regardless of a distance between adjacent line patterns.

Claim 12

A resist pattern forming method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first opaque region forms a resist pattern of which an adjacent pattern space is of 0.7 λ/NA or more, and the second opaque region forms a resist pattern of which an adjacent pattern space is of 0.5 λ/NA or less, and widths of said first and second opaque regions are different from each other.

Claim 13

A pattern forming method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the distances between all adjacent resist patterns are at least 0.65 λ/NA.

Claim 14

A pattern forming method comprising the steps of: subjecting a positive resist to exposure with a photo mask to form line patterns having an identical line width, said photo mask including a first opaque region and an adjacent second opaque region and alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of said first and second opaque regions, said transparent regions for each of said first and second opaque regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; wherein said photo mask further including a third opaque region located between the first and second adjacent opaque regions, said first and second opaque regions forming a first line pattern and a second line pattern and a distance from the first line pattern to the second line pattern is not less than a predetermined value.

Claim 15

A pattern forming method comprising the steps of: subjecting a positive resist to exposure with a photo mask to form line patterns having an identical line width, said photo mask including a first opaque region and an adjacent second opaque region and alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of said first and second opaque regions, said transparent regions for each of said first and second opaque regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; wherein said photo mask further including a third opaque region located between the first and second adjacent opaque regions, said first and second opaque regions forming a first line pattern and a second line pattern and a distance from the first line pattern to the second line pattern is not less than a predetermined value.

Claim 16

A pattern forming method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a width x of said transparent region located between said first opaque region and said third opaque region meets the following condition: 0.5 λ/NA≦(transparent region width x)×(projection optical system reduction magnification)≦0.8 λ/NA.

Claim 17

A semiconductor manufacturing method comprising the steps of: coating positive resist on a semiconductor substrate; subjecting the resist to exposure with a photo mask having a plurality of opaque regions to form a resist pattern corresponding to said plurality of opaque regions, said photo mask including alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of each opaque region, said transparent regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; reducing a line width of a first one of the opaque regions uniformly along a length of the first opaque region, the width being reduced as a function of a distance from the first opaque region to a second one of the opaque regions, the second opaque region being adjacent and parallel to the first opaque region; exposing the resist a second time using a second exposure mask to form resist portions necessary for a circuit pattern and to remove unnecessary resist patterns; and developing said resist patterns thus exposed.

Claim 18

A semiconductor manufacturing method comprising the steps of: coating positive resist on a semiconductor substrate; subjecting the resist to exposure with a photo mask having a plurality of opaque regions to form a resist pattern corresponding to said plurality of opaque regions, said photo mask including alternating phase-shifting transparent regions on both sides of each opaque region, said transparent regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another; reducing a line width of a first one of the opaque regions uniformly along a length of the first opaque region, the width being reduced as a function of a distance from the first opaque region to a second one of the opaque regions, the second opaque region being adjacent and parallel to the first opaque region; exposing the resist a second time using a second exposure mask to form resist portions necessary for a circuit pattern and to remove unnecessary resist patterns; and developing said resist patterns thus exposed.

Claim 19

A semiconductor manufacturing method comprising the steps of: coating positive resist on a semiconductor substrate; exposing said resist by using a photo mask in which alternating phase-shifting transparent regions are located on both sides of each of a first opaque region and a second opaque region, the transparent regions for each of said first and second opaque regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another, and a third opaque region is provided between the first and second opaque regions, and a distance from the first opaque region to the second opaque region is not less than a predetermined value; exposing the resist a second time by using a second exposure mask to form portions necessary for a circuit pattern and to remove unnecessary resist patterns including resist patterns corresponding to said third opaque region; and developing said resist patterns thus exposed.

Claim 20

A semiconductor manufacturing method comprising the steps of: coating positive resist on a semiconductor substrate; exposing said resist by using a photo mask in which alternating phase-shifting transparent regions are located on both sides of each of a first opaque region and a second opaque region, the transparent regions for each of said first and second opaque regions alternating in phase by 180° from one another, and a third opaque region is provided between the first and second opaque regions, and a distance from the first opaque region to the second opaque region is not less than a predetermined value; exposing the resist a second time by using a second exposure mask to form portions necessary for a circuit pattern and to remove unnecessary resist patterns including resist patterns corresponding to said third opaque region; and developing said resist patterns thus exposed.