Hoya has filed a patent for a substrate with a multilayer reflective film that aims to prevent film peeling during the mask manufacturing process. The film consists of alternating high and low refractive index layers, with the outermost periphery containing a compound of silicon and a transition metal. The patent claims that the ratio of silicon content to the total content of silicon and the transition metal in the compound should be 0.50 or less. GlobalData’s report on Hoya gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Hoya, AI-assisted medical imaging was a key innovation area identified from patents. Hoya's grant share as of September 2023 was 42%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

A substrate with a multilayer reflective film

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: Hoya Corp

A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230314928A1) describes a substrate with a multilayer reflective film and a reflective mask blank. The substrate includes a main surface with a multilayer reflective film consisting of alternating high refractive index layers containing Si and low refractive index layers containing a transition metal. The outermost periphery of the multilayer reflective film is composed of a compound containing both Si and the transition metal, with a ratio of Si content to the total content of Si and the transition metal being 0.50 or less.

In addition, the compound in the multilayer reflective film may also include oxygen, with a content ranging from 0.5 atomic % to 75 atomic %. The substrate may further include a protective film formed on the multilayer reflective film to enhance durability and protection.

The patent also describes a reflective mask blank, which includes a substrate with a multilayer reflective film and an absorber film. The multilayer reflective film has the same composition as described above, with the outermost periphery consisting of the compound containing Si and the transition metal. The ratio of Si content to the total content of Si and the transition metal in the compound is 0.50 or less. The compound may also include oxygen, with a content ranging from 0.5 atomic % to 75 atomic %.

The reflective mask blank may further include a protective film between the multilayer reflective film and the absorber film, made of a material with different etching selectivity from the absorber film. Additionally, a resist film may be formed on the absorber film, with the end portion of the outer periphery of the resist film located above the outermost periphery of the multilayer reflective film formed of the compound.

The patent also includes methods for manufacturing a reflective mask and a semiconductor device using the reflective mask blank. The method involves preparing the reflective mask blank and patterning the absorber film to create an absorber pattern on the multilayer reflective film. This pattern is then transferred onto a resist film on a semiconductor substrate.

Overall, this patent describes a substrate and a reflective mask blank with a multilayer reflective film, offering improved performance and protection for various applications in the semiconductor industry.

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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies