A laser annealing method performed on a reflective photomask may include preparing a reflective photomask including a pattern area and a border area surrounding the pattern area and irradiating a laser beam onto the border area of the reflective photomask. The irradiating of the laser beam may include split-irradiating a plurality of laser beam spots onto the border area. Each of the plurality of laser beam spots may be shaped using a beam shaper. The beam shaper may include a blind area, a transparent area at a center of the blind area, and a semitransparent area between the blind area and the transparent area. Each of the plurality of laser beam spots may include a center portion passing through the transparent area and having a uniform energy profile and an edge portion passing through the semitransparent area and having an inclined energy profile.

A method for aligning molecular orientations of liquid crystals and/or polymeric materials into spatially variant patterns uses metamasks. When non-polarized or circularly polarized light is transmitted through or reflected by the metamasks, spatially varied polarization direction and intensity patterns of light can be generated. By projecting the optical patterns of the metamasks onto substrates coated with photoalignment materials, spatially variant molecular orientations encoded in the polarization and intensity patterns are induced in the photoalignment materials, and transfer into the liquid crystals. Possible designs for the metamask use nanostructures of metallic materials (e.g., rectangular nanocuboids of metallic materials arrayed on a transparent substrate).

A mask blank including a light shielding film pattern having high ArF light fastness.

The light shielding film is on a transparent substrate. In the mask blank, the light shielding film is a single layer film formed of a material containing silicon and nitrogen, and the light shielding film has an optical density to an ArF excimer laser exposure light of 2.5 or more, a surface reflectance to the exposure light of 40% or less, a back-surface reflectance to the exposure light of 40% or less, a transmittance to a light having a wavelength of 900 nm of 50% or less, an extinction coefficient to a light having a wavelength of 900 nm of 0.04 or more, and a thickness of 60 nm or less.

A mask blank including a light shielding film pattern having high ArF light fastness.

The light shielding film is on a transparent substrate. In the mask blank, the light shielding film is a single layer film formed of a material containing silicon and nitrogen, and the light shielding film has an optical density to an ArF excimer laser exposure light of 2.5 or more, a surface reflectance to the exposure light of 40% or less, a back-surface reflectance to the exposure light of 40% or less, a transmittance to a light having a wavelength of 900 nm of 50% or less, an extinction coefficient to a light having a wavelength of 900 nm of 0.04 or more, and a thickness of 60 nm or less.

Disclosed is a photomask comprising: a transparent substrate; and a multi-layer light shielding pattern film disposed on the transparent substrate, wherein the multi-layer light shielding pattern film comprises: a first light shielding film; and a second light shielding film disposed on the first light shielding film and comprising a transition metal and at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen and nitrogen, and wherein a surface roughness Wr of the measuring zone satisfies Equation 1 below:

0 nm<Wr−Wo≤3 nm  [Equation 1] where, in the Equation 1 above, Wo is a surface roughness of the measuring zone before soaking and washing processes, Wr is a surface roughness of the measuring zone after soaking in SC-1 (standard clean-1) solution and washing with ozone water, and the SC-1 solution comprises NH.sub.4OH, H.sub.2O.sub.2, and H.sub.2O.

Disclosed is a photomask comprising: a transparent substrate; and a multi-layer light shielding pattern film disposed on the transparent substrate, wherein the multi-layer light shielding pattern film comprises: a first light shielding film; and a second light shielding film disposed on the first light shielding film and comprising a transition metal and at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen and nitrogen, and wherein a surface roughness Wr of the measuring zone satisfies Equation 1 below:

0 nm<Wr−Wo≤3 nm  [Equation 1] where, in the Equation 1 above, Wo is a surface roughness of the measuring zone before soaking and washing processes, Wr is a surface roughness of the measuring zone after soaking in SC-1 (standard clean-1) solution and washing with ozone water, and the SC-1 solution comprises NH.sub.4OH, H.sub.2O.sub.2, and H.sub.2O.

Methods for making a B-stage thiol-cured urethane acrylate elastomeric film are provided. At least a urethane acrylate oligomer, a multifunctional thiol, and a base catalyst are combined to form a thiol terminated B-stage elastomer. The thiol terminated B-stage elastomer is exposed to an ultraviolet photoinitiator in the presence of an allyl ether terminated urethane to form the B-stage thiol-cured urethane acrylate elastomeric film. In some embodiments the B-stage thiol-cured urethane acrylate elastomeric film is used for a soft actuator application such as a fluidic elastomer actuator application or an electrostatic zipping actuator application.

Methods for making a B-stage thiol-cured urethane acrylate elastomeric film are provided. At least a urethane acrylate oligomer, a multifunctional thiol, and a base catalyst are combined to form a thiol terminated B-stage elastomer. The thiol terminated B-stage elastomer is exposed to an ultraviolet photoinitiator in the presence of an allyl ether terminated urethane to form the B-stage thiol-cured urethane acrylate elastomeric film. In some embodiments the B-stage thiol-cured urethane acrylate elastomeric film is used for a soft actuator application such as a fluidic elastomer actuator application or an electrostatic zipping actuator application.

A blank mask including a transparent substrate and a light shielding film disposed on the transparent substrate, wherein the light shielding film includes a transition metal and at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen and nitrogen, and wherein a surface of the light shielding film has a first contact angle of 40° to 45° measured by using diiodo-methane as a first liquid contacting the surface of the light shielding film, is disclosed.

A blank mask including a transparent substrate and a light shielding film disposed on the transparent substrate, wherein the light shielding film includes a transition metal and at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen and nitrogen, and wherein a surface of the light shielding film has a first contact angle of 40° to 45° measured by using diiodo-methane as a first liquid contacting the surface of the light shielding film, is disclosed.