The present invention provides a halftone mask comprising an assist pattern and a manufacturing method of the halftone mask, which uses an ArF excimer laser as an exposing source, is used for a projection exposure by an off axis illumination, does not resolve the assist pattern while keeping the focal depth magnification effect as the assist pattern, and may form a transferred image having high contrast of a main pattern. A photomask is a photomask comprising the main pattern which is transferred to a transfer-target surface by the projection exposure and the assist pattern which is formed nearby the main pattern and not transferred, characterized in that the main pattern and the assist pattern are each constituted from a semi-transparent film made of the same material, a retardation of 180 is generated between the light transmitting through the main pattern and the light transmitting through a transparent region of a transparent substrate, and a predetermined retardation within the scope of 70 to 115 is generated between the light transmitting through the assist pattern and the light transmitting through the transparent region of the transparent substrate.

The present invention provides a halftone mask comprising an assist pattern and a manufacturing method of the halftone mask, which uses an ArF excimer laser as an exposing source, is used for a projection exposure by an off axis illumination, does not resolve the assist pattern while keeping the focal depth magnification effect as the assist pattern, and may form a transferred image having high contrast of a main pattern. A photomask is a photomask comprising the main pattern which is transferred to a transfer-target surface by the projection exposure and the assist pattern which is formed nearby the main pattern and not transferred, characterized in that the main pattern and the assist pattern are each constituted from a semi-transparent film made of the same material, a retardation of 180 is generated between the light transmitting through the main pattern and the light transmitting through a transparent region of a transparent substrate, and a predetermined retardation within the scope of 70 to 115 is generated between the light transmitting through the assist pattern and the light transmitting through the transparent region of the transparent substrate.

The present invention discloses a method for quickly establishing lithography process condition by a pre-compensation value, comprising: firstly determining a reference process condition of masks of which parameters are same, and then determining an optimum process condition of the first mask; thereafter, calculating a ratio of the optimum process condition of the first mask deviating from the reference process condition, wherein if the ratio is equal to or larger than a set threshold, the first mask is inspected, and if the ratio is less than the set threshold, an optimum process condition of the second mask is determined according to the ratio and the reference process condition of the second mask; and by analogy, determining optimum process conditions of the rest masks. The method of the present invention can quickly establish a lithograph process condition, reduce the trial production time for determining the optimum defocus amount and exposure amount.

The present invention discloses a method for quickly establishing lithography process condition by a pre-compensation value, comprising: firstly determining a reference process condition of masks of which parameters are same, and then determining an optimum process condition of the first mask; thereafter, calculating a ratio of the optimum process condition of the first mask deviating from the reference process condition, wherein if the ratio is equal to or larger than a set threshold, the first mask is inspected, and if the ratio is less than the set threshold, an optimum process condition of the second mask is determined according to the ratio and the reference process condition of the second mask; and by analogy, determining optimum process conditions of the rest masks. The method of the present invention can quickly establish a lithograph process condition, reduce the trial production time for determining the optimum defocus amount and exposure amount.

A write assist circuit includes: a memory-adapted latch and memory-adapted third and fourth NMOS transistors. The latch includes: a memory-adapted first PMOS transistor and a memory-adapted first NMOS transistor connected in series between a power-supply voltage and a first node, the first node being selectively connectable to a ground voltage; and a memory-adapted second PMOS transistor and a memory-adapted second NMOS transistor connected in series between the power-supply voltage and the second node, the second node being selectively connectable to the ground voltage. The third NMOS transistor is connected in series between the first node and the ground voltage; and the fourth NMOS transistor connected in series between the second node and the ground voltage. A gate electrode of each of the third and fourth transistors is connected to a latch-enable signal-line thereby for controlling the memory-adapted latch.

A mask blank having a structure in which, on a transparent substrate, a light shielding film and a hard mask film are laminated in the stated order from the transparent substrate side. The hard mask film is formed of a material containing at least one element selected from silicon and tantalum, and the light shielding film is formed of a material containing chromium. The mask blank has a structure of three layers wherein a lower layer, an intermediate layer, and an upper layer are laminated in the stated order from the transparent substrate side. The upper layer has a lowest content of chromium in the light shielding film, the intermediate layer has a highest content of chromium in the light shielding film. It contains at least one metallic element selected from indium, tin, and molybdenum.

A mask blank having a structure in which, on a transparent substrate, a light shielding film and a hard mask film are laminated in the stated order from the transparent substrate side. The hard mask film is formed of a material containing at least one element selected from silicon and tantalum, and the light shielding film is formed of a material containing chromium. The mask blank has a structure of three layers wherein a lower layer, an intermediate layer, and an upper layer are laminated in the stated order from the transparent substrate side. The upper layer has a lowest content of chromium in the light shielding film, the intermediate layer has a highest content of chromium in the light shielding film. It contains at least one metallic element selected from indium, tin, and molybdenum.

There is provided a phase shift mask for extreme-ultraviolet lithography and a method of manufacturing the phase shift mask. The phase shift mask includes a substrate, a reflective layer, device patterns, a frame pattern, or phase shift patterns. The frame pattern is a pattern that includes alignment holes exposing portions of the reflective layer. The phase shift patterns overlap with the device patterns.

There is provided a phase shift mask for extreme-ultraviolet lithography and a method of manufacturing the phase shift mask. The phase shift mask includes a substrate, a reflective layer, device patterns, a frame pattern, or phase shift patterns. The frame pattern is a pattern that includes alignment holes exposing portions of the reflective layer. The phase shift patterns overlap with the device patterns.

Provided are a mask blank, a phase shift mask, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. A mask blank comprises a light-shielding film on a transparent substrate. The light-shielding film is made of a material comprising silicon and nitrogen. An internal region of the light-shielding film has a maximum peak at a binding energy in a range in which a Si2p narrow spectrum obtained by analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is more than 100 eV and 101.5 eV or less. The internal region of the light-shielding film is a region obtained by excluding a back surface side region on the transparent substrate side and a front surface side region opposite to the transparent substrate.