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.

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.

There is provided a mask blank including on a substrate: a thin film for forming a transfer pattern; a resist underlayer formed on the thin film and made of a resist underlayer composition containing a polymer having a unit structure having a lactone ring and a unit structure having a hydroxyl group; a resist film formed on the resist underlayer film and made of a resist composition; and a mixed film formed so as to be interposed between the resist underlayer film and the resist film and made of a mixed component containing the resist underlayer composition and the resist composition.

There is provided a mask blank including on a substrate: a thin film for forming a transfer pattern; a resist underlayer formed on the thin film and made of a resist underlayer composition containing a polymer having a unit structure having a lactone ring and a unit structure having a hydroxyl group; a resist film formed on the resist underlayer film and made of a resist composition; and a mixed film formed so as to be interposed between the resist underlayer film and the resist film and made of a mixed component containing the resist underlayer composition and the resist composition.

A method of manufacturing a mask includes depositing an end-point layer over a light transmitting substrate, depositing a phase shifter over the end-point layer, depositing a hard mask layer over the phase shifter, and removing a portion of the hard mask layer and a first portion of the phase shifter to expose a portion of the end-point layer. The end-point layer and the light transmitting substrate are transparent to a predetermined wavelength.

A method of forming a pattern includes: preparing a target substrate including a photoresist layer on a base substrate; aligning a phase shift mask to the target substrate, the phase shift mask including a mask substrate comparted into a first region including a first sub region and second sub regions at sides of the first sub region, and second regions at sides of the first region, the phase shift mask including a phase shift layer on the mask substrate corresponding to the first region; fully exposing the photoresist layer at the first sub region and the second regions by utilizing the phase shift mask; and removing the photoresist layer at the first sub region and the second regions to form first and second photoresist patterns corresponding to the second sub regions. Transmittance of the phase shift layer is selected to fully expose the photoresist layer in the first sub region.

A method of forming a pattern includes: preparing a target substrate including a photoresist layer on a base substrate; aligning a phase shift mask to the target substrate, the phase shift mask including a mask substrate comparted into a first region including a first sub region and second sub regions at sides of the first sub region, and second regions at sides of the first region, the phase shift mask including a phase shift layer on the mask substrate corresponding to the first region; fully exposing the photoresist layer at the first sub region and the second regions by utilizing the phase shift mask; and removing the photoresist layer at the first sub region and the second regions to form first and second photoresist patterns corresponding to the second sub regions. Transmittance of the phase shift layer is selected to fully expose the photoresist layer in the first sub region.

A mask blank includes: a light transmitting substrate; a first layer disposed on the light transmitting substrate, and including a chromium compound that contains chromium and at least one element selected from oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon; and a second layer disposed on the first layer as an outermost layer from among the first and second layers, and including a silicon compound that contains silicon and at least one element selected from oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon, an alloy of a transition metal and silicon, or a transition metal and silicon compound that contains a transition metal, silicon, and at least one element selected from oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon. The thickness of the first layer is 45 nm or less, and the thickness of the second layer is 5 nm or greater. An optical density of a stack composed of the first layer and the second layer is 3 or greater.

A method of forming a pattern includes: preparing a target substrate including a photoresist layer on a base substrate; aligning a phase shift mask to the target substrate, the phase shift mask including a mask substrate comparted into a first region including a first sub region and second sub regions at sides of the first sub region, and second regions at sides of the first region, the phase shift mask including a phase shift layer on the mask substrate corresponding to the first region; fully exposing the photoresist layer at the first sub region and the second regions by utilizing the phase shift mask; and removing the photoresist layer at the first sub region and the second regions to form first and second photoresist patterns corresponding to the second sub regions. Transmittance of the phase shift layer is selected to fully expose the photoresist layer in the first sub region.