There are provided a reflective mask blank, a reflective mask, a reflective mask manufacturing method, and a reflective mask correction technique capable of reducing time required for electron beam correction etching, even when a material used for a thin absorption film has a large extinction coefficient k to an EUV light. A reflective photomask blank (10) according to this embodiment has a substrate (1), a multi-layer reflective film (2), a capping layer (3), and a low reflective portion (5), in which the low reflective portion (5) is obtained by alternately depositing an absorption film (A) and an absorption film (B), the correction etching rate in the electron beam correction of the absorption film (A) is larger than the correction etching rate in the electron beam correction of the absorption film (B), and the absorption film (B) contains one or more elements selected from tin, indium, platinum, nickel, tellurium, silver, and cobalt.

The present invention is intended to provide a reflective photomask blank and a reflective photomask that have high hydrogen radical resistance and minimize a shadowing effect to improve transferability. A reflective photomask blank (10) according to the present embodiment includes a substrate (1), a reflective portion (7), and a low reflective portion (8). The low reflective portion (8) includes an absorption layer (4) and an outermost layer (5). The absorption layer (4) includes a total of 50 atomic% or more of one or more selected from a first material group. The outermost layer (5) includes a total of 80 atomic% or more of at least one or more selected from a second material group. The first material group includes indium, tin, tellurium, cobalt, nickel, platinum, silver, copper, zinc, bismuth, and oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides thereof. The second material group includes tantalum, aluminum, ruthenium, molybdenum, zirconium, titanium, zinc, vanadium, and oxides, nitrides, oxynitrides, and indium oxides thereof.

The present invention is intended to provide a reflective photomask blank and a reflective photomask that have high hydrogen radical resistance and minimize a shadowing effect to improve transferability. A reflective photomask blank (10) according to the present embodiment includes a substrate (1), a reflective portion (7), and a low reflective portion (8). The low reflective portion (8) includes an absorption layer (4) and an outermost layer (5). The absorption layer (4) includes a total of 50 atomic% or more of one or more selected from a first material group. The outermost layer (5) includes a total of 80 atomic% or more of at least one or more selected from a second material group. The first material group includes indium, tin, tellurium, cobalt, nickel, platinum, silver, copper, zinc, bismuth, and oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides thereof. The second material group includes tantalum, aluminum, ruthenium, molybdenum, zirconium, titanium, zinc, vanadium, and oxides, nitrides, oxynitrides, and indium oxides thereof.

A photomask blank having a substrate; and a multilayer film including a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer. The first layer contains 43 at % or less chromium, 32 at % or more oxygen, 25 at % or less nitrogen and 5 at % or more and 18 at % or less carbon and has a thickness of 8 nm or more and 16 nm or less. The second layer contains 66 at % or more and 92 at % or less chromium and 8 at % or more and 30 at % or less nitrogen and has a thickness of 50 nm or more and 75 nm or less. The third layer contains 44 at % or less chromium, 30 at % or more oxygen and 28 at % or less nitrogen and has a thickness of 10 nm or less. A surface roughness Rq of the multilayer film is 0.65 nm or less.

A photomask blank having a substrate; and a multilayer film including a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer. The first layer contains 43 at % or less chromium, 32 at % or more oxygen, 25 at % or less nitrogen and 5 at % or more and 18 at % or less carbon and has a thickness of 8 nm or more and 16 nm or less. The second layer contains 66 at % or more and 92 at % or less chromium and 8 at % or more and 30 at % or less nitrogen and has a thickness of 50 nm or more and 75 nm or less. The third layer contains 44 at % or less chromium, 30 at % or more oxygen and 28 at % or less nitrogen and has a thickness of 10 nm or less. A surface roughness Rq of the multilayer film is 0.65 nm or less.

A reflective mask includes a substrate, a reflective multilayer disposed on the substrate, a capping layer disposed on the reflective multilayer, and an absorber layer disposed on the capping layer. The absorber layer includes a base material made of one or more of a Cr based material, an Ir based material, a Pt based material, or Co based material, and further contains one or more additional elements selected from the group consisting of Si, B, Ge, Al, As, Sb, Te, Se and Bi.

A display device includes: a display area including a plurality of pixels; a first peripheral area disposed at one side of the display area; and a second peripheral area disposed at the opposite side of the display area, wherein a first column spacer is disposed in the display area, a second column spacer is disposed in the first peripheral area, and a third column spacer is disposed in the second peripheral area. The patterns of an exposure mask utilized in the first peripheral area in which the second column spacer is disposed and the second peripheral area in which the third column spacer is disposed may be different from each other.

A display device includes: a display area including a plurality of pixels; a first peripheral area disposed at one side of the display area; and a second peripheral area disposed at the opposite side of the display area, wherein a first column spacer is disposed in the display area, a second column spacer is disposed in the first peripheral area, and a third column spacer is disposed in the second peripheral area. The patterns of an exposure mask utilized in the first peripheral area in which the second column spacer is disposed and the second peripheral area in which the third column spacer is disposed may be different from each other.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a substrate; a multilayer stack of reflective layers on the substrate; and an absorber layer comprising tantalum and iridium or ruthenium and antimony.

A method including forming an insulating film over first, second, third and fourth regions of a semiconductor substrate; forming a polyimide film on the insulating film; and patterning the polyimide film with a lithography method using a photomask including at least a first region of a first transmittance rate, a second region of a second transmittance rate, a third region. having a shading material, and a fourth region, wherein the first, second, third and fourth regions of the photomask correspond to the first, second, third and fourth regions of the semiconductor substrate, respectively.