X-RAY MASK FABRICATION USING "DIAMOND POLYMER FILMS" (DPF) MEMBRANES AND W-ALLOYED DPF ABSORBERS

THIN FILM STRUCTURES BASED ON A NOVEL CLASS OF PREDOMINANTLY AMORPHOUS CARBON FILMS, TERMED, DIAMOND POLYMER FILMS (DPF) CAN BE UTILIZED FOR THE FORMATION OF X-RAY MASKS. LIKE DIAMONDLIKEFILMS, THESE FILMS ARE EXTREMELY HARD, AND POSSESS X-RAY AND OPTICAL TRANSPARENCY. UNLIKE HIGHLY STRESSED, DIAMONDLIKE FILMS, THE STRESS LEVEL IN THESE DPF FILMS CAN BE CONTROLLED (FROM HIGHLY STRESSED TO STRESS-FREE) BY APPROPRIATE ADDITIONS OF ELEMENTS LIKE SILICON DURING THE DEPOSITION. FURTHER, THESE FILMS CAN BE ALLOYED WITH METALLIC ELEMENTS LIKE W TO PRODUCE STRESS-FREE W-DPF FILMS. THESE STRESS-FREE, DPF FILMS CAN BE ""SEAMLESS"LY GROWN ONTO UNALLOYED DPF FILMS AND ACT AS X-RAY ABSORBERS TO FORM X-RAY AND OPTICALLY TRANSPARENT, MECHANICALLY STIFF, DIMENSIONALLY CONFORMED X-RAY MASKS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF IC TECHNOLOGIES. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONSTHE FORMATION OF GOOD MASK TECHNOLOGY USING DPF FILMS WILL REMOVE ONE OF THE MAJOR OBSTACLES TO COMMERCIAL UTILIZATION OF X-RAY LITHOGRAPHY FOR THE FORMATION OF ULTRA FINE FEATURES LEADING TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF IC TECHNOLOGY.