IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0936806
(2004-09-09)
|
등록번호 |
US-7279253
(2007-10-09)
|
우선권정보 |
JP-2003-321227(2003-09-12); JP-2003-323252(2003-09-16) |
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Yamada,Tomohiro
- Kuroda,Ryo
- Mizutani,Natsuhiko
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
7 인용 특허 :
7 |
초록
▼
A near-field exposure mask includes a mask base material and a light blocking layer formed on the base material, the light blocking layer includes a fine metal structure or fine opening formed in the light blocking layer. The size of the metal structure or the size of the opening is not more than a
A near-field exposure mask includes a mask base material and a light blocking layer formed on the base material, the light blocking layer includes a fine metal structure or fine opening formed in the light blocking layer. The size of the metal structure or the size of the opening is not more than a wavelength of light for exposure, and at least one of a cross section of the fine metal structure in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the mask, and a cross section of the fine opening in a direction perpendicular to the mask surface has an asymmetrical sectional shape with respect to an arbitrary axis perpendicular to the mask surface.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A near-field exposure mask having a mask base material and a light blocking layer formed on the base material, the light blocking layer comprising a fine metal structure or fine opening formed in the light blocking layer, wherein the size of the metal structure or the size of
What is claimed is: 1. A near-field exposure mask having a mask base material and a light blocking layer formed on the base material, the light blocking layer comprising a fine metal structure or fine opening formed in the light blocking layer, wherein the size of the metal structure or the size of the opening is not more than a wavelength of light for exposure, and at least one of a cross section of the fine metal structure in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the mask, and a cross section of the fine opening in a direction perpendicular to the mask surface has an asymmetrical sectional shape with respect to an arbitrary axis perpendicular to the mask surface. 2. A mask according to claim 1, wherein the mask has such a structure that the light for exposure is incident from a first surface side of the mask and an optical electrical field is generated from a second surface side of the mask, and the asymmetrical sectional shape of the mask has at least one acute vertex in the neighborhood of the second surface side of the mask. 3. A mask according to claim 1, wherein the asymmetrical sectional shape is a substantially polygonal shape selected from the group consisting of a substantial triangle, a substantial rectangle, and a substantial parallelogram. 4. A near-field light generating method, comprising: providing a near-field exposure mask having a mask base material and a light blocking layer formed on the base material, the light blocking layer comprising a fine metal structure or a fine opening formed in the light blocking layer, wherein the size of the metal structure or the size of the fine opening is not more than a wavelength of light for exposure, and at least one of a cross section of the fine metal structure in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the mask and a cross section of the fine opening in a direction perpendicular to the mask has an asymmetrical sectional shape with respect to an arbitrary axis perpendicular to the mask surface; and creating at least one of an electrical field concentration, interference of surface plasmon polariton waves, and plasma oscillation in an asymmetrical system including the asymmetrical sectional shape to generate intense near-field light in the neighborhood of a vertex of the asymmetrical sectional shape of the mask. 5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the interference of surface plasmon polariton waves is created so that a difference in an effective propagation distance between a surface plasmon polariton wave propagated from one side in the asymmetrical system and a surface plasmon polariton wave propagated from the other side opposite from the one side is an odd integral of a substantial half-wavelength of the surface plasmon polariton wave. 6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the intense near-field light is generated in the neighborhood of the vertex of the asymmetrical sectional shape of the mask by the plasma oscillation. 7. A near-field light generating structure, comprising: a light blocking metal layer comprising a fine opening having a size of not more than a wavelength of polarization-controlled light incident from a light source and a metal piece disposed in the fine opening, wherein the metal piece has a sectional shape in a plane including a plane of polarization of the incident light, which is asymmetrical with respect to a center line of the fine opening. 8. A structure according to claim 7, wherein the metal piece has first and second vertexes in the neighborhood of a light-incident surface and a third vertex in the neighborhood of a surface, opposite from the light-incident surface, where an optical electric field is created, the metal piece having a phase difference β represented by the following equation (2): description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"β=(c-d)/Λ?2π (2),description="In-line Formulae" end="tail" wherein c represents an effective propagation distance of a surface plasmon polariton wave in view of an effective refractive index from the first vertex to the third vertex, d represents an effective propagation distance of surface plasmon polariton wave in view of an effective refractive index from the second vertex to the third vertex, and λ represents a wavelength of the surface plasmon polariton wave. 9. A near-field light generating structure, comprising: a light blocking metal layer comprising a fine opening having a size of not more than a wavelength of polarization-controlled light incident from a light source and a metal piece disposed in the fine opening, wherein the light blocking metal layer has a periodic surface unevenness for exciting a surface plasmon polariton wave and the fine opening is formed at a center position where a sectional shape of the periodic surface unevenness in a plane including a plane of polarization of the incident light is symmetrical with respect to a propagating direction of the light or at a position shifted from the center position, and wherein the metal piece has an asymmetrical sectional shape with respect to a center line of the fine opening in a plane including a plane of polarization of the incident light when the fine opening is formed at the center position and the metal piece has a symmetrical or an asymmetrical sectional shape when the fine opening is formed at the shifted position. 10. A structure according to claim 9, wherein the periodic surface unevenness of the light blocking metal layer has a period substantially equal to a wavelength of surface plasmon polariton wave excited at the surface of the light blocking metal layer. 11. A structure according to claim 9, wherein the periodic surface unevenness has a phase difference α represented by the following equation (1): description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"α=(a-b)/Λ?2π (1)description="In-line Formulae" end="tail" wherein a represents a distance between an end surface and a starting point of a period structure on one side with respect to a center line of the fine opening, b represents a distance between an end surface and a starting point of a periodic structure on the other side with respect to the center line of the fine opening and Λ represents a pitch of the periodic surface unevenness. 12. A structure according to claim 11, wherein the phase difference α of the periodic surface unevenness satisfies an equation (3) shown below and the metal piece has a phase difference β satisfying an equation (4) shown below: description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"α=(2m+1)π (3),description="In-line Formulae" end="tail" description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"β=(2n+1)π (4),description="In-line Formulae" end="tail" wherein m and n are an integer. 13. A near-field exposure apparatus, comprising: a near-field exposure mask having a mask base material and a light blocking layer formed on the base material, the light blocking layer comprising a fine metal structure or a fine opening formed in the light blocking layer, wherein the size of the metal structure or the size of the fine opening is not more than a wavelength of light for exposure, and at least one of a cross section of the fine metal structure in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the mask and a cross section of the fine opening in a direction perpendicular to the mask has an asymmetrical sectional shape with respect to an arbitrary axis perpendicular to the mask surface; and an exposure light source.
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