Manufacture of masks

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR GENERATING METAL PATTERNS ON SUBSTRATES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. FORMING REFERENCE MARKINGS AT A SURFACE OF A SUBSTRATE: B. COATING SAID SURFACE AND SAID MARKINGS WITH A LAYER OF ELECTRON BEAM SENSITIVE RESIST; C. SCANNING THE REFERENCE MARKINGS IN A FIRST CONTROLLED MANNER WITH AN ELECTRON BEAM TO GENERATE CORRECTION SIGNALS FOR ALIGNMENT; D. REFLECTING SAID ELECTRON BEAM IN RESPONSE TO DEFLECTION SIGNALS REPRESENTING THE DESIRED METAL PATTERN, SAID DEFLECTION OF THE ELECTRON BEAM BEING POSITIONALLY CORRECTED BY SAID CORRECTION SIGNALS FOR ALIGMENT TO SCAN THE ELECTRON BEAM SENSITIVE RESIST IN A SECOND CONTROLLED MANNER WITH SAID ELECTRON BEAM TO EFFECT ELECTRON BEAM EXPOSURE OF SELECTED PORTIONS OF SAID ELECTRON BEAM SENSITIVE RESIST SUCH THAT SAID EXPOSED PORTIONS THEREOF ARE ALIGNED WITH RESPECT TO SAID REFERENCE MARKINGS; E. REMOVING SAID EXPOSED PORTIONS OF ELECTRON BEAM RESIST TO DEFINE A PATTERN THEREIN CORRESPONDING WITH SAID REFERENCE METAL PATTERNS ALIGNED WITH RESPECT TO SAID REFERENCE MARKING F. COATING SAID PATTERNED ELECTRON BEAM RESIST WITH A METAL LAYER; AND G. REMOVING THE UNEXPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID ELECTRON BEAM RESIST TOGETHER WITH PORTIONS OF SAID METAL LAYER OF MASK MATERIAL OVERLYING SAID UNEXPOSED PORTIONS OF RESIST THEREBY LEAVING A DESIRED METAL PATTERN DEFINED IN SAID METAL LAYER.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR GENERATING METAL PATTERNS ON SUBSTRATES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. FORMING REFERENCE MARKINGS AT A SURFACE OF A SUBSTRATE: B. COATING SAID SURFACE AND SAID MARKINGS WITH A LAYER OF ELECTRON BEAM SENSITIVE RESIST; C. SCANNING THE REFERENCE MARKINGS IN A FIRST CONTROLLED MANNER WITH AN ELECTRON BEAM TO GENERATE CORRECTION SIGNALS FOR ALIGNMENT; D. REFLECTING SAID ELECTRON BEAM IN RESPONSE TO DEFLECTION SIGNALS REPRESENTING THE DESIRED METAL PATTERN, SAID DEFLECTION OF THE ELECTRON BEAM BEING POSITIONALLY CORRECTED BY SAID CORRECTION SIGNALS FOR ALIGMENT TO SCAN THE ELECTRON BEAM SENSITIVE RESIST IN A SECOND CONTROLLED MANNER WITH SAID ELECTRON BEAM TO EFFECT ELECTRON BEAM EXPOSURE OF SELECTED PORTIONS OF SAID ELECTRON BEAM SENSITIVE RESIST SUCH THAT SAID EXPOSED PORTIONS THEREOF ARE ALIGNED WITH RESPECT TO SAID REFERENCE MARKINGS; E. REMOVING SAID EXPOSED PORTIONS OF ELECTRON BEAM RESIST TO DEFINE A PATTERN THEREIN CORRESPONDING WITH SAID REFERENCE METAL PATTERNS ALIGNED WITH RESPECT TO SAID REFERENCE MARKING F. COATING SAID PATTERNED ELECTRON BEAM RESIST WITH A METAL LAYER; AND G. REMOVING THE UNEXPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID ELECTRON BEAM RESIST TOGETHER WITH PORTIONS OF SAID METAL LAYER OF MASK MATERIAL OVERLYING SAID UNEXPOSED PORTIONS OF RESIST THEREBY LEAVING A DESIRED METAL PATTERN DEFINED IN SAID METAL LAYER.

Claim 6

A method for generating metal mask patterns on substrates comprising the steps of: a. forming a first metal layer on a surface of a glass substrate; b. forming a patterned resist layer on said first metal layer to leave uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer; c. etching said uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer to form a selectively positioned array of reference markings in said first metal layer; d. coating said first metal layer and said reference markings therein with a layer of electron beam sensitive resist; e. scanning said electron beam resist in a first controlled manner with an electron beam to generate alignment correction signals indicative of relative displacements of said reference markings from respective predetermined alignment positions; f. deflecting said electron beam in response to deflection signals corresponding with a desired mask pattern, said deflection of the electron beam being positionally corrected by said alignment correction signals to effect exposure of selected portions of said electron beam sensitive resist having preselected alignment relationships with said reference markings; g. removing said exposed portions of electron beam resist thereby defining a pattern therein corresponding with said desired mask patterns aligned with respect to said reference markings; h. coating said patterned layer of electron beam resist with a second metal layer; and i. selectively etching said unexposed portions of electron beam resist together with portions of sAid second metal layer overlying said unexposed portions or resist and further selectively etching portions of said first metal layer underlying said unexposed portions of said electron beam resist thereby leaving a desired mask pattern defined by portions of said second metal layer remaining on said substrate.

Claim 7

A method for generating metal mask patterns on substrates comprising the steps of: a. forming a first metal layer on a surface of a glass substrate; b. forming a patterned resist layer on said first metal layer to leave uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer; c. etching said uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer to form a selectively positioned array of reference markings in said first metal layer; d. coating said first metal layer and said reference markings therein with a layer of electron beam sensitive resist; e. scanning said electron beam resist in a first controlled manner with an electron beam to generate alignment correction signals indicative of relative displacements of said reference markings from respective predetermined alignment positions; f. deflecting said electron beam in response to deflection signals corresponding with a desired mask pattern, said deflection of the electron beam being positionally corrected by said alignment correction signals to effect exposure of selected portions of said electron beam sensitive resist having preselected alignment relationships with said reference markings; g. removing said exposed portions of electron beam resist thereby defining a pattern therein corresponding with said desired mask patterns aligned with respect to said reference markings; h. coating said patterned layer of electron beam resist with a second metal layer; and i. selectively etching said unexposed portions of electron beam resist together with portions of sAid second metal layer overlying said unexposed portions or resist and further selectively etching portions of said first metal layer underlying said unexposed portions of said electron beam resist thereby leaving a desired mask pattern defined by portions of said second metal layer remaining on said substrate.

Claim 10

A method for genrating metal patterns on substrates comprising the steps of: a. defining reference markings in a first metal layer on a surface of a substrate; b. coating said surface and said reference markings with a layer of electron beam sensitive resist; c. scanning said reference markings in a first controlled manner with an electron beam to generate correction signals for alignment; d. removing said exposed portions of electron beam resist to define therein a pattern corresponding with a desired mask pattern; e. scanning said electron beam over said electron beam sensitive resist in response to said correction signals to effect electron beam exposure of selected portions of said electron beam sensitive resist such that said exposed portions are aligned with respect to said reference markings; f. coating said patterned electron beam resist layer with a second metal layer; and g. selectively removing unexposed portions of said electron beam resist together with portions of said second metal layer overlying said unexposed portions of resist and further removing portions of said first metal layer underlying said unexposed portions of resist, thereby leaving said desired metal patterns defined by portions of said second metal layer remaining on said substrate.

Claim 11

A method for genrating metal patterns on substrates comprising the steps of: a. defining reference markings in a first metal layer on a surface of a substrate; b. coating said surface and said reference markings with a layer of electron beam sensitive resist; c. scanning said reference markings in a first controlled manner with an electron beam to generate correction signals for alignment; d. removing said exposed portions of electron beam resist to define therein a pattern corresponding with a desired mask pattern; e. scanning said electron beam over said electron beam sensitive resist in response to said correction signals to effect electron beam exposure of selected portions of said electron beam sensitive resist such that said exposed portions are aligned with respect to said reference markings; f. coating said patterned electron beam resist layer with a second metal layer; and g. selectively removing unexposed portions of said electron beam resist together with portions of said second metal layer overlying said unexposed portions of resist and further removing portions of said first metal layer underlying said unexposed portions of resist, thereby leaving said desired metal patterns defined by portions of said second metal layer remaining on said substrate.

Claim 12

A method for generating metal mask patterns on substrates comprising the steps of: a. forming a first metal layer on a surface of a glass substrate; b. forming a patterned resist layer on said first metal to leave uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer; c. etching said uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer to form a selectively positioned array of reference markings in said first metal layer; d. coating said first metal layer and said reference markings therein with a layer of electron beam sensitive resist; electrically grounding said markings; f. scanning the electron beam resist over areas thereof corresponding to reference marking locations in a first controlled manner to generate secondary electron emission; g. generating alignment correction signals in response to said secondary electron emission indicative of relative displacements of said reference markings from respective predetermined alignment positions; h. deflecting said electron beam in response to deflection signals corresponding with a desired mask pattern, said deflection of the electron beam being positionally corrected by said alignment correction signals to effect exposure of selected portions of said electron beam sensitive resist having preselected alignment relationships with said reference markings; i. removing said exposed portions of electron beam resist thereby defining a pattern therein corresponding with said desired mask patterns aligned with respect to said reference markings; j. coating said patterned layer of electron beam resist with a second metal layer; and k. selectively etching said unexposed portions of electron beam resist together with portions of said second metal layer overlying said unexposed portions of resist and further selectively etching portions of said first metal layer underlying said unexposed portions of said electron beam resist thereby leaving a desired maks pattern defiNed by portions of said second metal layer remaining on said substrate.

Claim 13

A method for generating metal mask patterns on substrates comprising the steps of: a. forming a first metal layer on a surface of a glass substrate; b. forming a patterned resist layer on said first metal to leave uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer; c. etching said uncovered selected areas of said first metal layer to form a selectively positioned array of reference markings in said first metal layer; d. coating said first metal layer and said reference markings therein with a layer of electron beam sensitive resist; electrically grounding said markings; f. scanning the electron beam resist over areas thereof corresponding to reference marking locations in a first controlled manner to generate secondary electron emission; g. generating alignment correction signals in response to said secondary electron emission indicative of relative displacements of said reference markings from respective predetermined alignment positions; h. deflecting said electron beam in response to deflection signals corresponding with a desired mask pattern, said deflection of the electron beam being positionally corrected by said alignment correction signals to effect exposure of selected portions of said electron beam sensitive resist having preselected alignment relationships with said reference markings; i. removing said exposed portions of electron beam resist thereby defining a pattern therein corresponding with said desired mask patterns aligned with respect to said reference markings; j. coating said patterned layer of electron beam resist with a second metal layer; and k. selectively etching said unexposed portions of electron beam resist together with portions of said second metal layer overlying said unexposed portions of resist and further selectively etching portions of said first metal layer underlying said unexposed portions of said electron beam resist thereby leaving a desired maks pattern defiNed by portions of said second metal layer remaining on said substrate.