Extreme ultraviolet masks having annealed light-absorptive borders and associated fabrication methods

摘要

Embodiments of a method for fabricating an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask having a die pattern area are provided, as are embodiments of a method for fabricating an integrated circuit utilizing an EUV mask and embodiments of an EUV mask. In one embodiment, the EUV mask fabrication method includes obtaining an EUV mask blank including a substrate and a multi-layer (ML) reflector disposed over the substrate, and annealing localized portions of the ML reflector to produce an EUV light-absorptive border extending at least partially around an outer perimeter of the die pattern area.