| abstract |
A method and apparatus for etching photomasks are provided herein. The apparatus includes a process chamber (102) with a shield (170) above a substrate support. The shield comprises a plate (172) with apertures (174), and the plate has two zones with at least one characteristic, such as material or potential bias, that is different from each other. The method provides for etching a photomask substrate with a distribution of ions and neutral species that pass through the shield. |