Patent ID: 8883022

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an imprinting mold, comprising: obtaining a mask blank comprising a thin film for forming a pattern formed on a transparent substrate, wherein: the thin film is brought into contact with a surface of the transparent substrate and comprises a laminated film including at least an upper layer and a lower layer; the upper layer is made of a material containing silicon (Si) or a material containing tantalum (Ta); and the lower layer is made of a material that contains at least one of hafnium (Hf) and zirconium (Zr) and that contains substantially no oxygen; etching the thin film in the mask blank to form a thin film pattern; etching the transparent substrate by using the thin film pattern as a mask to form a mold pattern; and after formation of the mold pattern, removing the lower layer of the thin film by bringing the lower layer into contact with a substance which is kept in an unexcited state and which contains a compound of fluorine (F) and any one element of chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and xenon (Xe).