A variety of materials based on various oxides, nitrides, fluorides, and composites have been found to be potentially suitable for use as attenuated phase masking materials for use at excimer laser wavelengths. Presented here are results from the investigation into 193 nm excimer laser radiation of zirconium-nitride-based, aluminum-nitride-based, chrome-fluoride, amorphous-carbon, and tantalum-silicon-nitride (TaN/Si3N4) attenuated phase-shift mask materials at fluence levels mask materials experience during wafer exposure. Spectroscopic photometric and ellipsometric methods were utilized to quantify damage through measurement of transmission and reflection properties and extraction of optical constants. Results show that understoichiometric zirconium-and aluminum-nitride materials are susceptible to radiation-induced modification through oxidation effects while tantalum-silicon-nitride and chrome-fluoride films are able to withstand exposure to several thousand J/cm(2) without significant degradation.