JP2012238682A - Filter box, filter device, and exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently perform replacement of a filter with high positioning accuracy.SOLUTION: A filter box 38 holding a chemical filter 51 includes: a frame 50 holding the chemical filter 51; a guide groove 52 formed on the side surface 50c of the frame 50; and recesses 39A, 39B provided on the rear surface 50b crossing the side surface 50c. The guide groove 52 includes: a first groove 52a which is disposed between the upper end and the lower end of the side surface 50c and communicated with the side end of the side surface 50c of the frame 50; and a second groove 52b which is communicated with the first groove 52a and extends toward the upper end of the frame 50.

Description

  The present invention provides, for example, a filter box that holds a filter for removing impurities or the like in a gas, an exposure apparatus including the filter box, and a semiconductor element, a liquid crystal display element, an imaging element, or the like using the exposure apparatus. The present invention relates to a device manufacturing method for manufacturing.

  For example, in an exposure apparatus used in a lithography process for manufacturing an electronic device (microdevice) such as a semiconductor element, in order to obtain high exposure accuracy (resolution, positioning accuracy, etc.), illumination characteristics and projection of an illumination optical system The imaging characteristics of the optical system must be maintained in a predetermined state, and the space where the reticle (or photomask, etc.), projection optical system, and wafer (or glass plate, etc.) are installed must be maintained in a predetermined environment. . Therefore, conventionally, an exposure main body including a part of an illumination optical system of an exposure apparatus, a reticle stage, a projection optical system, a wafer stage, and the like is installed in a box-shaped chamber, and a predetermined temperature is set in the chamber. An air conditioner that is controlled and supplies clean gas (for example, air) that has passed through a dust filter by a downflow method and a sideflow method is provided.

  In the exposure apparatus, the wavelength of exposure light has been shortened in order to meet the recent demand for finer circuit patterns. Recently, KrF excimer laser (wavelength 248 nm) is used as the exposure light, and more or less vacuum. An ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm) in the ultraviolet region is used. When such exposure light with a short wavelength is used, the transmittance of the exposure light is reduced if a trace amount of organic gas (organic gas) is present in the space through which the exposure light passes (for example, the internal space of the lens barrel). At the same time, the reaction between the exposure light and the organic gas may cause a cloudy substance on the surface of the optical element such as a lens element. Further, it is desirable to remove gas (alkaline gas) of an alkaline substance that reacts with the photoresist (photosensitive material) applied to the wafer from the gas supplied into the chamber.

  Therefore, conventionally, a plurality of chemical filters for removing organic gas and / or alkali gas from the gas supplied into the chamber are provided in the gas intake portion of the air conditioner of the exposure apparatus. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2004/108252 Pamphlet

  In the conventional exposure apparatus, a plurality of chemical filters are stacked while being positioned in the casing. Therefore, when exchanging these chemical filters, it is necessary to sequentially carry out the used chemical filters and then stack the unused chemical filters while aligning them with each other. For this reason, there is a possibility that the replacement time of the chemical filter becomes long, or a positional shift occurs between the plurality of chemical filters, and the airtightness between the chemical filters is lowered.

Furthermore, in the exposure apparatus, the number of stages of chemical filters to be installed is increased in response to further improvement in required exposure accuracy, and therefore it is necessary to efficiently replace the chemical filters.
In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to perform filter replacement so that it can be positioned efficiently or easily.

  According to the first aspect, a filter box holding a filter is provided. The filter box is provided on a frame that holds the filter, an unevenness forming portion provided on at least one side surface of the frame, and an intersecting surface that intersects the side surface of the frame where the unevenness forming portion is formed. And a concave and convex portion, and the concave and convex portion is disposed between an upper end and a lower end of at least one side surface of the frame and communicates with a side end of the at least one side surface on the intersecting surface side. A first recess and a second recess that communicates with the first recess and extends toward the upper end of the frame are provided.

  Moreover, according to the 2nd aspect, the filter apparatus which accommodates the filter box holding a filter is provided. The filter device includes a filter box according to the present invention, a case that houses the filter box, and a protrusion that is provided on the case and engages with the depressed portion provided on the intersecting surface of the frame of the filter box. And a guide member that is provided in a part of the case and engages with the concave-convex forming portion formed on at least one side surface of the frame of the filter box.

  Moreover, according to the 3rd aspect, the exposure apparatus which exposes a board | substrate through a pattern with exposure light is provided. The exposure apparatus includes a chamber for storing an exposure main body for exposing the substrate, at least one filter box of the present invention, and a gas taken in from the outside of the chamber through the filter box. An air-conditioning device.

  Moreover, according to the 4th aspect, the device manufacturing method including exposing a photosensitive board | substrate using the exposure apparatus of this invention and processing the exposed photosensitive board | substrate is provided.

  According to the present invention, for example, a convex portion and a positioning member are provided on the side of the container that houses the filter box, and the convex portion is relative to the concave portion along the concave portion of the concave-convex forming portion provided on the side surface of the frame. The filter box is moved so as to move to the position of the frame, and the recessed portion of the frame and the positioning member are engaged and disengaged, so that the filter box can be efficiently installed and removed from the container. Or accurately. Therefore, the filter box, and thus the filter in the filter box, can be replaced efficiently or easily.

1 is a partially cutaway view showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the filter apparatus 26 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view in which a part of the filter device 26 of FIG. 2 is cut away. (A) is a perspective view showing the filter box 38 in FIG. 3, (B) is a side view showing the filter box 38, (C) is a perspective view showing the filter box 40 in FIG. 3, and (D) is a filter box. FIG. (A), (B), (C), and (D) are the perspective views which show the change of the relative position of the filter box 38 and the casing 28, respectively. (A), (B), (C), and (D) are the perspective views which show the change of the relative position of the filter box 40 and the casing 28, respectively. (A) is a perspective view showing a filter box 38A according to a modification, (B) is a side view showing the filter box 38A, (C) is a perspective view showing a filter box 40A according to a modification, and (D) shows the filter box 40A. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of an electronic device.

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows an exposure apparatus EX of the present embodiment. The exposure apparatus EX is, for example, a scanning exposure type exposure apparatus (projection exposure apparatus) composed of a scanning stepper (scanner). In FIG. 1, an exposure apparatus EX holds a light source unit 2 that generates exposure light (exposure illumination light) EL, an illumination optical system ILS that illuminates a reticle R (mask) with exposure light EL, and a reticle R. A reticle stage RST that moves and a projection optical system PL that projects an image of the pattern of the reticle R onto the surface of a wafer W (substrate) coated with a photoresist (photosensitive material). Further, the exposure apparatus EX includes a wafer stage WST that holds and moves the wafer W, other drive mechanisms and sensors, a reticle library 9 that stores a plurality of reticles, a plurality of unexposed and / or A wafer cassette 7 for storing exposed wafers and a main controller (not shown) for comprehensively controlling the operation of the exposure apparatus EX are provided. These members from the light source unit 2 to the main control device (not shown) are installed on the upper surface of the first floor FL1 in the clean room of the semiconductor device manufacturing factory, for example.

  Further, the exposure apparatus EX includes a box-like highly airtight chamber 10 installed on the floor FL1, and the inside of the chamber 10 is formed by a partition member 10d having two openings opened and closed by shutters 24R and 24W, for example. The chamber is divided into an exposure chamber 10a and a loader chamber 10b. An exposure body 4 including an illumination optical system ILS, a reticle stage RST, a projection optical system PL, and a wafer stage WST is installed in the exposure chamber 10a, and the reticle library 9 and the wafer cassette 7 are placed in the loader chamber 10b. A reticle loader system and a wafer loader system are installed.

  Further, the exposure apparatus EX includes an overall air conditioning system for air conditioning the entire interior of the chamber 10. This overall air conditioning system is installed on the upper surface of the second floor FL2 of the machine room below the first floor FL1, and is installed on the upper surface of the floor FL2 with a filter device 26 having a plurality of stacked chemical filters. An air conditioner 30 having an air conditioning main body 31, a large air outlet 18 installed in the upper part of the exposure chamber 10 a, and a small air outlet 19 R disposed on the bottom surface of the sub-chamber 22 that houses the illumination optical system ILS. And a small air outlet 19W disposed in the vicinity of the projection optical system PL. The filter device 26 removes predetermined impurities from the air AR, which is an air-conditioning gas supplied via the pipe 25, and the air from which the impurities have been removed passes through the first duct 32 as indicated by an arrow A1. This is supplied to the unit 31 (details will be described later).

  The air conditioner 30 includes a first duct 32, an air conditioning main body 31, a second duct 35 that connects the air conditioning main body 31 and the inside of the chamber 10 through an opening provided in the floor FL1, and, for example, A dustproof filter 36 such as an ULPA filter (Ultra Low Penetration Air-filter) that is disposed in the middle and removes fine particles from the air flowing inside is provided. The ducts 32 and 35 and the pipe 25 are formed using a material that generates a small amount of contaminants, such as stainless steel or fluororesin.

  The air conditioning body 31 includes a temperature controller 33A that controls the temperature of air supplied through the first duct 32, a humidity controller 33B that controls the humidity of the air, and the air to the second duct 35 side. And a fan motor 34 for blowing air. The temperature of the air is controlled to, for example, 23 ° C. within a range of 20 ° C. to 30 ° C., and is supplied to the inside of the exposure chamber 10 a through the second duct 35 and the outlet 18 in a down flow manner. The inside of the chamber 10 is set to a positive pressure state by the supply of air. The air in the second duct 35 is supplied into the exposure chamber 10a through the branch pipes 35a and 35b and the corresponding outlets 19W and 19R. Part of the air in the exposure chamber 10a also flows into the loader chamber 10b.

  As an example, the air that has flowed through the inside of the chamber 10 (exposure chamber 10a) flows into the exhaust duct 44 under the floor through a large number of openings 45a provided in the bottom surface of the chamber 10 and a large number of openings 45b provided in the floor FL1. The air in the exhaust duct 44 is exhausted after being purified through a filter (not shown). It should be noted that all or a part of the air flowing through the exhaust duct 44 can be returned to the pipe 25 side and reused.

  Hereinafter, in FIG. 1, the Z-axis is taken in parallel to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL, and X is perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 within a plane perpendicular to the Z-axis (substantially parallel to the horizontal plane in this embodiment). The axis will be described by taking the Y axis parallel to the paper surface of FIG. In the present embodiment, the scanning direction of reticle R and wafer W during scanning exposure is the Y direction. The rotation directions around the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis are also referred to as θx, θy, and θz directions.

  First, the light source unit 2 installed on the floor FL1 outside the chamber 10 is an exposure light source that generates ArF excimer laser light (wavelength 193 nm) as exposure light EL, and a beam that guides the exposure light EL to the illumination optical system ILS. And a light transmission optical system. The exit end of the exposure light EL of the light source unit 2 is disposed in the exposure chamber 10a through the opening at the upper side of the chamber 10 in the + Y direction. As an exposure light source, an ultraviolet pulse laser light source such as a KrF excimer laser light source (wavelength 248 nm), a harmonic generation light source of a YAG laser, a harmonic generation device of a solid laser (semiconductor laser, etc.), or a mercury lamp (i-line etc.) ) Etc. can also be used.

  The illumination optical system ILS disposed in the upper portion of the chamber 10 includes an illuminance uniformizing optical system including an optical integrator, a reticle blind, as disclosed in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0025890. And a condenser optical system. The illumination optical system ILS illuminates a slit-like illumination area elongated in the X direction of the pattern surface of the reticle R defined by the reticle blind with the exposure light EL with a substantially uniform illuminance.

Of the pattern areas formed on the reticle R, the image of the pattern in the illumination area is imaged on the surface of the wafer W via the projection optical system PL that is telecentric on both sides and the projection magnification β is reduced (for example, 1/4). Projected.
A lower frame 12 is installed on the floor FL 1 in the exposure chamber 10 a of the chamber 10 via a plurality of pedestals 11. A flat base member 13 is fixed to the center of the lower frame 12. For example, a flat wafer base WB is supported via three anti-vibration tables 14, and the wafer stage WST can be moved in the X and Y directions via an air bearing on the upper surface parallel to the XY plane of the wafer base WB. And is rotatable in the θz direction. Further, an optical system frame 16 is supported on the upper end of the lower frame 12 via, for example, three anti-vibration tables 15 arranged so as to surround the wafer base WB. The projection optical system PL is disposed in the central opening of the optical system frame 16, and the upper frame 17 is fixed on the optical system frame 16 so as to surround the projection optical system PL.

  Further, a Y-axis laser interferometer 21WY is fixed to an end portion in the + Y direction on the bottom surface of the optical system frame 16, and an X-axis laser interferometer (not shown) is fixed to an end portion in the + X direction on the bottom surface. . Wafer interferometers composed of these interferometers each irradiate a reflecting surface (or moving mirror) on the side surface of wafer stage WST with a measurement beam of a plurality of axes, for example, a reference mirror (not shown) on the side surface of projection optical system PL. ) Is used as a reference to measure the X- and Y-direction positions of wafer stage WST and the rotation angles in θx, θy, and θz directions, and supply the measured values to a main controller (not shown).

  A stage control system in a main controller (not shown) has a drive mechanism (not shown) including a linear motor based on the measured value of the wafer interferometer and the measured value of an autofocus sensor (not shown). The wafer stage WST is controlled so that the position and speed of the wafer stage WST in the X and Y directions and the rotation angle in the θz direction are controlled, and the surface of the wafer W is focused on the image plane of the projection optical system PL. The Z stage (not shown) is controlled. An alignment system ALG and the like for aligning the reticle R and the wafer W are also provided.

On the other hand, a sub-chamber 22 that houses the illumination optical system ILS is fixed to the upper portion of the upper frame 17 in the + Y direction. Further, the reticle stage RST is mounted on the upper surface of the upper frame 17 parallel to the XY plane so that the reticle stage RST can move at a constant speed in the Y direction, and can move in the X direction and rotate in θz. Yes.
A Y-axis laser interferometer 21RY is fixed to the + Y direction end of the upper surface of the upper frame 17, and an X-axis laser interferometer (not shown) is fixed to the + X direction end of the upper surface. A reticle interferometer including these interferometers irradiates a movable mirror 21MY or the like provided on the reticle stage RST with a plurality of axes of measurement beams, for example, to provide a reference mirror (not shown) on the side surface of the projection optical system PL. As a reference, the positions of the reticle stage RST in the X direction and Y direction, and the rotation angles in the θz, θx, and θy directions are measured, and the measured values are supplied to a main controller (not shown).

The stage control system in the main control device (not shown) is configured such that the speed and position of the reticle stage RST in the Y direction via a drive mechanism (not shown) including a linear motor based on the measurement value of the reticle interferometer, etc. The position in the X direction and the rotation angle in the θz direction are controlled.
Further, when the exposure apparatus EX of the present embodiment is a liquid immersion type, a local liquid immersion mechanism (not shown) including, for example, a ring-shaped nozzle head disposed on the lower surface of the optical member at the lower end of the projection optical system PL. Thus, a predetermined liquid (pure water or the like) is supplied to a local liquid immersion region between the optical member at the tip of the projection optical system PL and the wafer W. As the local immersion mechanism, an immersion mechanism disclosed in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/242247 can be used. When the exposure apparatus EX is a dry type, it is not necessary to provide the liquid immersion mechanism.

In the loader chamber 10b, a reticle library 9 and a reticle loader 8 which is a horizontal articulated robot are installed on the upper surface of an upper support base 67. The reticle loader 8 exchanges the reticle R between the reticle library 9 and the reticle stage RST through an opening opened and closed by the shutter 24R of the partition member 10d.
Inside the loader chamber 10 b, a wafer cassette 7 and a horizontal articulated robot 6 a for taking in and out the wafer between the wafer cassette 7 are installed on the upper surface of the lower support stand 68. Above the horizontal articulated robot 6a, a wafer transfer device 6b constituting the wafer loader 6 together with the horizontal articulated robot 6a is installed. Wafer transfer device 6b transfers wafer W between horizontal articulated robot 6a and wafer stage WST through an opening opened and closed by shutter 24W of partition member 10d.

  Then, at the time of exposure by the exposure apparatus EX, alignment of the reticle R and the wafer W is first performed. Thereafter, the exposure of the exposure light EL to the reticle R is started, and a reticle stage RST is projected while projecting a partial image of the pattern of the reticle R onto one shot area on the surface of the wafer W via the projection optical system PL. The pattern image of the reticle R is transferred to the shot area by a scanning exposure operation that moves the wafer stage WST in synchronization with the Y direction using the projection magnification β of the projection optical system PL as a speed ratio (synchronous scanning). After that, by repeating the step movement of the wafer W in the X and Y directions via the wafer stage WST and the above scanning exposure operation, the reticle is applied to all shot areas of the wafer W by the step-and-scan method. An R pattern image is transferred.

  Next, the exposure apparatus EX of the present embodiment maintains the illumination characteristics (illuminance uniformity, etc.) of the illumination optical system ILS and the imaging characteristics (resolution, etc.) of the projection optical system in a predetermined state, and the reticle R, projection In order to perform exposure with high exposure accuracy (resolution, positioning accuracy, etc.) while maintaining the atmosphere (space) in which the optical system PL and the wafer W are installed in a predetermined environment, as described above, the inside of the chamber 10 An overall air conditioning system including an air conditioner 30 that supplies temperature-controlled clean air in a downflow manner is provided.

  The entire air conditioning system includes a local air conditioning unit. That is, clean air whose temperature is controlled is supplied from the branch pipes 35b and 35a of the second duct 35 to the blowing portion 19R on the bottom surface of the sub chamber 22 and the blowing portion 19W on the bottom surface of the optical system frame 16, respectively. In this case, the blowing portions 19R and 19W are disposed on the optical paths of the measurement beams of the Y-axis laser interferometer 21RY for the reticle stage RST and the Y-axis laser interferometer 21WY for the wafer stage WST, respectively. The blowing units 19R and 19W blow out the temperature-controlled air on the optical path of the measurement beam with a substantially uniform wind speed distribution by a down flow method (or a side flow method). Similarly, temperature-controlled air is locally supplied to the optical path of the measurement beam of the X-axis laser interferometer. Accordingly, the positions of reticle stage RST and wafer stage WST can be measured with high accuracy by reticle interferometer 21R, wafer interferometer 21W, and the like.

  A local air conditioner 60 is installed in the loader chamber 10b. The local air conditioner 60 is disposed above the reticle library 9 and the wafer cassette 7, a small fan motor 61 disposed on the bottom surface of the support base 68, a duct 62 that supplies air blown by the fan motor 61 to the upper part. The blowout ports 65 and 66 are provided. The front end of the duct 62 is divided into branch pipes 62R and 62W that supply air to the outlets 65 and 66, respectively. Further, a dust-proof filter such as a ULPA filter is installed in the vicinity of the air inlets of the air outlets 65 and 66, and a filter box for storing a chemical filter for removing predetermined impurities in the duct 62 in the vicinity of the fan motor 61. 63 and 64 are installed. As an example, the chemical filter of the filter box 63 removes an organic gas (organic gas), and the chemical filter of the filter box 64 removes an alkaline gas (an alkaline substance gas) and an acidic gas (an acidic substance gas). Remove.

  When the local air conditioner 60 is operated in the loader chamber 10b, the air blown from the fan motor 61 is sent from the outlets 65 and 66 through the filter boxes 63 and 64 and the duct 62 in a downflow manner, respectively. The wafer cassette 7 is supplied to the space in which it is placed. The air flowing around the reticle library 9 is returned to the fan motor 61 through the periphery of the support base 67, the periphery of the wafer cassette 7 below the support base 67, and the periphery of the support base 68. The air supplied from the outlet 66 to the periphery of the wafer cassette 7 is returned to the fan motor 61 through the periphery of the support base 68. The air returned to the fan motor 61 is again supplied into the loader chamber 10b from the outlets 65 and 66 via the filter boxes 63 and 64 and the dustproof filter. Thus, the air in the loader chamber 10d is kept clean by the local air conditioner 60.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the filter device 26 coupled to the air conditioner 30 in the overall air conditioning system of the present embodiment will be described. The filter device 26 is an elongated box-shaped casing 28, partition plates 42A, 42B, and 42C that divide the space in the casing 28 into four spaces, and a three-stage first that is stacked on the upper surface of the partition plate 42A. Filter box 38, a three-stage second filter box 40 stacked on the upper surface of the partition plate 42B, and a three-stage first filter box 38 stacked on the upper surface of the partition plate 42C. Have.

  FIG. 2 shows the filter device 26 in a state where the door 29 of the casing 28 in FIG. 1 is opened. FIG. 3 is a view in which the casing 28 of FIG. 2 is viewed from the front (front surface) and a part thereof is cut away. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, the casing 28 and the door 29 are indicated by a two-dot chain line. In FIG. 2, the casing 28 in the present embodiment has an elongated shape in the Z direction (vertical direction), and the space in the casing 28 includes four spaces in the Z direction, that is, the upper plate 28 i of the casing 28. The first space 28c sandwiched between the partition plates 42C, the second space 28d sandwiched between the partition plates 42B and 42C, the third space 28e sandwiched between the partition plates 42A and 42B, and the bottom plate 28h of the partition plate 42A and the casing 28. It is divided into a fourth space 28f sandwiched between. Further, the filter device 26 can be opened and closed via a plurality of hinge mechanisms (not shown) in the casing 28 in order to open a window portion for inserting and removing the filter boxes 38 and 40 when the filter boxes 38 and 40 are replaced. And has a door 29 attached thereto. The window side of the casing 28 closed by the door 29 is referred to as the front surface 28k of the casing, the opposite side (depth side) of the casing 28 is referred to as the back surface 28j of the casing, and the front surface 28k and the back surface 28j of the casing 28 are referred to. The two surfaces connected from the side are referred to as side surfaces 28m and 28n. An opening 28 a is formed in the upper plate 28 i of the casing 28, and the end of the pipe 25 in FIG. 1 that takes in the air AR for air conditioning is fixed to the upper plate 28 i, and the fourth space at the bottom of the casing 28 is fixed. The first duct 32 of FIG. 1 is connected to 28f. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 2, the direction of the first duct 32 is the −X direction.

  In the casing 28 of FIG. 2, the three-stage filter box 38 stacked on the upper surface of the lowermost partition plate 42A and the three-stage filter box 38 stacked on the upper surface of the uppermost partition plate 42C are A chemical filter 51 for removing an organic gas (organic gas) is held in a box-like (rectangular frame-like) frame 50 that is open at the top and bottom. Further, the three-stage filter box 40 stacked on the upper surface of the middle partition plate 42B has an alkaline gas (such as ammonia or amine) in a box-shaped (rectangular frame) frame 55 having an opening at the top and bottom. A chemical filter 56 for removing an alkaline substance gas) and an acidic gas (an acidic substance gas) is held.

The height of each filter box 38,40 is 200-400 mm, for example, and the weight of each filter box 38,40 is about 10-20 kg.
As the organic gas removal chemical filter 51, for example, an activated carbon filter or a ceramic filter can be used. Further, as the chemical filter 56 for removing alkaline gas and acid gas, an additive activated carbon filter, an ion exchange resin filter, an ion exchange fiber filter, an additive ceramic filter, or the like can be used. Further, the frames 50 and 55, the partition plates 42A to 42C, the casing 28, and the door 29 are each made of a material having corrosion resistance and little degassing, for example, aluminum having an oxide film (aluminum oxide or the like) formed on the surface (alumite treatment). Aluminum), stainless steel or the like. Note that the frames 50 and 55 and the like can be formed of a material (such as a plywood covered with polyethylene or a fluorine-based resin) including a resin material that has corrosion resistance and little degassing.

  By removing the organic gas, the transmittance of the exposure light EL is improved in the exposure chamber 10a of the chamber 10, and the optical element is formed on the surface by the interaction between the organic gas and the exposure light EL. Generation of cloudy material is suppressed. Further, by removing the alkaline gas and the acid gas, changes in the photoresist characteristics of the wafer W and the like are suppressed. In particular, when the photoresist is a chemically amplified photoresist, if there is an alkaline gas such as ammonia or amine in the air, the generated acid may react to form a slightly soluble layer on the photoresist surface. . Therefore, removal of alkaline gases such as ammonia and amines is particularly effective.

The configuration of the chemical filter in the filter boxes 63 and 64 in the loader chamber 10b in FIG. 1 is the same as the configuration of the chemical filters 51 and 56. However, the filter boxes 63 and 64 are smaller than the filter boxes 38 and 40.
Further, in FIG. 2, unevenness is formed by guide grooves 52 and 53 on both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the frames 50 and 55 of the six filter boxes 38 and 40 on the partition plates 42A and 42C. It is formed.

  In the present embodiment, since the guide grooves 52 and 53 are formed directly on the side surfaces of the frames 50 and 55, the guide guide surfaces for the side surfaces of the frame 50 to carry the filter box 38 into a predetermined position in the casing 28. Function as. On both side surfaces of the frames 50 and 55, handle portions 70 and 71 each including a concave portion for an operator to put on the upper portion of the guide grooves 52 and 53 are attached. On the front surface of the frames 50 and 55, a handle portion 72 made of a concave portion that can be handled by an operator is provided.

  Then, cylindrical shaft members (guides) 48A, 48B, 48C, 48D, 48E, 48F, which are fixed to the inner surface of the casing 28 in the guide groove 52 on one side surface of each filter box 38, 40, respectively. The cylindrical shaft members 49A having the same shape as the shaft members 48A fixed to the inner surfaces of the casings 28 in the guide grooves 53 on the other side surfaces of the filter boxes 38, 40 are engaged with the tip portions of 48G, 48H, 48I. 49B, 49C, 49D, 49E, 49F, 49G, 49H, 49I are engaged. The shaft members 48A to 48I and 49A to 49I respectively position the frames 50 and 55 of the filter boxes 38 and 40 in the X direction (moving direction) and roughly in the Y direction. Note that the frames 50 and 55 of the lower filter boxes 38 and 40 are fixed to the upper surfaces of the partition plates 42A, 42B, and 42C by their own weights. The frames 50 and 55 of the middle filter boxes 38 and 40 are positioned with respect to the upper end surfaces of the lower filter boxes 38 and 40 and fixed by their own weight. Further, the frames 50 and 55 of the upper filter boxes 38 and 40 are positioned with respect to the upper end surfaces of the middle filter boxes 38 and 40 and fixed by their own weight.

In this case, the distances from the front surface 28k of the shaft members 48A to 48I and 49A to 49I are set to be equal to each other. In order to make the movement of the frames 50 and 55 smooth, rotation bearings may be provided at the tip portions of the shaft members 48A to 48I and 49A to 49I.
Further, as shown by the uppermost filter box 38 on the partition plates 42A and 42C, the first recess 39A and the second recess formed by long holes that continue to the bottom surface at two places in the Y direction on the back surface of the frame 50 of the filter box 38. 39B is formed. Further, rod-like positioning pins 75C and 76C and 75F and 76F are detachably disposed on the back surface 28m of the casing 28 corresponding to the recesses 39A and 39B, respectively. Actually, as shown in FIG. 3, recesses 39A and 39B are formed in the frames 50 of all the filter boxes 38, respectively. The first positioning pins 75A, 75B, 75C, 75D, 75E, and 75F and the second positioning pins 76A, 76B, respectively, are provided on the back surface 28j of the casing 28 corresponding to the recesses 39A and 39B of all the filter boxes 38. 76C, 76D, 76E, and 76F are fixed.

  Further, as shown by the uppermost filter box 40 on the partition plate 42B in FIG. 2, the first recess 41A and the second recess made of long holes continuing to the bottom surface at two places in the Y direction on the back surface of the frame 55 of the filter box 40 are provided. A recess 41B is formed. Further, rod-like positioning pins 77C and 77C are detachably disposed on the back surface 28m of the casing 28 corresponding to the recesses 41A and 41B, respectively. Actually, as shown in FIG. 3, recesses 41A and 41B are formed in the frames 55 of all the filter boxes 40, respectively. The first positioning pins 77A, 77B, 77C and the second positioning pins 78A, 78B, 78C are fixed to the back surface 28j of the casing 28 corresponding to the recesses 41A, 41B of all the filter boxes 40, respectively. . The filter boxes 38 and 40 are placed in the casing 28 so that the positioning pins 75A to 75F and 76A to 76F fit in the recesses 39A and 39B of the frame 50, and the positioning pins 77A to 77C and 78A to 78C fit in the recesses 41A and 41B of the frame 55. By storing in the filter box, the filter boxes 38 and 40 can be positioned in the Y direction with high accuracy.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the interval in the Y direction between the recesses 39A and 39B formed in the frame 50 is set wider than the interval in the Y direction between the recesses 41A and 41B formed in the frame 55. Further, the spacing in the Y direction between the positioning pins 75A to 75F and the positioning pins 76A to 76F disposed on the back surface 28j of the casing 28 is equal to the spacing in the Y direction of the recesses 39A and 39B, and the positioning pins 77A disposed on the back surface 28j. ˜77C and the positioning pins 78A to 78C in the Y direction are set to be equal to the intervals in the Y direction of the recesses 41A and 41B. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the filter box 40 having the chemical filter 56 for removing the alkaline gas and the acid gas from being installed on the partition plates 42A and 42C, and conversely, the organic gas is formed on the partition plate 42B. It is prevented to install a filter box 38 having a chemical filter 51 for removing water.

  In FIG. 2, a rectangular window portion 28 b for inserting and removing the filter boxes 38 and 40 is formed on the front surface 28 k of the casing 28, and the door 29 is closed when the window portion 28 b of the casing 28 is closed by the door 29. A gasket 46 for sealing the periphery of the window 28b and the ends of the partition plates 42B and 42C and the door 29 is fixed. The gasket 46 can be formed of a material having excellent corrosion resistance and low degassing, such as a sheet of Teflon (registered trademark of DuPont) or a sheet of silicon rubber.

  Next, in FIG. 3, openings 42 </ b> Aa, 42 </ b> Ba, and 42 </ b> Ca are formed in the partition plates 42 </ b> A to 42 </ b> C through which the air AR that has passed through the filter boxes 38 and 40 passes. In FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, the first-stage and second-stage filter boxes 38 and 40 are represented by two-dot chain lines. In addition, rectangular frame-shaped gaskets 54 are fixed to the bottom surfaces of the frame 50 of the filter box 38 and the frame 55 of the filter box 40 to improve the airtightness between the mounting surface and the frame. The material of the gasket 54 can be formed from a material having excellent corrosion resistance and less degassing, for example, a sheet of Teflon (registered trademark of DuPont) or a sheet of silicon rubber. Note that the material of the gasket 54 may be the same as the material of the gasket 46. As a result, the gas in the first space 28c sandwiched between the upper plate in which the opening 28a of the casing 28 is formed and the partition plate 42C passes through the chemical filter 51 of the three-stage filter box 38 and then passes through the opening 42Ca. Then, it flows into the second space 28d sandwiched between the partition plates 42B and 42C. Similarly, the gas in the space 28d always passes through the chemical filter 56 of the three-stage filter box 40, and then flows into the third space 28e sandwiched between the partition plates 42A and 42B through the opening 42Ba. Similarly, after the gas in the space 28e passes through the chemical filter 51 of the three-stage filter box 38, the opening 42Aa, the fourth space 28f sandwiched between the partition plate 42A and the bottom surface of the casing, and the back surface of the casing 28 ( It flows through the opening 28g in the bottom surface and flows into the first duct 32 of FIG. Therefore, the air AR flowing in from the opening 28a at the upper part of the casing 28 always has three stages of filter boxes 38 for removing organic gas, three stages of filter boxes 40 for removing alkaline gas and acid gas, and three stages of filter boxes 40. Since the air passes through the filter box 38 for organic gas removal and is supplied to the air conditioner 30 in FIG. 1, air from which impurities are highly removed is supplied into the chamber 10.

  A rectangular frame-like sheet-like cover member TF2 made of a material that is more slippery than metal is fixed by adhesion or the like around the opening 42Aa on the upper surface of the partition plate 42A. Actually, a cover member (not shown) similar to the cover member TF2 is also fixed to the upper surfaces of the partition plates 42B and 42C. Further, a rectangular frame-like sheet-like cover member TF1 made of a slippery material is also fixed to the upper surfaces of the frames 50, 55 of the filter boxes 38, 40 by adhesion or the like so as to surround the chemical filters 51, 56, respectively. ing. The cover members TF1 and TF2 are made of, for example, a synthetic resin, specifically, for example, made of Teflon (registered trademark of DuPont).

  Thereby, the gasket 54 of the filter boxes 38 and 40 is in close contact with the cover member TF1 on the upper surface of the lower filter boxes 38 and 40 or the cover member TF2 fixed to the partition plates 42A to 42C. When the filter boxes 38 and 40 are replaced, the filter boxes 38 and 40 can be easily separated from the lower filter boxes 38 and 40 or the partition plates 42A to 42C. Note that the cover members TF1 and TF2 are not necessarily provided.

In FIG. 3, shaft members 48 </ b> A to 48 </ b> I and 49 </ b> A to 49 </ b> I are fixed to the side surfaces (inner sides) of the casing 28 by screw portions 48 </ b> Ca and 49 </ b> Ca, respectively, as typically shown by shaft members 48 </ b> C and 49 </ b> C.
Further, as typically shown by positioning pins 75A and 76A, the back surface 28j of the casing 28 has two screw holes (not shown) at the same interval in the Y direction as the recesses 39A and 39B of the frame 50, and the frame 55 Two screw holes 81 and 82 having the same spacing in the Y direction as the recesses 41A and 41B are also formed. Accordingly, the positioning pins 75A and 76A can be set at the same interval as the recesses 41A and 41B of the frame 55. The same applies to the other positioning pins 75B to 75F and 76B to 76F. Further, the positioning pins 77A to 77C and 78A to 78C can be set at the same intervals as the recesses 39A and 39B of the frame 50. With this configuration, it is possible to install the filter box 40 on the partition plates 42A and 42C, and it is also possible to install the filter box 38 on the partition plate 42B.

  In FIG. 3, a space where an operator can insert his / her hand is secured between both side surfaces of the casing 28 and the inner side surfaces of the filter boxes 38 and 40 in the Y direction. Thus, when the filter boxes 38 and 40 are carried in and out, the operator puts his / her hands on the handle portions 70 and 71 on the side surfaces of the filter boxes 38 and 40 in the casing 28 of FIG. I can move.

  Next, the shapes of the guide grooves 52 and 53 and the recesses 39A, 39B, 41A, and 41B of the frames 50 and 55 of the filter boxes 38 and 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (A) to 4 (D). Here, regarding the frame 50 of the filter box 38 in FIG. 4A, the surface facing the front surface 28k of the casing 28 when inserted into the casing 28 is the front surface 50a (first surface) of the frame 50, and the rear surface of the casing 28. The surface facing 28j is referred to as a back surface 50b (second surface) of the frame 50, and the surfaces facing the side surfaces 28m and 28n of the casing 28 are referred to as side surfaces 50c and 50d (third and fourth surfaces) of the frame 50. In the present embodiment, the side surfaces 50c and 50d of the frame 50 are orthogonal to the front surface 50a and the rear surface 50b of the frame, but are not limited to being orthogonal. For example, at least one of the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b of the frame 50 may intersect (tilt with respect to 90 degrees) with respect to the side surfaces 50c and 50d of the frame 50. The upper surface of the frame 50 with respect to the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b is referred to as the upper surface 50f, and the lower surface of the frame 50 with respect to the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b (the direction in which gas is exhausted) is referred to as the bottom surface 50e. Each surface of a frame 55 of the filter box 40 to be described later is specified in the same manner as the frame 50 of the filter box 38.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, guide grooves 52 and 53 are formed on a pair of side surfaces 50c and 50d in the longitudinal direction of the frame 50 of the filter box 38. The guide groove 52 is disposed between the upper end 150 and the lower end 152 of the side surface 50c of the frame 50, and communicates with the first groove portion 52a that communicates with the rear end 154 or the back surface 50b of the frame 50, and the first groove portion 52a. And a second groove 52b extending toward the upper end 150 (in the direction of the upper surface 50f) of the frame 50. The guide groove 52 divides the side surface 50c into an upper part 52e and a lower part 52f. The first groove (horizontal recess) 52a is formed between the bottom surface 50e and the upper surface 50f of the frame 50 so as to extend in the horizontal direction (X direction) along these surfaces, and the second groove (vertical recess) 52b. Is formed between the front end 156 and the rear end 154 of the frame 50, that is, between the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b so as to extend in the vertical direction (Z direction) along those surfaces.

  Further, the guide groove 52 is formed at a position where the first groove portion 52a and the second groove portion 52b communicate with each other, and gradually increases in width from the front surface 50a side of the frame 50 toward the rear end 154 side or the rear surface 50b side of the frame 50. A first taper portion 52c that becomes narrower, and a second taper portion 52d that is formed in a portion that communicates with the back surface 50b of the first groove portion 52a and that gradually increases in width from the front surface 50a side to the back surface 50b side of the frame 50. Have Edge part 50ae on the upper surface side of the first groove part 52a (lower end of the upper part 52e of the side face 50d divided by the guide groove 53) and edge part 50be on the back surface 50b side of the second groove part 52b (side face divided by the guide groove 53) The first taper portion 52c is connected to the side end of the upper portion 52e of the 50d.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 4B, the width of the first groove portion 52a and the second groove portion 52b is somewhat larger than the diameter of the shaft member 48A provided in the casing 28 of FIG. Slightly wide set. Accordingly, the shaft member 48A can smoothly move relative to the frame 50 (slidably moveable) between the back surface 50b and the top surface 50f of the frame 50 along the guide groove 52.

The shape of the guide groove 53 on the other side surface 50d of the frame 50 is symmetrical (simply referred to as “symmetric” in the text) or the same shape with respect to the guide groove 52 and a center line (not shown) in the front-rear direction of the frame 50. Therefore, the description thereof is omitted.
Also, elongated recesses 39A and 39B (opened in the thickness direction of the frame 50) opened to the bottom surface 50e are formed at two locations on the back surface 50b of the frame 50. 3 is provided on the bottom surface 50e of the frame 50, and the cover member TF1 of FIG. 3 is provided on the top surface 50f.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, guide grooves 52 and 53 are formed on the pair of side surfaces 55c and 55d in the longitudinal direction of the frame 55 of the filter box 40 from the rear surface 55b to the upper surface 55f in the same manner as the frame 50. ing. In addition, elongated recesses 41A and 41B that are open to the bottom surface 55e (elongate in the thickness direction of the frame 55) are formed at two locations on the back surface 55b of the frame 55. The interval between the recesses 41A and 41B is set narrower than the interval between the recesses 39A and 39B on the frame 50 side. 3 is provided on the bottom surface 55e of the frame 55, and the cover member TF1 shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the top surface 55f.

  Further, as shown in the side view of FIG. 4D, the width of the first groove portion 57a and the second groove portion 57b is somewhat larger than the diameter of the shaft member 48D provided in the casing 28 of FIG. Slightly wide set. As a result, the shaft member 48D can smoothly move relative to the frame 55 between the back surface 55b and the top surface 55f of the frame 55 along the guide groove 57 (slidable). The frames 50 and 55 can be manufactured by, for example, molding.

  Next, when the filter box 38 of FIG. 4A is installed on the upper surface of the partition plate 42A of the casing 28 of FIG. 2, the operator can handle the handle portion 70 of the frame 50 as shown in FIG. , 71 and the first groove portion 52a of the guide grooves 52, 53 of the filter box 38 (frame 50) are moved in front of the pair of shaft members 48A, 49A of the casing 28 while holding the filter box 38 via the .

  In the unused filter box 38, a thin film 59A is detachably stretched at the entrance of the first groove 52a of the frame 50. Then, as indicated by an arrow B1, the filter box 38 is pushed into the casing 28 through the window 28b, and the shaft member 48A is slidable along the first groove 52a as indicated by the arrow B2 in FIG. 5B. The filter box 38 is further pushed so as to move relative to the frame 50. Thus, since the film 59A is peeled off, it can be confirmed that the filter box 38 has been used when the filter box 38 is next carried out.

  Thereafter, when the frame 50 is further pushed in, the concave portions 39A and 39B of the frame 50 engage with the positioning pins 75A and 76A of the casing 28. Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, after the second groove 52b of the filter box 38 reaches the shaft member 48A, the shaft member 48A moves along the second groove 52b with respect to the frame 50 due to the weight of the filter box 38. As shown by an arrow B3, the filter box 38 is placed on the upper surface of the partition plate 42A so as to move relative to each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5 (D), the filter box 38 has the shaft members 48A and 49A stopped at intermediate positions such as the second groove portions 52b of the guide grooves 52 and 53, and the positioning pins 75A, 76A is placed on the partition plate 42A with the recesses 39A and 39B engaged. Thereby, the filter box 38 is stably placed in a state where the filter box 38 is accurately positioned in the X direction and the Y direction so as to cover the opening 42Aa of the partition plate 42A.

  Furthermore, since there is the second tapered portion 52d, the first groove portion 52a can be easily guided and engaged with the shaft member 48A. Further, since the first taper portion 52c is provided, the second groove portion 52b can be easily engaged with the shaft member 48A after the first groove portion 52a of the guide groove 52. The first taper portion 52c makes it easy for the operator to grasp the position of the second groove portion 52b, and thus the installation position of the filter box 38 in the insertion direction (X direction).

The other filter box 38 in FIG. 2 can be similarly placed on the upper surface of the filter box 38 or the upper surface of the partition plate 42C. Note that the handle portion 72 may be used when the frame 50 is pushed in.
Similarly, when the filter box 40 of FIG. 4C is installed on the upper surface of the partition plate 42B of the casing 28 of FIG. 2, the operator can handle the handle 70 of the frame 55 as shown in FIG. , 71, the first groove 52 a of the guide grooves 52, 53 of the filter box 40 (frame 55) and the like are moved in front of the pair of shaft members 48 D, 49 D of the casing 28. . In the unused filter box 40, a thin film 59B is detachably stretched at the entrance of the first groove 52a. Then, as indicated by an arrow B5, the filter 59 is pushed into the casing 28 through the window 28b, and the film 59B is peeled by engaging the first groove 52a with the shaft member 48D.

  Subsequently, as shown by an arrow B6 in FIG. 6B, the filter box 40 is further slidably pushed so that the positioning pins 77A and 78A on the casing 28 side are moved to the frame 55 as shown in FIG. 6C. The second groove 52b of the filter box 40 reaches the shaft member 48D. Thereafter, the filter box 40 is placed on the upper surface of the partition plate 42B as indicated by an arrow B7 so that the shaft member 48D moves relative to the frame 55 along the second groove portion 52b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6D, the filter box 40 is positioned in the recesses 41A and 41B with the shaft members 48D and 49D positioned in the middle of the second grooves 52b and the like of the guide grooves 52 and 53. The pins 77A and 78A are placed on the partition plate 42B in an engaged state. Accordingly, the filter box 40 is stably placed in a state where the filter box 40 is accurately positioned in the X direction and the Y direction so as to cover the opening 42Ba of the partition plate 42B.

The other filter box 40 in FIG. 2 can be similarly placed on the upper surface of another filter box 40. Thereafter, the filter device 26 can be used by closing the door 29 in FIG. 2, and clean air that has passed through the filter device 26 can be supplied into the chamber 10 of the exposure apparatus EX.
Next, when the filter boxes 38 and 40 of the filter device 26 are replaced, the door 29 of the casing 28 is opened. Then, the upper filter box 38 is unloaded from the middle filter box 38. Thereafter, the middle filter box 38 is unloaded from the lower filter box, and finally the lower filter box 38 is unloaded from the partition plate 42A. Since the carry-out operation of the upper, middle, and lower filter boxes is the same, the specific carry-out operation will be described below by taking the lower filter box 38 from the partition plate as an example. After the upper filter box 38 and the middle filter box 38 are unloaded, the lower filter box 38 is unloaded according to the unloading method described below. When unloading the lower filter box 38 from the partition plate 42A, the operator puts a hand on the handle portions 70 and 71 of the filter box 38, and as shown by the arrow C1 in FIG. The filter box 38 is lifted upward so that the shaft member 48A is slidably moved relative to the frame 50 along the second groove portion 52b. Thereafter, after the first taper portion 52c of the guide groove 52 reaches the shaft member 48A, the shaft member 48A is slidable along the first groove portion 52a on the frame 50 as shown by an arrow C2 in FIG. The filter box 38 is pulled forward (to the front side of the filter box 38) so as to be relatively moved. Thereafter, the filter box 38 can be taken out by further pulling the filter box 38 forward of the casing 28 as indicated by an arrow C3 in FIG. At this time, since there is the first tapered portion 52c of the guide groove 52, the second groove portion 52b to the first groove portion 52a of the guide groove 52 can be smoothly moved along the shaft member 48A.

Similarly, other filter boxes 38 can be easily carried out. Thereafter, when the unused filter box 38 is installed in the casing 28, the operations from FIG. 5 (A) to FIG. 5 (D) may be repeated.
Further, for example, when carrying out the filter box 40 from the upper surface of the partition plate 42B, the operator puts a hand on the handle portions 70 and 71 of the filter box 40, as shown by an arrow C5 in FIG. The filter box 40 is lifted so that the shaft member 48D is slidably moved relative to the frame 55 along the second groove 52b of the guide groove 52. Thereafter, after the first taper portion 52c of the guide groove 52 reaches the shaft member 48D, the shaft member 48D is slidable along the first groove portion 52a on the frame 55 as indicated by an arrow C6 in FIG. The filter box 40 is pulled forward so as to be relatively moved. Thereafter, the filter box 40 can be taken out by further pulling the filter box 40 forward of the casing 28 as indicated by an arrow C7 in FIG.

Similarly, other filter boxes 40 can be easily carried out. Thereafter, when the unused filter box 40 is installed in the casing 28, the operations from FIG. 6 (A) to FIG. 6 (D) may be repeated.
The effects and the like of this embodiment are as follows.
(1) The exposure apparatus EX of the present embodiment includes an entire air conditioning system including a filter device 26 and an air conditioner 30. The filter device 26 includes a six-stage first filter box 38 and a three-stage second filter box 40. Storing.

  The first filter box 38 includes a box-shaped (cylindrical) frame 50 that holds the chemical filter 51, and guide grooves (unevenness forming portions) 52 that are symmetrically formed on the pair of side surfaces 50 c and 50 d of the frame 50. 53, and a back surface (intersection surface) 50b that intersects the side surfaces 50c and 50d, a first recess (recessed portion) 39A and a second recess 39B that are formed in the direction of the side surfaces 50c and 50d apart from each other, It has. One guide groove 52 is disposed between the upper end and the lower end of the side surface 50c of the frame 50, and communicates with the first groove portion (lateral recess) 52a communicating with the back surface 50b of the frame 50, and the first groove portion 52a. And it has the 2nd groove part (vertical recessed part) 52b extended toward the upper end (end part by the side of the upper surface 50f) of the flame | frame 50. FIG.

  The filter device 26 includes a filter box 38, a casing 28 that houses the filter box 38, and a convex portion that is provided on the casing 28 and engages with the concave portions 39 </ b> A and 39 </ b> B provided on the back surface 50 b of the frame 50 of the filter box 38. Positioning pins 75A and 76A, and shaft members (guide members) 48A and 49A that are provided in a part of the casing 28 and engage with guide grooves 52 and 53 formed on the side surfaces 50c and 50d of the frame 50, respectively. I have.

  According to the present embodiment, the frame 50 is moved while being guided so that the shaft members 48 </ b> A and 49 </ b> A of the casing 28 move relative to the frame 50 along the guide grooves 52 and 53 on the side surface of the frame 50. Accordingly, the installation of the filter box 38 with respect to the casing 28 and the removal from the casing 28 can be performed efficiently and accurately. Further, when the filter box 38 is installed, the recesses 39A and 39B of the frame 50 are engaged with the positioning pins 75A and 76A of the casing 28, thereby moving the filter box 38 in the lateral direction (in the embodiment, the movement of the filter box 38). Positioning in a direction orthogonal to the direction can be easily performed. Therefore, the filter box 38, and hence the chemical filter 51 therein can be replaced efficiently and easily.

  (2) Although the second filter box 40 is configured in the same manner, the interval between the recesses 41A and 41B formed in the frame 55 of the filter box 40 is the interval between the recesses 39A and 39B formed in the frame 50. Is different. In addition, positioning pins 77A and 78A having the same spacing as the recesses 41A and 41B are arranged at positions where the filter box 40 of the casing 28 is installed. Therefore, the filter box 40 can be replaced so that it can be positioned efficiently and easily. Furthermore, it is possible to reliably prevent the filter boxes 38 and 40 from being installed at wrong positions.

Note that the guide grooves 52 and 53 of the filter boxes 38 and 40 may be formed substantially symmetrically or substantially in the same shape.
Further, the guide groove 52 may be formed only on one side surface (for example, the side surfaces 50c and 55c) with respect to the frames 50 and 55. In this case, the other side surfaces 50d and 55d are substantially flat (flat). Further, by moving the filter boxes 38 and 40 so that the one guide groove 52 moves relative to the shaft members 48A and 48D along the shaft members 48A and 48D, the filter boxes 38 and 40 can be relatively easily moved. While being able to set in the casing 28, the filter boxes 38 and 40 can be easily carried out of the casing 28.

(3) Since the gaskets 54 and the cover member TF1 are provided on the frames 50 and 55, the airtightness when the filter boxes 38 and 40 are installed on the partition plates 42A to 42C can be maintained high. Further, the gasket 54 can be easily separated when the filter boxes 38 and 40 are carried out.
The gasket 54 and the cover member TF1 can be omitted.

  (4) In this embodiment, since the recesses 39A and 39B and the recesses 41A and 41B are formed at two locations of the frames 50 and 55, respectively, the frames 50 and 55 can be easily installed at target positions. For example, only the recess 39A or the recess 41A may be formed on at least one of the frames 50 and 55. In this case, only the positioning pins 75A to 75F or 77A to 77C may be disposed on the casing 28 side. As described above, the filter box 38, 40 can be easily positioned in the lateral direction even if the recess and the positioning pin are provided at one place, and erroneous insertion of the filter box 38, 40 can be prevented.

The positions of the recesses 39A and 39B and the recesses 41A and 41B of the filter boxes 38 and 40 may be set to the same position, for example, by attaching an identifiable label to the chemical filters 51 and 56.
(5) Further, the guide groove 52 of the filter box 38 is formed at a position where the first groove portion 52a and the second groove portion 52b communicate with each other, and the width of the guide groove 52 gradually decreases toward the back surface 50b of the frame 50. 52c. Since the operator can easily grasp the position of the second groove portion 52b by the first taper portion 52c, the relative movement of the shaft member 49A with respect to the guide groove 52 can be smoothly performed.

Note that the first tapered portion 52c is not necessarily provided.
(6) Further, the guide groove 52 has a second tapered portion 52d which is formed in a portion communicating with the back surface 50b of the first groove portion 52a and gradually increases in width toward the back surface 50b. Accordingly, the first groove 52a can be easily engaged with the shaft member 48A while being guided. Note that the second tapered portion 52d can also be omitted.

  (7) Since the handle portions 70 and 71 are provided between the first groove portion 52a and the like of the filter box 38 and the upper end of the frame 50, and the handle portion 72 is also provided on the front surface 50a of the frame 50, A person can easily carry the filter box 38. The handle portions 70 and 71 may be provided only on one side, and the handle portion 72 can be omitted. For example, the handle portions 70 and 71 can be omitted by making the side surfaces 50c and 50d of the frame 50 rough.

(8) Since the film 59A is detachably provided at the entrance of the first groove 52a of the filter box 38, it can be easily confirmed whether the filter box 38 has been used or not used.
The film 59A may be provided in any part of the first groove part 52a and the second groove part 52b. Further, without using the film 59A in the filter box 38, whether or not the filter box 38 is used may be confirmed by another method (for example, a method in which an operator peels off the label).

  (9) Further, the chemical filter 51 (filter medium) of the filter box 38 removes organic gas (organic matter) in the gas passing through it, and the chemical filter 56 (filter medium) of the filter box 40 contains the inside thereof. Since the alkaline gas and the acidic gas in the passing gas are removed, air in which impurities are highly removed can be supplied into the chamber 10 in which the exposure main body 4 is accommodated.

  Further, the filter device 26 of the present embodiment is provided with a six-stage filter box 38 and a three-stage filter box 40. However, the number of filter boxes 38 is arbitrary, and the number of filter boxes 40 is also arbitrary. is there. Further, the filter device 26 may be provided with only one or a plurality of stages of filter boxes 38 or one or a plurality of stages of filter boxes 40.

Moreover, although the casing 28 of the filter device 26 is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by partition plates 42A to 42C, the filter boxes 38 and 40 are simply stacked alternately, for example, without partitioning the casing 28 by the partition plates 42A to 42C. It is also possible.
The filter in the filter box 40 may be, for example, a filter that removes at least one of an alkaline substance and an acidic substance in a gas passing through the filter box 40.

Furthermore, any filter (filter medium) other than the chemical filter can be used for the filters in the filter boxes 38 and 40. For example, as the filters of the filter boxes 38 and 40, it is also possible to use a dustproof filter for removing minute particles (particles) such as a HEPA filter or a ULPA filter.
(10) The exposure apparatus EX of the present embodiment is an exposure main body that exposes the wafer W in the exposure apparatus that exposes the wafer W (substrate) through the pattern of the reticle R and the projection optical system PL with the exposure light EL. 4, a filter device 26 according to the present embodiment, and an air conditioner 30 that blows air taken in from the outside of the chamber 10 into the chamber 10 through the filter device 26.

According to the present embodiment, the filter boxes 38 and 40 of the filter device 26 can be exchanged efficiently, and positioning between the filter boxes 38 and 40 can be performed with high accuracy, so that the exposure apparatus can be maintained. It can be performed efficiently and impurities in the air in the chamber 10 can be removed with high accuracy.
In the present embodiment, the same guide grooves and recesses 39A, 39B, 41A as the frames 50, 55 of the filter boxes 38, 40 are used as the frames of the filter boxes 63, 64 of the local air conditioner 60 in the loader chamber 10b. A frame having a recess corresponding to 41B may be used, and the filter boxes 63 and 64 may be housed in a casing having shaft members 48A and 48B, positioning pins 75A and 76A, and the like, similar to the casing 28.

In the present embodiment, the guide groove is formed on the side surface of the frame 50. However, the frame 50 may be divided into two members. For example, the frame 50 may be formed by a configuration including a frame main body having a flat side surface and holding a filter, and a concavo-convex forming member attached to the side surface of the frame main body and formed with a guide groove. .
Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this modified example, the shape of the guide groove on the side surface (unevenness forming portion) of the frame of the filter box and the concave portion (recessed portion) on the back surface is changed, and the other portions are the same as in the above embodiment. 7A to 7D, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 4A to 4D are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing a modified filter box 38 </ b> A that holds the chemical filter 51, and FIG. 7C is a perspective view showing a modified filter box 40 </ b> A that holds the chemical filter 56. The filter boxes 38A and 40A can be installed in the casing 28 instead of the filter boxes 38 and 40 of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7A, guide grooves 52A and 53A are formed on a pair of side surfaces 50c and 50d in the longitudinal direction of the frame 50 of the filter box 38A. The guide groove 52A is disposed between the upper end and the lower end of the side surface 50c of the frame 50, communicates with the back surface 50b of the frame 50, and extends to the lower end of the frame 50, and the first groove portion 52Aa and the first groove portion. 52Aa and a second groove (vertical recess) 52Ab that extends toward the upper end of the frame 50 and extends to the front surface 50a of the frame 50.

In the present embodiment, the first groove portion 52Aa is a portion formed to be recessed with respect to the side surface 50c of the frame 50. Therefore, the first groove portion 52Aa is referred to as a concave formation portion, and the side surface 50c of the frame 50 is guided. The portion 520 other than the groove 52A can also be referred to as a convex forming portion.
Furthermore, the guide groove 52A is formed at a position where the first groove portion 52Aa and the second groove portion 52Ab communicate with each other, and the first taper portion 52Ac whose width gradually decreases toward the back surface 50b, and the back surface 50b of the first groove portion 52Aa. And a second taper portion 52Ad that gradually increases in width toward the back surface 50b. The edge part 50ae on the upper surface side of the first groove part 52Aa and the edge part 50be on the back surface 50b side of the second groove part 52Ab are connected by a first taper part 52Ac.

In this case, as shown in the side view of FIG. 8B, the width of the first groove 52Aa and the second groove 52Ab is set wider than the diameter of the shaft member 48A provided in the casing 28 of FIG. ing. Note that the shape of the guide groove 53A on the other side surface 50d of the frame 50 is symmetric (or the same) as the guide groove 52A, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
Further, recesses 39C and 39D having a long hole shape (an ellipse elongated in the thickness direction of the frame 50) are formed in the back surface 50b of the frame 50 so as to be separated from each other in the lateral direction. The recesses 39C and 39D can be engaged with, for example, the positioning pins 75A and 76A of the casing 28 in FIG. 3 is provided on the bottom surface 50e of the frame 50, and the cover member TF1 of FIG. 3 is provided on the top surface 50f.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 8C, guide grooves (unevenness forming portions) 52A and 53A are formed on the pair of side surfaces 55c and 55d of the frame 55 of the filter box 40A in the same manner as the frame 50. Further, in the back surface 55b of the frame 55, recesses 41C and 41D having a long hole shape (an ellipse elongated in the thickness direction of the frame 55) are formed in the lateral direction. The interval between the recesses 41C and 41D is narrower than the interval between the recesses 39C and 39D on the frame 50 side, and the recesses 41C and 41D can be engaged with, for example, the positioning pins 77A and 78A of the casing 28 in FIG. 3 is provided on the bottom surface 55e of the frame 55, and the cover member TF1 shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the top surface 55f. The gasket 54 and the cover member TF1 can be omitted.

The filter boxes 38A and 40A of this modified example can be installed in a state where they can be easily positioned in the casing 28 and can be easily exchanged, similarly to the filter boxes 38 and 40 of the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, since the interval between the recesses 39C and 39D is different from the interval between the recesses 41C and 41D, it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion of the filter boxes 38A and 40A.
Also in this modification, only one of the guide grooves 52A and 53A may be provided on the frames 50 and 55, and only one of the recesses 39C and 39D and the recesses 41C and 41D may be provided on the frames 50 and 55.

In the above-described embodiment and its modified examples, the configuration in which the guide grooves 52 and 53 (or 52A and 53A, the same applies hereinafter) are directly formed on the side surfaces of the frames 50 and 55 has been described. After the guide grooves 52 and 53 are formed in the member, the member may be attached to the side surface of the frame 50.
Moreover, in the said embodiment and its modification, although the 2nd groove part 52b etc. showed the example penetrated to the upper end of the frames 50 and 55, the 2nd groove part 52b etc. were shown in the upper end of the frames 50 and 55. You may stay before reaching (the upper end of a 2nd groove part has a latching | locking part). By doing so, when the user mistakes the vertical mounting position of the filter boxes 38, 40, etc., a sudden load may be applied to the operator's hand due to the presence of the locking portion at the upper end of the second groove. Is prevented.

Moreover, in the said embodiment and its modification, although the groove | channel and uneven | corrugated formation part of a specific shape were shown with drawing, it is not limited to those shapes, An uneven | corrugated formation part and a depression part can be made into arbitrary shapes. The shaft member and the positioning pin are not limited to the cylindrical shape shown in the embodiment, and shaft members having various shapes such as a quadrangular prism shape can be used.
Moreover, in said modification, when the side surface 50c of the frames 50 and 55 is made into the convex formation part, you may form this convex formation part with another member.

Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the presence or absence of use of a filter box was identified by peeling of a thin film, you may identify by not only this structure but whether the film cut | interrupted.
Further, in the above embodiment, the filter boxes 38 and 40 are loaded one by one at appropriate positions in the casing 28, but a plurality of filter boxes such as two or three are stacked and loaded into the casing 28 at the same time. May be. In this case, for example, after the remaining filter boxes are pre-positioned on the filter box located at the bottom of the two (or three) filter boxes, the filter boxes May be loaded into the casing 28. In this way, if only the lowest filter box among the stacked filter boxes is engaged with the corresponding shaft member and loaded in an appropriate position in the casing, all the filter boxes that are stacked Will be automatically aligned. Therefore, in such a case, it is only necessary to have a shaft member corresponding to the lowermost filter box among the stacked filter boxes, and it is not necessary to provide another shaft member. For example, when the three filter boxes 38 are stacked and loaded at once in the first space 28c of the casing 28, only the shaft members 48G and / or 49G are provided, and the 48H, 48I, 49H, and 49I are not used. Also good. In this case, it is not necessary to form the first groove and the second groove on both side surfaces of the frame 50 of the middle and upper filter boxes 38.

Although the present invention is expressed in the appended claims, the following concepts are also included in the present application. That is, a filter box system including the filter box of the present invention and a casing or a chamber that accommodates the filter device and includes a lateral recess, a longitudinal recess, and a member that engages with the first recess and the second recess is also provided in the present application. This is the intended concept of creation.
Further, when an electronic device (or micro device) such as a semiconductor device is manufactured using the exposure apparatus EX of the above embodiment, the electronic device performs a function / performance design of the electronic device as shown in FIG. 221, manufacturing a mask (reticle) based on this design step 222, manufacturing a substrate (wafer) as a base material of the device and applying a resist 223, mask pattern by the exposure apparatus of the above-described embodiment A substrate (sensitive substrate), a process for developing the exposed substrate, a substrate processing step 224 including heating (curing) and etching process of the developed substrate, a device assembly step (dicing process, bonding process, package process) 225) as well as the inspection step 226 It is manufactured through the.

Therefore, this device manufacturing method includes forming the pattern of the photosensitive layer on the substrate using the exposure apparatus of the above embodiment, and processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed (step 224). Yes. According to the exposure apparatus, the maintenance cost can be reduced and the exposure accuracy can be improved, so that the electronic device can be manufactured at a low cost with high accuracy.
In the above embodiment, air is used as the air conditioning gas. Instead, nitrogen gas or a rare gas (such as helium or neon), or a mixed gas of these gases may be used. .

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a scanning exposure type projection exposure apparatus but also to exposure using a batch exposure type (stepper type) projection exposure apparatus.
The present invention can also be applied when exposure is performed using a proximity type or contact type exposure apparatus that does not use a projection optical system.
In addition, the present invention is not limited to application to a semiconductor device manufacturing process. For example, a manufacturing process of a display device such as a liquid crystal display element or a plasma display formed on a square glass plate, or an imaging element (CCD, etc.), micromachines, MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems), thin film magnetic heads, and various devices such as DNA chips can be widely applied. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a manufacturing process when manufacturing a mask (photomask, reticle, etc.) on which mask patterns of various devices are formed using a photolithography process.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various configurations can be taken without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  EX ... exposure device, R ... reticle, PL ... projection optical system, W ... wafer, 4 ... exposure body, 10 ... chamber, 26 ... filter device, 28 ... casing, 30 ... main air conditioner, 38, 40 ... filter box , 39A, 39B, 41A, 41B ... recess, 42A-42C ... partition plate, 48A-48I, 49A-49I ... shaft members 48A-48I, 50, 55 ... frame, 51, 56 ... chemical filter, 52, 53 ... guide Groove, 59A, 59B ... film, 60 ... local air conditioner, 70-72 ... handle part, 75A-78A ... positioning pin

Claims (18)

A filter box holding a filter,
A frame holding the filter;
An unevenness forming portion formed on at least one side surface of the frame;
A depressed portion provided on an intersecting surface intersecting a side surface on which the unevenness forming portion of the frame is formed,
The concave-convex forming portion is disposed between an upper end and a lower end of the at least one side surface of the frame, and communicates with a side end on the intersecting surface side of the at least one side surface;
A filter box comprising: a second recess communicating with the first recess and extending toward an upper end of the frame.   The filter box according to claim 1, wherein the depressed portion is formed to be elongated toward an upper end of the frame.   3. The filter box according to claim 1, wherein the depressed portion is provided at two locations separated from each other on the intersecting surface. A seal member provided on the lower surface of the frame;
4. The sheet-like member provided on a surface of the upper end side of the frame and having a lower adhesiveness to the seal member than the frame. 5. Filter box as described in.   The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a handle portion provided on a surface of the frame opposite to the crossing surface with respect to the filter.   The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first recess is formed to extend to the lower end of the frame.   The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second recess is formed to extend to a side end opposite to the side end of the at least one side surface.   The filter box according to claim 1, wherein the first recess is a first groove formed on a side surface of the frame.   The filter box according to claim 1 or 8, wherein the second recess is a second groove formed in a side surface of the frame.   The first taper portion that gradually decreases in width toward a side end of the at least one side surface is formed at a position where the first recess and the second recess communicate with each other. The filter box according to claim 9.   A second taper portion that gradually increases in width toward a side end of the at least one side surface is formed in a portion communicating with the side end of the at least one side surface of the first recess. The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 10.   The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the concavo-convex forming portions are provided in substantially the same shape on a pair of side surfaces of the frame.   The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a third recess provided between the first recess on at least one side surface of the frame and an upper end of the frame. .   The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the filter removes organic substances in the gas passing through the filter.   The filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the filter removes at least one of an alkaline substance and an acidic substance in a gas passing through the filter. A filter device for storing a filter box for holding a filter,
A filter box according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
A case for storing the filter box;
A convex positioning member that is provided on the case and engages the depressed portion provided on the intersecting surface of the frame of the filter box;
A guide member that is provided in a part of the case and engages with the concavo-convex forming portion formed on at least one side surface of the frame of the filter box;
A filter device comprising: In an exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate through a pattern with exposure light,
A chamber for storing an exposure main body for exposing the substrate;
A filter device according to claim 16;
An air conditioner for blowing gas taken from outside the chamber into the chamber through the filter device;
An exposure apparatus comprising: Exposing a photosensitive substrate using the exposure apparatus of claim 17;
Processing the exposed photosensitive substrate.

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