JP2016156898A - Pellicle housing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pellicle housing container in which there is no deterioration of a flame retardant and a resin due to ultraviolet rays even when using the resin with the flame retardant added thereto as a material of the pellicle housing container, and a housed pellicle is kept clean for a long period of time.SOLUTION: A pellicle housing container for housing a pellicle having at least one side length greater than 500 mm is constituted of a pellicle housing container body for placing pellicle, and a lid body for sealing the body by fitting to the body at its peripheral edge part. At least the lid body is made of a resin subjected to vacuum molding or pressure molding. The resin material contains a flame retardant and a black-coloring material, and is opaque and black. The flame retardant is preferably a bromine-based compound, and the resin material is preferably an ABS resin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention is a pellicle storage container used as a dust guard when manufacturing a semiconductor device, an IC package, a printed circuit board, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display or the like, and has a large size with at least one side length exceeding 500 mm. The present invention relates to a pellicle storage container suitable for the pellicle.

  In manufacturing semiconductors such as LSI and VLSI, or liquid crystal displays, patterns are created by irradiating semiconductor wafers or glass plates for liquid crystals with ultraviolet light, and dust is attached to the photomask used at this time. Since the dust blocks or reflects the ultraviolet light, there is a problem that the transferred pattern is deformed, short-circuited, and the quality is deteriorated.

  For this reason, these operations are usually performed in a clean room, but it is still difficult to keep the photomask clean. Therefore, exposure is performed after a pellicle is attached to the surface of the photomask to prevent dust. In this case, the foreign matter does not adhere directly to the surface of the photomask but adheres to the pellicle. Therefore, if the focus is set on the pattern of the photomask during lithography, the foreign matter on the pellicle becomes irrelevant to the transfer.

  This pellicle is generally constructed by adhering a transparent pellicle film made of nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate, fluororesin, or the like that transmits light well to the upper end surface of a pellicle frame made of aluminum, stainless steel, engineering plastic, or the like. . At the lower end of the pellicle frame, there is an adhesive layer made of polybutene resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin, silicone resin, etc. for mounting on a photomask, and a release layer (separator) for the purpose of protecting the adhesive layer Is provided.

  On the other hand, a pellicle storage container for storing such a pellicle, in particular, a large pellicle having a side length exceeding 500 mm, includes a pellicle storage container main body on which the pellicle is mounted and a lid that fits and seals at the peripheral part thereof. It consists of members with the body. These members are manufactured by vacuum forming or pressure forming a resin plate having a thickness of about 2 to 8 mm. However, since this method can also be integrally formed with a large-sized member, a dust generation source is provided inside. In addition to being small, there is an advantage that it can be manufactured at high cost with high productivity.

  The pellicle storage container body should be black to improve the visibility of attached foreign matter, and the lid should be transparent or colored translucent so that the pellicle stored inside can be visually recognized. (See Patent Document 1). From such a viewpoint, in most cases, black ABS resin is used for the storage container main body, and transparent or translucent ABS resin or PMMA resin is used for the lid.

  Since such a resin is flammable, a pellicle storage container that stores a large pellicle having a side length exceeding 500 mm has a considerably large volume and weight as a flammable material. For example, a pellicle storage container for an 800 × 920 mm mask has a weight of 10 kg / piece, and a pellicle storage container for a 1220 × 1400 mm mask has a weight of about 25 kg / piece. If it is stored in a container, its safety becomes a problem.

  Therefore, as a countermeasure, it is conceivable to change the material to a flame retardant material such as a metal or a flame retardant resin. However, in the case of metal, there is a problem that even if a lightweight material such as an aluminum alloy is used for the lid, it is too heavy to be manually opened and closed, so that a great burden is imposed on the work. Therefore, it is almost limited to the pellicle storage container body in the lower part. On the other hand, in the case of a flame-retardant resin material, examples of the material include PAN, PVC, etc., but these materials have many restrictions on the size of the plate material available, and many grades are unsuitable for thermoforming, There is a problem that it is difficult to use.

  From such a point of view, in order to ensure flame retardancy, it is said that the most convenient method is to add a flame retardant to materials such as PMMA and ABS, which have been proven as materials for large pellicle storage containers. Examples of the flame retardant to be added include bromine-based compounds, phosphorus-based compounds, antimony compounds, metal hydroxides, and other silicone-based compounds. Among them, bromine-based compounds are used as PMMA and ABS resins. The fact is that it is often used.

  However, if a resin with a flame retardant added is used as the material for the pellicle storage container, storing the pellicle storage container in an environment where sunlight, particularly ultraviolet rays, will cause the flame retardant to decompose and deteriorate due to the ultraviolet light. There is a problem that the pellicle stored inside the container is contaminated (cloudy), the deterioration of the raw material resin is promoted, and the appearance of the pellicle storage container is deteriorated.

JP 2001-1000039

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the purpose thereof is that there is no deterioration of the flame retardant and the resin due to ultraviolet rays even when a resin to which a flame retardant is added is used as the material of the pellicle storage container. To provide a pellicle storage container in which the stored pellicle is kept clean for a long period of time.

  The present invention is a pellicle storage container for storing a pellicle having at least one side length of more than 500 mm, a pellicle storage container body on which the pellicle is placed, and a lid body that is fitted and sealed at the peripheral edge thereof. And at least the lid is made of a resin formed by vacuum forming or pressure forming, and this resin material contains a flame retardant and a blackening material and is opaque and black.

  In the present invention, the blackening material is preferably contained in an amount of 0.5% to 3% by weight ratio of the resin material, and the flame retardant is preferably contained in an amount of 5% to 25% by weight ratio of the resin material. The flame retardant is preferably a bromine compound, and the resin material is preferably an ABS resin.

  According to the present invention, since the flame retardant added to the material of the pellicle storage container can be minimized by the ultraviolet rays, the cleanness of the stored pellicle can be maintained over a long period of time. There is an effect that can be done.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a pellicle storage container of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 showing an outline of the pellicle storage container of the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1 showing an outline of the pellicle storage container of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pellicle storage container according to the present invention with the lid removed. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pellicle storage container of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, although one embodiment of the present invention is described in detail based on a drawing, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The pellicle storage container 10 of the present invention is for storing at least one pellicle having a side length of more than 500 mm, and includes a pellicle storage container main body 11 and a lid 12. The pellicle storage container main body 11 is for mounting the pellicle 20, and the lid 12 is fitted to the pellicle storage container 11 at the peripheral edge and sealed to protect the pellicle 20 from external dust. . The pellicle 20 placed on the pellicle storage container main body 11 is fixed by a pin 13 inserted into a non-through hole (not shown) provided on the side surface of the frame and a pin support means 14 for supporting the pin. It is fixed on the pellicle storage container main body 11 by means.

  The pellicle storage container body 11 and the lid body 12 are suitable in terms of quality, cost, and flame retardancy when manufactured by vacuum forming or pressure forming a resin plate containing a flame retardant having a thickness of 2 to 8 mm. . It is also preferable from the viewpoint of reducing foreign matter adhesion to impart antistatic performance by adding a conductive material or coating the surface.

  In the pellicle storage container 10 of the present invention, at least the lid 12 is opaque and black while a flame retardant is added to the resin of the material. This is because a normal lid is made of a transparent or translucent resin material, but the penetration of ultraviolet rays into the resin material can be prevented by making the lid 12 opaque and black. Therefore, in the resin constituting the pellicle storage container 10, particularly in the vicinity of the surface thereof, the deterioration of the contained flame retardant is prevented, so that the generation of gaseous substances due to the deterioration of the flame retardant occurs. This prevents the inside of the pellicle storage container and the stored pellicle from being contaminated.

  In the present invention, in order to make the resin material opaque and black, it is preferable to contain a blackening material such as carbon black in an amount of 0.5% to 3% by weight ratio of the resin material. If it is less than 0.5%, the degree of black is thin and insufficient, and even if it exceeds 3%, there is no difference in its effect. Examples of the blackening material include titanium dioxide, iron tetroxide and the like in addition to carbon black.

  Various resins can be used as the material for the pellicle storage container 10, and ABS resin is particularly preferable. This is because, in addition to its good balance of rigidity and moldability, the absorption of ultraviolet rays is large, so that the amount of ultraviolet rays that penetrate into the material is further reduced, and deterioration of the flame retardant contained is also suppressed. is there. Further, the black color is more preferable because deterioration in appearance such as yellowing and fading, which are deterioration of the ABS resin itself, is prevented.

  On the other hand, in the case of acrylic resin (PMMA) generally used for the pellicle storage container, it can be made flame retardant by adding a flame retardant. However, since the resin itself has a high ultraviolet transmittance, There is an inconvenience that deterioration of the flame retardant contained in is easily promoted. In addition, if the resin material itself is a flame retardant resin material, it is not necessary to add a flame retardant in the first place. For example, in the case of vinyl chloride resin (PVC), it is difficult to obtain a large format material, There is a problem that disposal is difficult. Furthermore, in the case of polycarbonate resin (PC), the molding temperature is extremely high, and there is a problem that it is difficult to produce a large product by vacuum molding or pressure molding, and it is not easy to adopt this.

  As for the type of flame retardant added to the resin, bromine compounds such as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBA), decabromodiphenyl ether (DBDE), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and phosphorus compounds as organic flame retardants, Examples include chlorine compounds. Examples of the inorganic flame retardant include hydrates of aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide, antimony compounds such as antimony trioxide, and boron compounds. In addition to melamine cyanurate, silicone compounds have also been developed as non-halogen organic systems.

  The flame retardant used in the present invention is preferably used by adding about 5% to 25% by weight of the resin material alone or in a combination of several kinds. This is because if the amount of the flame retardant is less than 5%, the effect of flame retardancy is not sufficiently exhibited, and if it exceeds 25%, the influence on the physical properties of the resin material is too large, which is not preferable.

  In recent years, some flame retardants have become restricted substances due to environmental problems, and it is preferable to select them in consideration of this point. Furthermore, the target degree of flame retardancy may be set according to the required level in the storage location of the pellicle storage container, but it is preferable to achieve V-1 at least according to the UL94 standard.

  In the present invention, various flame retardants as described above can be applied, but it is particularly preferable to contain a bromine-based compound. This is because the bromine-based compound has a high flame retarding effect and has a high effect even when combined with other flame retardants. In particular, a combination of a bromine-based compound and antimony trioxide is preferable because of its high flame retarding effect.

  In addition, bromine compounds have the disadvantage of being easily deteriorated by ultraviolet rays, but by making the resin material opaque and black, it is possible to keep the deteriorated area only on the surface, so that the bromine compound is deteriorated. It can be substantially prevented. Examples of suitable bromine-based compounds include tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), TBBA oligomer (epoxy-based, carbonate-based), brominated polystyrene (BPS) and the like for reasons of flame retardancy and environmental regulations. These contents are preferably in the range of 5 to 25% from the viewpoint of ensuring flame retardancy and maintaining the physical properties of the resin.

  The pellicle storage container main body 11 and the lid body 12 of the present invention can be provided with a reinforcing structure such as a rib, if necessary. A metal or resin reinforcing means, a handle for handling, and a lid body are provided. A fixing buckle or the like may be provided.

  In addition, when rigidity is particularly required for a very large pellicle storage container having a pellicle side length exceeding 1500 mm, or when it is desired to further improve the flame retardancy, only the lid 12 is manufactured from the above resin, and the pellicle storage is performed. A configuration in which the container body 11 is made of metal is particularly preferable. However, when the pellicle storage container body 11 is made of metal, it is disadvantageous in terms of weight compared to the case where it is made entirely of resin, but handling such as opening and closing manually like the lid 12 is unnecessary. Therefore, there is no substantial trouble.

  When using a metal, in addition to lightweight materials such as aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy, high-rigidity materials such as steel and stainless steel can be used. In that case, the forming process may be performed by shaping a thin plate by bending, press molding, welding, or the like, or may use casting. The surface is preferably coated to prevent rust and dust generation, and in particular, in addition to imparting antistatic performance, it should be black in order to improve the visibility of adhered foreign matter Is preferred.

  In the pellicle storage container 10 of the present invention, various known methods can be applied as fixing means for fixing the pellicle 20 to the pellicle storage container body 11. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the pin support means 14 is provided on the pellicle storage container body 11, and the pin 13 supported thereby is inserted into a non-through hole (not shown) provided on the side surface of the pellicle frame. 20 is fixed, but other known methods may be used.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a mask adhesive layer 22 is provided on the lower surface of the pellicle frame 21, and a separator 23 for protecting the mask adhesive layer 22 is attached below the mask adhesive layer 22. A means for supporting the pellicle frame 21 may be provided separately so as not to contact the pellicle storage container main body 11, and the separator may be omitted.

  Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below.

  In the example, first, the pellicle storage container main body 11 and the lid body 12 were manufactured by vacuum forming using an ABS resin plate having a thickness of 5 mm. The size of the pellicle storage container 10 is an outer dimension of 940 × 1060 × height of 90 mm.

  The ABS resin plate used in this example is a brominated flame retardant (trade name; Flame Cut, Tosoh Corporation) 20 wt%, antimony trioxide (trade name; PATOX, Nippon Seiko Co., Ltd.) 2 wt% Carbon black (trade name; Sun Black, Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd.) 1 wt% was mixed and produced by extrusion molding to be opaque and black.

  Next, the pellicle storage container main body 11 and the lid body 12 were subjected to a finishing process by cutting the periphery with an NC router after vacuum forming. Further, on the pellicle storage container main body 11, a pin support means 14 was attached from the outer surface by bolt fixing (not shown).

  On the other hand, the pellicle 20 stored in the pellicle storage container 10 was manufactured according to the following specifications. That is, the pellicle frame 21 was obtained by machining an A5052 aluminum alloy by mechanical cutting, and had an outer dimension of 756 × 940 mm, an inner dimension of 740 × 928 mm, a height of 5.8 mm, and a black alumite treatment on the surface. Four vent holes (not shown) having a diameter of 1.5 mm were provided near the center of each long side, and non-through jig holes (not shown) having a diameter of 2.5 mm were provided near the corners of each side.

  Next, a silicone adhesive (trade name: KR-3700, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) having a thickness of 1.3 mm is formed as a mask adhesive layer 22 on the lower surface of the pellicle frame 21 and the surface thereof is separated. A separator 23 made of a PET film coated with a mold was attached. Further, the vent hole on the side surface of the pellicle frame 21 was a PTFE porous membrane filter attached with an acrylic adhesive (not shown). Further, a silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive (trade name: KR-3700, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) is applied to the upper surface of the pellicle frame 21 as the pellicle film adhesive layer 24, and a fluororesin (trade name; Cytop, A pellicle film 25 made of Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. and having a thickness of about 4.5 μm was stretched.

  The pellicle 20 produced in this way was inspected for foreign matter, fixed on the pellicle storage container body 11 with the pins 13 and the pin support means 14, and sealed with the lid 12. Thereafter, the periphery of the fitting portion was sealed with a PVC adhesive tape and stored in an antistatic PE packing bag having a thickness of 0.1. When storing the pellicle 20, the pellicle storage container 10 was thoroughly washed with a surfactant and pure water in a Class 10 clean room and dried.

  Finally, the pellicle storage container 10 storing the pellicle 20 as described above was transported into a room that was air-conditioned at a room temperature of 22 to 28 ° C. and a humidity of 30 to 55%, and was left to stand for one year. The place where the pellicle storage container 10 was placed was an environment where sunlight was inserted through the glass window throughout the year.

  After one year, the pellicle 20 stored in the pellicle storage container 10 was taken out in the clean room of the Class 10 and the appearance and foreign matter inspection were performed. As a result, no adhered foreign matter or damage was found on the pellicle 20, and it remained clean. The state of was kept. Also, no noticeable change in appearance was observed in the pellicle storage container 10 itself.

Comparative example

<Comparative Example 1>
In Comparative Example 1, a pellicle storage container was first manufactured in exactly the same manner as in the example, but the material of the pellicle storage container lid was different from that of the above example. That is, the plate material used for the lid is formed by extruding ABS resin. The material is brominated flame retardant (trade name; Frame Cut, Tosoh Corp.) 20 wt% and antimony trioxide (trade name). ; PATOX, Nippon Seiko Co., Ltd.) 2 wt%, but does not contain carbon black for blackening, and the appearance is slightly white and transparent.

  Next, the pellicle storage container was thoroughly washed with a surfactant and pure water in a Class 10 clean room and dried, and then a pellicle having the same specifications as in the example was stored after inspection. And it left still for one year in the completely same environment as an Example.

  One year later, the pellicle was taken out from the pellicle storage container in a Class 10 clean room and examined for appearance and foreign matter. Although no large foreign matter was attached to the film surface of the stored pellicle, φ0 Many foreign matters of about 5 to 3 μm were adhered. Also, depending on the place, the density of the adhering foreign matter is high, and there are portions that look like cloudiness or dirt, so this is a level that cannot be used normally. Furthermore, the lid of the pellicle storage container was slightly yellowish white and opaque, and did not have an appearance that can be used as a product.

<Comparative Example 2>
Also in Comparative Example 2, the pellicle storage container was manufactured in exactly the same manner as in Example and Comparative Example 1. However, the material of the lid of the pellicle storage container was different from that in the above Example and Comparative Example 1. That is, the plate material used for the lid is formed by extruding ABS resin, and the material is blackened by adding 35 wt% of inorganic flame retardant magnesium hydroxide instead of bromine flame retardant. Therefore, the appearance is white and opaque.

  Next, this pellicle storage container was thoroughly washed with a surfactant and pure water in a Class 10 clean room and dried, and then a pellicle having the same specifications as those of the example and the comparative example 1 was stored after foreign matter inspection. And it left still for one year in the completely same environment as an Example and the comparative example 1.

  One year later, in the Class 10 clean room, the pellicle was taken out from the pellicle storage container and examined for appearance and foreign matter. The stored pellicle had no foreign matter attached and was kept usable. However, since the lid of the pellicle storage container was opaque white, the outer surface was yellowed in some places, and the appearance was not usable as a product.

10 Pellicle storage container 11 Pellicle storage container body 12 Lid 13 Pin 14 Pin support means 20 Pellicle 21 Pellicle frame 22 Mask adhesive layer 23 Separator 24 Pellicle film adhesive layer 25 Pellicle film

Claims (5)

  A pellicle storage container for storing at least one pellicle having a side length of more than 500 mm, comprising a pellicle storage container main body on which the pellicle is mounted, and a lid body that is fitted and sealed at the periphery thereof. The pellicle storage container, wherein at least the lid is made of a vacuum-molded or pressure-molded resin material, and the resin material contains a flame retardant and a blackening material and is opaque and black.   The pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein the blackening material is contained in an amount of 0.5% to 3% by weight ratio of the resin material.   The pellicle storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flame retardant is contained in an amount of 5% to 25% by weight ratio of the resin material.   4. The pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein the flame retardant is a bromine-based compound. The pellicle storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resin material is an ABS resin.

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