JP4337988B2 - Large pellicle storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a photomask used in a lithography process when manufacturing an LSI or a liquid crystal panel, and a pellicle storage container used to prevent foreign matter from adhering to a reticle, and particularly to storing a large pellicle for liquid crystal. It relates to the container.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the manufacture of semiconductor circuit patterns and the like, it has been practiced to prevent foreign matter from adhering to a photomask or reticle using a dust-proof means generally called a pellicle (for example, Patent Document 1). The pellicle is a transparent polymer film (hereinafter referred to as a pellicle film) such as nitrocellulose or a cellulose derivative having a thickness of 10 μm or less on the upper edge surface of a frame of about several millimeters thick having a shape matched to the shape of a photomask or reticle. The adhesive is applied to the lower edge surface of the frame body, and a protective film is adhered to the adhesive material with a predetermined adhesive force.

  The pressure-sensitive adhesive is for fixing the pellicle to a photomask or reticle, and the protective film is used to maintain the adhesive strength of the pressure-sensitive adhesive until the pressure-sensitive adhesive is used for that purpose. It protects the adhesive surface. When transporting this pellicle from the manufacturer to the user, in order to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the pellicle membrane or the like or to prevent the pellicle from being damaged, the pellicle is stored in a storage container composed of a tray and a lid. Further, it is generally carried in a dustproof bag or the like.

  Conventionally, storage in a storage container having the above-described structure has been performed as shown in FIGS. That is, in the figure, the pellicle film 52 is bonded to one upper edge surface of the frame body 51 in a stretched (pinched) state, and the other surface (lower edge surface) of the frame body 51 has an appropriate thickness. The adhesive material 53 is provided, and a protective film is attached to the lower surface of the adhesive material 53 to constitute a pellicle. The pellicle is placed so that the protective film is in contact with the installation surface 55a which is a flat surface of the tray 55.

  The pellicle placed on the installation surface 55 a of the tray 55 is restrained from moving left and right by a protruding post 55 b provided on the tray 55, and covers the lid 56 from above. It was stored by fixing four corners with 55. As a result, the pellicle was in a state of being restrained and enclosed by the inclined surface 56a of the lid 56, the post 55b, and the installation surface 55a. Further, instead of the clip 57, the entire circumference is sealed with an adhesive tape.

The storage container is generally manufactured by injection molding or vacuum molding using a resin material. However, 5 inch and 6 inch semiconductor pellicle storage containers are often molded by injection molding, but large pellicle storage containers having an area of 1000 cm ² or more are often vacuum-molded. This is because the vacuum forming is thinner and a large integrated product can be easily formed.

Japanese Patent Publication No.54-28718 JP-A-8-62828 JP 2000-173887 A

It is assumed that the shape of the storage container does not change over time, and a sealing property for preventing dust from adhering to the pellicle and a holding property capable of reliably holding the pellicle film in a non-contact state are required. . Deformation is unlikely to be a problem if it is a small storage container, but in the case of a storage container for a large pellicle that is 1000 cm ² or more, it is stored in the vertical position with bending, twisting, and holding. In some cases, deformation due to its own weight or warpage due to temperature may occur.

  If the tray or lid is warped or twisted, the deformation is transferred to the adhesive material. If the tray is warped, a part of the adhesive is locally weighted, and the adhesive may be deformed. Further, when the lid is warped or twisted, the pellicle is pressed against the tray, and the warp of the tray may be transferred to the adhesive. In particular, a large pellicle storage container has a larger area than a 5-inch or 6-inch semiconductor pellicle storage container, and thus warps and twists of the storage container increase. Therefore, the deformation of the storage container is easily transferred to the pressure-sensitive adhesive, and the frequency of occurrence of defective sticking increases. When sticking to the underside of a mask or reticle, the large pellicle is heavy, so even a small sticking failure that does not pose a problem with a small pellicle spreads over time, and the poor sticking part spreads over time, connecting the inside and outside of the pellicle called an air path. A gap may be formed, and foreign matter may enter the pellicle from that position, and the pellicle function may not be performed.

  Further, when the tray or lid comes into contact with the pellicle due to warpage or deflection, wear powder such as the lid may adhere to the pellicle film, and the pellicle function may not be performed. Further, warping of the case impairs the fitting property between the lid and the tray, and foreign matter may enter from the gap between the lid and the tray and adhere to the pellicle.

  Thus, as shown in Patent Document 2, conventionally, in order to prevent deformation of the adhesive material of the pellicle, a method has been proposed in which ribs are provided on the pellicle mounting base to suppress deformation of the mounting base during molding. However, integrally forming the ribs on the mounting base complicates the structure on the inner surface side of the container and has a problem in cleaning properties.

  In order to improve the rigidity of the tray and lid in vacuum forming, it is conceivable to increase the thickness of the forming sheet, but it is not preferable from the viewpoint of handling because the storage container for large pellicles becomes heavy. . Therefore, Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which a stepped portion having a predetermined shape (provided with irregularities) is provided on a flat portion of a tray or a lid to increase the rigidity of the flat portion to prevent deformation. However, even in this configuration, in vacuum forming, if the front surface is protruded, the back surface is retracted, so that the inner surface of the storage container is uneven. Then, the cleaning property and the inspection property are deteriorated, and the case cleaning tact (required time) is increased. Therefore, it is desirable that the inner surface of the storage container is as flat as possible.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a large pellicle storage container capable of improving rigidity without impairing cleaning properties even in a container manufactured using vacuum forming, particularly for a large pellicle storage container. It is said.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical configuration of the present invention is a large-sized pellicle storage container used for storing, transporting, and transporting a pellicle, which covers the tray and the tray. consists of a lid, at least the planar portion of the tray or lid is a double structure, characterized in that a honeycomb structure between the double structure of the tray or lid. Thereby, an increase in weight can be reduced and rigidity can be improved, deformation of the case can be prevented, and deformation of the adhesive material and frame of the pellicle can be prevented. This is because the flat portion at the approximate center of the tray or lid is insufficient in strength. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide a rib, there is no unevenness and the cleaning effect is improved. Moreover, it can be set as the container which was excellent in the washability which has high rigidity and does not have an uneven surface on both surfaces.

  Further, the tray or the lid is manufactured by vacuum forming. This is because vacuum forming is advantageous for increasing the size of the storage container, and it is difficult to improve rigidity in the case of vacuum forming, and the usefulness of the present invention is increased.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a storage container for a large pellicle that has high rigidity and excellent cleaning properties. For this reason, the adhesive material and frame of the pellicle are not deformed, and sticking defects to the pellicle mask and reticle can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent small dust generated by rubbing between the pellicle and the large pellicle storage container during transportation from adhering to the pellicle. Therefore, the function of the pellicle is not impaired during transportation from the manufacturer to the user, and the user can always use a pellicle with a stable quality, and the present invention greatly contributes to the stabilization of the quality. To do.

  An embodiment of a large pellicle storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a large pellicle storage container, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an outer surface side of a tray, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a form for attaching a reinforcing plate, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which a honeycomb is integrally formed by a double structure tray, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a reinforcing plate is provided on the outer surface side of the raised portion of the tray, and FIG. 7 is a view showing an example in which a reinforcing plate is provided on the outer surface side of the lid.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the large pellicle storage container stores the pellicle 1 therein, and includes a tray 2 and a lid 3. The pellicle 1 includes a pellicle film 11, a frame 12 to which the pellicle film 11 is attached, and an adhesive material 13 for attaching the frame 12 to a mask or a reticle. Here, in this embodiment, the pellicle 1 is a large pellicle in which the area of the pellicle film 11 exceeds 1000 cm ² .

A raised portion 21 on which the pellicle 1 is placed is formed along the periphery of the tray 2, and the inner side (center side) of the raised portion 21 is a flat portion 22. The tray 2 is manufactured by vacuum forming, and a groove portion 23 is formed on the outer surface side of the raised portion 21. In addition, a plurality of protrusions 24 that stand in contact with the outer shape of the protective film of the pellicle 1 and restrain lateral movement are provided on the upper portion of the raised portion 21. Since the area of the pellicle to be stored exceeds 1000 cm ² , the area of the plane portion 22 is also equivalent to this.

  The lid 3 is manufactured by vacuum forming like the tray 2 and houses the pellicle 1 by covering the tray 2 as shown in FIG. After the tray 2 and the lid 3 are combined, the adhesive tape (not shown) is sealed by stretching the periphery around the edge.

  The materials of the tray 2 and the lid 3 are not particularly specified, but acrylic resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene resin, or the like may be used. In addition to the above resins, polyester resins other than polyethylene terephthalate, olefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polystyrene resins such as polystyrene, acrylonitrile / styrene resins, and the like can also be used.

In the above configuration, since the tray 2 and the lid 3 are generally bent in the vicinity of the outer periphery, the peripheral portion has a certain degree of rigidity. However, the strength of the flat portion 22 is weak, and if the area is 1000 cm ² or more, the rigidity of the entire container becomes insufficient, and warping and deflection are likely to occur. Therefore, in the present invention, the reinforcing plate 4 is attached to the outer surface side of the tray 2. Thereby, the rigidity of the whole container can be improved dramatically.

  As the material of the reinforcing plate 4, metals, engineering plastics, honeycomb plates described later, and the like can be used. The reinforcing plate 4 desirably has a thickness of about 5 mm or less because of handling and weight. In order to attach the reinforcing plate 4 to the tray 2, for example, an adhesive may be used, or it may be fixed using a double-sided tape (one that does not generate dust or gas).

  The shape of the reinforcing plate 4 is not particularly specified as long as it can prevent warping and deflection of the tray 2. The reinforcing plate 4 shown in FIG. 2 is an example in which the reinforcing plate 4 is arranged diagonally on the diagonal of the tray 2. Various shapes are possible as shown in FIG. Although it is desirable from the viewpoint of strength and detergency that a single reinforcing plate 4 is disposed on the entire back surface of the tray 2 (FIG. 3 (a)), since the weight increases, it may be provided in a lattice shape (FIG. 3 ( c) (e) (f)) or a frame shape (FIG. 3G). It is also effective to drop the corners of the reinforcing plate 4 in consideration of the handling property to be gripped by hand (FIGS. (B), (d), and (h)). Moreover, in order to prevent the deformation | transformation of a twist, it is effective to arrange | position like a brace (FIG.3 (i)). That is, what is necessary is just to arrange | position with the shape which followed the longitudinal direction and the transversal direction.

  As described above, it is particularly effective to use a honeycomb plate as the material of the reinforcing plate 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the honeycomb plate 41 is configured by adhering a plate material to both side opening surfaces of a honeycomb-shaped honeycomb, and this is fixed using an adhesive or a double-sided tape. The honeycomb plate 41 is very rigid and light in weight compared to its thickness. Furthermore, since it is lightweight, there is little increase in weight, and there is no problem even if it is arranged on the entire outer surface of the tray 2, so that the rigidity of the tray 2 can be increased very effectively.

  When a honeycomb is used, as shown in FIG. 5, the tray 2 may be composed of a first tray 2a and a second tray 2b having a double structure, and the honeycomb 42 may be disposed between the trays. In this case, it is preferable to directly bond the first tray 2a and the second tray 2b to the opening surfaces on both sides of the honeycomb 42. As a result, the rigidity can be further improved, the uneven portion can be eliminated as much as possible, and the cleaning property can be improved.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the reinforcing plate 4 may be disposed in the groove portion 23 formed on the outer surface side of the raised portion 21 on which the pellicle is placed. Furthermore, it is desirable to fill the groove portion 23 in which the reinforcing plate 4 is embedded with the resin material 5. Thereby, an uneven part can be eliminated on the back side of the tray 2, and it is possible to improve the washing performance as well as the rigidity.

  In addition, although the case where the reinforcement board was attached to the tray 2 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is preferable that the lid | cover 3 is also highly rigid similarly. This is because the planar portion of the lid 3 may come into contact with the pellicle film 11 of the pellicle 1 that is bent and stored. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the effect of the present invention can be obtained by attaching the reinforcing plate 4 to either one or both of the tray 2 and the lid 3.

  In the above embodiment, the tray 2 and the lid 3 are described as being manufactured by vacuum molding. However, even if the tray 2 and the lid 3 are formed by injection molding, the present invention is similarly applied to obtain the effect. Can do.

As an application example of the present invention, it can be applied to a photomask used in a lithography process when manufacturing an LSI or a liquid crystal panel, and a pellicle storage container used to prevent foreign matter from adhering to a reticle. It can be applied to a large pellicle storage container .

It is sectional drawing explaining a large pellicle storage container. It is a perspective view explaining the outer surface side of a tray. It is a figure which shows the example explaining the form which attaches a reinforcement board. It is a figure which shows the example which used the honeycomb for the reinforcement board. It is a figure which shows the example which comprised the honeycomb integrally by the tray of the double structure. It is a figure which shows the example which provided the reinforcement board in the outer surface side of the protruding part of a tray. It is a figure which shows the example which provided the reinforcement board in the outer surface side of the lid | cover. It is a figure explaining the conventional large pellicle storage container. It is a figure explaining the conventional large pellicle storage container.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pellicle 2 ... Tray 2a ... 1st tray 2b ... 2nd tray 3 ... Lid 4 ... Reinforcement plate 5 ... Resin material
11 ... Pellicle membrane
12 ... Frame
13… Adhesive
21 ... Uplift
22… Plane
23 ... Groove
24 ... Protrusions
41 ... Honeycomb plate
42 ... Honeycomb
51 ... Frame
52 ... Pellicle membrane
53… Adhesive
54… Protective film
55 ... Tray
55a ... Installation surface
55b ... post
56 ... Lid
56a ... Slope
57… Clip

Claims (2)

A large pellicle storage container used to store, transport and store pellicles,
It consists of a tray that houses the pellicle and a lid that covers the tray,
A large pellicle storage container, wherein at least a planar portion of the tray or lid has a double structure, and a honeycomb structure is provided between the tray or the double structure of the lid. 2. The large pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein the tray or the lid is manufactured by vacuum forming.