JPH09138498A - Pellicle housing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a dustproof case which may be handled with a transporting arm by providing the outer bottom of a main body with ribs engaging with transporting means for transporting only the frame case or the main body. SOLUTION: The frame case is composed of a tray part 14 to be placed with a frame 16 with a pellicle and a cap part 15 for closing this tray part 14 from above. The rear surface of the tray part 14 is provided with the two parallel ribs 14b. These ribs 14b are disposed for the purpose of handling at the time of automatically transporting the frame case into the main body of a mounting device. As a result, the sure handling of the housing case housing the frame 16 with the pellicle is made possible. Then, the housing case is handled without manual labor in the prescribed position of an automatic pellicle sticking device kept at adequate cleanliness at the time of sticking the pellicle.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a frame case for accommodating a frame with a pellicle, which is most suitable for carrying, by using a carrying arm used for automatic carrying.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, I
The circuit structure such as C has become finer and higher in density, and the line width rule of the circuit has become 1 μm or less. Semiconductor manufacturing has long been regarded as a battle against dust (fine dust and the like), and the cleanliness of the manufacturing line is required. Therefore, storage and management of a photomask or a reticle used in a photolithography process are extremely troublesome. Therefore, in order to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the pattern area of the photomask or reticle, an optically stable transparent polymer thin film (pellicle) is placed at a certain distance (about 5 to 7 mm) from the surface of the mask or reticle. Has been adopted. The pellicle is uniformly stretched on one surface of a frame having a thickness of 5 to 7 mm which is circular or rectangular according to the shape of a mask or reticle, and an adhesive layer is provided on the opposite surface of the frame. In order to attach the pellicle-equipped frame to the reticle, the pattern area of the reticle and the outer shape of the frame were manually adjusted, and then fixed to the reticle with an adhesive layer of the frame.

[0003]

Since the pellicle provided on the frame does not like dust, it is placed in a dustproof case. When the pellicle is attached to a mask such as a photomask or a reticle, the pellicle is attached inside the device without human intervention for the above reason. Therefore, when attaching the pellicle, it is necessary to move the dust-proof case on which the pellicle is placed to a predetermined location by a transfer arm or the like.

Therefore, a dustproof case that can be handled is required when carrying using the carrying arm. An object of the present invention is to provide a dustproof case that can be handled by a transfer arm.

[0005]

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems by the means described below. The terms and numbers in parentheses in the description of the “means for solving the problems” indicate the terms and numbers described in the embodiments of the invention described later and the configuration of the dustproof case for the frame with the pellicle of FIG. It matches the figure number in the figure.

By the way, in the first mode of the present invention, a frame (frame 16 with pellicle) to which a pellicle is attached.
And a frame support portion (rib 14a) that is formed in the peripheral portion of the storage portion so as to be capable of engaging with the frame and that mounts the frame with a predetermined positional accuracy on the inner bottom portion. A storage container (frame cases 14 and 15) including a main body (tray portion 14) and a lid portion (lid portion 15) capable of opening and closing the main body openably and closably. It is characterized in that it is provided with a conveyance means grip projection (rib 14b) that engages with a conveyance means that conveys only the main body.

By storing the frame in which the pellicle is stretched in this way (frame 16 with pellicle) in the storage section,
A frame support portion (rib 14) provided around the storage portion.
By a), the frame is prevented from being displaced in the main body, and the main body is openably and closably covered by the lid to prevent the attachment of dust. In addition, the bottom of the outer surface of the main body is provided with a conveyance means protrusion (rib 14b) that engages with a conveyance means that conveys the main body or the entire storage container.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in a storage container (frame cases 14 and 15) for storing a pellicle-equipped frame (pellicle-equipped frame 16) for dust protection in a mask such as a photomask or a reticle. On the outer surface of the lower portion of the storage container, there is provided a transport means gripping protrusion (rib 14b) that engages with a transport means for transporting the storage container. In this manner, the conveyance means holding projection (rib 14b) is provided on the bottom of the outer surface of the storage container so as to engage with the conveyance means for conveying the storage container (frame cases 14 and 15).

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of the internal structure of an automatic pellicle sticking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is integrally provided with a pellicle sticking apparatus body 1 and an inspection apparatus body 2 for inspecting a reticle or a foreign matter attached to a reticle with a pellicle. The insides of both device main bodies 1 and 2 are almost hermetically sealed and air-conditioned so that an appropriate cleanliness is maintained.

On the front side of the main body 1 of the apparatus, a case stock portion 3 for setting a plurality of frame cases each containing a frame with a pellicle in a sealed state, and a reticle are stored in a sealed state one by one. And a substrate stock portion 4 for setting a plurality of known reticle cases described above. As the configuration of the substrate stock portion 4 and the reticle case, for example, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-64928 can be used as it is.

On the other hand, the frame case set in the case stock portion 3 has a structure as shown in FIG. 2, and has a tray portion 14 on which the frame 16 with a pellicle is placed and the tray portion 1.
4 and a lid portion 15 that closes the lid 4 from above. FIG. 2 (A)
Is a top view of the inside of the tray portion 14. Ribs 14a are provided corresponding to each of the four sides so that the frame 16 with pellicle does not shift in position inside the case. The rib 14a is provided with a predetermined positional accuracy with respect to the outer shape of the case (tray portion), and facilitates the alignment with the transfer arm or the like when the frame 16 with the pellicle is taken out. FIG. 2B shows a cross section in the case where the lid portion 15 is sealed on the tray portion 14, and the rib 14a is set to be lower than the height (thickness) of the frame 16 with the pellicle. Further, on the lower surface of the tray portion 14, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (C), two parallel ribs 14b are provided. In the embodiment of the present invention, the interval between the two ribs 14b is set to be larger than the outer width of the frame 16 with the pellicle. The rib 14b is provided for handling when the frame case is automatically conveyed into the sticking apparatus body 1. In addition, FIG.
As shown in (B), a predetermined space is provided on the left and right of the frame 16 in the case, which is a bruise when an arm or the like for carrying the frame 16 enters.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a concrete structure of the frame 16 with a pellicle suitable for automatic conveyance.
3A is a front view, and FIG. 3B is a side view. The frame 16 with a pellicle is composed of a substantially rectangular frame portion 16a, and the corner members (4 places) of the frame portion 16a on two sides parallel to each other include:
A conical recess 16b is provided as shown in FIG. The recesses 16b at the four corners are provided for the purpose of positioning when sandwiched by a transfer arm and the like, and also having a function of preventing slippage. Frame 16 with pellicle
As shown in FIG. 3B, a sticky adhesive layer 30 is formed on the surface to be attached to the reticle, and in order to protect the adhesive layer 30, a protective sheet material having the same shape as the outer shape of the frame portion 16a is formed. 17 is closely attached. This protective sheet material 17 is
Immediately before attaching the frame 16 to the reticle, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the part 17a protruding from the outer shape of the frame 16a, which is a part of the sheet material 17, is grasped and peeled off.

Now, such a frame 16 with a pellicle
The frame cases (14, 15) storing therein are set in the case stock portion 3 in FIG. 1 so as to be stacked in a substantially horizontal state as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view of the case stock portion 3 viewed from the front side of the apparatus main body 1. The stock portion 3 is provided with a step portion 3a for holding both sides of the lower surface of the tray portion 14 of the frame case (14, 15). Between each frame case, it is supported by each step 3a so that a predetermined space is provided for entering the transfer arm.

By the way, in FIG. 1, the frame cases (14, 15) are taken out from the case stock section 3 and carried to the assembly table 9 by the carrying arm 5b which moves in the y direction along the slider 5a. The assembly table 9 has a two-stage structure including an upper table and a lower table, and is provided so as to be able to move straight in the y direction between positions A and A ′ in FIG. The frame cases (14, 15) carried by the carrying arm 5b are placed on the lower table of the assembly table 9 at the position A. When the assembly table 9 moves to the position A ', the frame case (14,
15) is located below the suction pad of the lid opening / closing means 10.
The lid opening / closing means 10 vacuum-adsorbs the lid portion 15 of the frame case (14, 15) with an adsorption pad and lifts the lid portion 15 upward. This will open the frame case.

A mechanism 12 for catching the protruding portion 17a of the protective sheet material 17 of the frame 16 with a pellicle is provided in the middle of the conveying path between the position A of the conveying arm 5b and the case stock portion 3. On the other hand, a case containing a reticle is attached to the substrate stock unit 4, and the reticle in the case is taken out by the transfer arm 6b that moves in the y direction along the slider 6a, and the reticle is moved to the inner side of the apparatus in a horizontal state. Carried. The transfer arm 7b is configured to move in the x direction along the slider 7a so as to reciprocate between the transfer arm 6b and the reticle delivery position and the position A.

Therefore, the transfer arm 7b is the transfer arm 6b.
It is possible to receive the reticle from the reticle and carry it to the upper table of the assembly table 9. When the assembly table 9 is at the position A, the frame 16 with the pellicle is attached to the reticle, and then the assembly table 9 moves from the position A ′ to the position A ″.
Go to A pressure mechanism 11 is provided above (or below) the reticle to which the pellicle frame 16 is attached at the position A ″ so as to evenly crimp the pellicle frame 16 and the reticle. The pressure member of the pressure mechanism 11 is provided so as to contact only the upper end surface (or the lower end surface) of the frame portion 16a of the frame 16 with the pellicle.

As described above, the three transfer arms 5 in FIG.
All of b, 6b, and 7b are provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction). The transfer arms 6b and 7b may be simple U-shaped arms that hold the periphery of the reticle.
The transfer arm 5b has a special structure for carrying the frame 16 with pellicle and the frame case (14, 15). Therefore, the detailed structure of the transfer arm 5b and the detailed structure of other main parts will be sequentially described below.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the structure of the transfer arm 5b. The entire arm portion is provided on the arm support 50a which moves in the y direction along the slider 5a. The entire arm portion is configured to be rotatable about the central axis L extending in the y direction by 180 degrees or more around the central axis L extending in the y direction by the DC motor 22 fixed to the arm support body 50a and the belt drive. . The two L-shaped arm fingers 24 are provided so as to face each other, and can move straight along the slide guide 19 in the direction of arrow B (x direction) in the figure while maintaining symmetry with respect to the central axis 2. is there. Two parallel arm fingers 2
The opening / closing movement of No. 4 is performed by the DC motor 23 and the cam mechanism 18. Conical protrusions 21 that engage with the recesses 16b of the frame 16 with pellicle are formed on the sides of the arm fingers 24 facing the central axis 2 so as to correspond to the positions of the recesses 16b. Further, outside each of the arm fingers 24, two protruding members 20 are provided so as to engage with the ribs 14b on the lower surface of the frame case (14, 15). This member 20 ensures the handling of the frame case. In this way, the transfer arm portion 5b
Is for carrying the frame cases (14, 15) and the frame 1
6 is also used for carrying, and the arm fingers 24
Is rotated by 180 degrees or more, the adhesive layer 30 of the sandwiched pellicle frame 16 can be oriented downward or upward, and the pellicle frame 16 can be attached to one side or both sides. . The entire transfer arm 5b including the arm support 50a moves up and down as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the assembly table 9, and the upper table 9 on which the reticle is placed.
a, a lower table 9b on which the frame cases (14, 15) are placed, and a bottom 9c for placing the whole on a rail for movement are vertically arranged with a predetermined space. However, the central portions of the upper table 9a and the lower table 9b are cut out as shown by the imaginary line, and a space is ensured so that the transport arm 5b (arm finger 24) can freely move up and down.

FIG. 7 is a view of the vicinity of the mechanism 12 as seen from the front side of the apparatus. The arm fingers 24 of the transfer arm 5b horizontally hold the frame 16 with the pellicle. Arm finger 2 at this time
The lower surface of No. 4 is defined to be located above the lower surface (sheet material 17) of the frame 16. Transfer arm 5b
When it reaches a predetermined position in the y direction, the toggle rotating part 12a of the gripping mechanism 12 stands upright, and the gripping part 12b provided at the tip of the rotating part 12a vertically sandwiches the protruding part 17a of the protective sheet material 17. After this, the DC motor 2 shown in FIG.
2 is driven, the entire arm finger 24 rotates as shown by arrow B in FIG. 7, and the protective sheet material 17 is peeled off from the adhesive layer 30. The peeled sheet material 17 is dropped into a waste box (not shown).

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the pressure mechanism 11. Two pressure plates 11 arranged vertically are shown.
a and 11b move in a direction toward and away from each other, and the pressure butt portion 11c abuts against the frame 16 of the reticle with a pellicle from above and below, and the frame 16 temporarily attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the reticle is pressed to a predetermined pressure. To adhere.
The two pressure plates 11a and 11b are arranged so that the reticle with a pellicle placed on the upper table 9a is carried in the space between them.

The assembly table 9 is moved to the position A ″ in FIG.
The upper pressure plate 11a may be fixed as long as it is moved up and down. By the way, in FIG. 1, a foreign matter inspection device body 2 for optically inspecting for defects such as foreign matter adhered to the glass surface or the pattern surface of the reticle is connected to the left side of the sticking device body 1. The reticle carried out from the substrate stock unit 4 by the transfer arm 6b in the y direction, or the frame 16 is completely attached, and the transfer arm 7b
The reticle with a pellicle carried in the x direction is delivered to the arm 8b of the apparatus main body 2. The arm 8b horizontally moves in the x direction along the slider 8a and also serves as a sub-scan at the time of inspection. The main scanning is performed by scanning the spot of the laser beam on the surface of the reticle in the y direction. In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to deliver the chicle between the arm 8b and the transfer arm 6b, but not between the arm 8b and the transfer arm 7b. Therefore, the reticle with the pellicle carried by the carrying arm 7b is once delivered to the carrying arm 6b, and then to the arm 7b. Since the arm 8b serves both as an operation of loading the reticle into the apparatus main body 2 and a sub-scan at the time of inspection, the arm 8b does not move up and down.

Next, the overall operation of this apparatus will be described. First, from the manufacturer of the frame 16 with a pellicle, as shown in FIG.
4, 15) and supplied. The operator inserts the frame case (14, 15) in that state into the apparatus main body 1
Set it in the case stock section 3 as shown in FIG. The reticle to which the pellicle is to be attached is mounted on the substrate stock unit 4 while being housed in a known reticle case.

Next, the transfer arm 5b (FIG. 5) adjusts the two arm fingers 24 to a predetermined distance, and the case stock portion 3
Enter the space below the inner frame case (14, 15). Then, when the transfer arm 5b is moved slightly upward, the frame cases (14, 15) are transferred from the stepped portion 3a of the stock portion 3 onto the projecting member 20 of the arm finger 24. Further, the two arm fingers 24 are slightly opened, and the protruding member 20 grabs the rib 14b on the lower surface of the tray portion 14 of the frame case (14, 15) from the inside.

Next, the transfer arm 5b is attached to the frame case (1
4 and 15) are pulled out from the stock section 3, and the frame case is transferred onto the lower table 9b of the assembly table 9 (FIG. 6) waiting at the position A. The lower table 9b is vacuum-adsorbed on the lower surface of the frame case and is fixed so as not to shift. After that, the assembly table 9 moves to the position A ′, and the suction pad of the opening / closing mechanism 10 enters the space above the frame case below the upper table 9a of the assembly table 9. The suction pad vacuum-sucks the upper surface of the lid portion 15 of the frame case and lifts it slightly upward. As a result, the lid portion 15 and the tray portion 14 are separated, and the assembly table 9 returns from the position A ′ to the position A while leaving the lid portion 15 on the suction pad.

Next, the arm finger 24 of the transfer arm 5b is again used.
At the position A, the frame 16 with pellicle on the tray portion 14 is clamped as shown in FIG. 7, slightly lifted from the tray portion 14, and then horizontally moved to the gripping mechanism 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the protruding portion 17 a of the sheet material 17 is grasped by the grasping portion 12 b, and the arm finger 24 is rotated by the DC motor 22. As a result, the protective sheet material 17 is peeled off, and the arm fingers 24 are returned horizontally.

On the other hand, the reticle is taken out from the reticle case set in the substrate stock section 4 by the transfer arm 6b. The reticle vacuum-adsorbed on the arm 6b is transferred to the transfer arm 8b of the inspection apparatus body 2,
The presence / absence of adhesion of foreign matter, the adhesion position, the size of foreign matter, etc. are inspected, and the inspection result is stored. At this time, if a foreign substance that interferes with the exposure is found, the reticle is returned to the empty reticle case of the substrate stock unit 4 and the operator is informed that maintenance such as cleaning is necessary, and the reticle is returned from another reticle case. Remove another reticle.

If there is no problem as a result of the inspection, the reticle is transferred from the transfer arm 8b to the transfer arm 7b and then to the transfer arm 7b. The arm 7b carries the chopstick to the position A and transfers it to the upper table 9a of the assembly table 9. The upper table 9a is fixed by vacuum suction, and the arm 5b holding the frame 16 is moved to a space above the assembly table 9. Then, the transport arm 5b descends by a predetermined amount to bring the adhesive layer 30 of the frame 16 with the pellicle into contact with the upper surface of the reticle.

At this time, in order not to apply unnecessary stress to the reticle, the upper table 9a holds the reticle via an elastic body (slope spring or the like). Therefore, after the arm 5b descends and the frame 16 contacts the reticle, the reticle can escape slightly downward.
Next, the assembly table 9 moves from position A to position A ′,
The lid portion 15 held by the suction pad of the opening / closing mechanism 10
Are stacked on the empty tray portion 14. Then, the assembly table 9 is returned to the position A again, the transport arm 5b is advanced into the space below the empty frame case (14, 15), receives the empty frame case, and returns it to the case stock section 3.

Next, the transfer arm 5b uses the pellicle-equipped frame 16 for the lower surface of the reticle and separates the frame case (14,
Take out from 15). This sequence is based on the lid 15
Opening, and peeling of the sheet material 17 is performed in exactly the same way,
The difference is that during this sequence, the reticle having the pellicle-attached frame 16 attached to the upper surface thereof is placed on the upper table 9a. In this way, when the second frame 16 is clamped by the transfer arm 5b, the arm fingers 24
Is rotated by the motor 22 and the adhesive layer 3 of the frame 16 is
It is inverted so that 0 points upward. Then, the frame 16 is advanced into the space below the upper table 9a at the position A, and the transfer arm 5b moves slightly upward to the frame 16a.
And the adhesive layer 30 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the reticle.
As a result, the frames 16 with pellicle are attached to both the upper and lower surfaces of the reticle. Normally, the upper and lower frames are stuck so as to overlap one another with the same dimensions, and the outer shape of the frame is determined to be smaller than the outer periphery of the reticle.

Next, the assembly table 9 moves from position A to position A'to position A '', and the pressurizing mechanism 11 (FIG. 8) moves the upper and lower pellicle-attached frames 16 up and down with a predetermined pressure. Sandwich it between. Then, when the pressurization is finished, the assembly table 9 returns from the position A ′ to the position A. At this time, at position A ′, the suction pad is lowered so that the lid portion 15 held by the suction pad of the opening / closing mechanism 10 is superposed on the tray portion 14 placed on the lower table 9b. Therefore, on the upper table 9a of the assembly table 2 which has returned to the position A, the reticle on which the double-sided attachment of the frame with the pellicle is completed is placed, and on the lower table 9b, the empty frame case (14, 15) is placed. ing.
In this way, the lower empty frame case (14, 15) is returned to the case stock section 3 by the transfer arm 5b, and the upper reticle with a pellicle is carried by the carrying arm 7b and the transfer arm 6.
It is transferred to the transfer arm 8b via b and inspected for foreign matter. In this case, the foreign substance inspection is performed through the pellicles on the upper and lower surfaces, so that the detection sensitivity (particularly, the size of the foreign substance) should be corrected in the case of the inspection of the naked reticle.

If necessary, it is checked whether or not the pellicle-attached frame is appropriately attached by collating with the previously stored inspection result of the bare reticle. The pellicle-attached reticle thus inspected is returned to the empty reticle case by the transfer arm 6b, and the operator is informed of whether or not the attachment is good. As described above, the double-sided sticking of the pellicle has been described in the embodiment of the present invention, but it is needless to say that the same sequence can be performed on only one side.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the transfer arm 5b is
Since it is used also for carrying the frame cases (14, 15), carrying the frame 16 with pellicle, adhering the frame 16 to the reticle, and peeling off the protective sheet material 17, the entire apparatus becomes very compact. There are advantages such as.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably handle the storage case in which the frame with the pellicle (dust-proof film) is stored. Therefore, when the pellicle is pasted, the storage case can be handled at a predetermined position of the pellicle automatic pasting device kept at an appropriate degree of cleanness without manual labor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an automatic pellicle sticking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a dustproof case for a frame with a pellicle.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a structure of a frame with a pellicle suitable for automatic conveyance.

[Fig. 4]: Front view showing the structure of the stock portion of the frame case

FIG. 5: Diagram showing the structure of a frame case and a transfer arm of a frame with a pellicle.

6 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of an assembly table. FIG.

FIG. 7: A diagram schematically showing a mechanism for peeling off the protective sheet material of the frame with pellicle.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a pressure mechanism.

[Description of Signs of Main Parts]

1 ... Bellicle sticking device body, 2 ...
... Stock part of frame case, 4 ... Stock part of reticle case, 5b, 6b, 7b, 8b ... Transfer arm, 9
... Assembly table, 10 ... Opening / closing mechanism, 11 ... Pressurizing mechanism, 1
2 ... Grasping mechanism, 14 ... Frame tray part, 15 ... Lid part, 16 ... Pellicle-equipped frame, 24 ... Transport arm 5b
Arm fingers.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A storage unit for storing a frame on which a pellicle is attached, and a frame formed around the storage unit so as to be capable of engaging with the frame and for mounting the frame with a predetermined positional accuracy. In a storage container comprising a main body having a support portion on the inner bottom and a lid capable of opening and closing the main body from above, in the outer bottom of the main body, only the storage container or the main body A pellicle storage container, characterized in that it is provided with a conveying means gripping projection part that engages with a conveying means for conveying. 2. The pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the frame support portions are provided so as to surround the frame from the periphery. 3. The height of the frame support portion is lower than the height of the frame.
Pellicle storage container described 4. The pellicle container according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the conveying means gripping projection portion comprises two ribs. 5. A storage container for storing a frame with a pellicle for dust protection in a mask such as a photomask or a reticle, wherein a transport means for transporting only the storage container or the main body is provided on a lower outer surface of the storage container. A pellicle storage container characterized by having a conveyance means gripping protrusion that engages