JPH10118546A - Device for applying adhesive to pellicle frame - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust an opening degree of a speed controller in order to adjust opening/closing speed of a needle valve and to keep action timing of the valve unchanged at the time of beginning and finishing of the adhesive application when a packing in a piston is exchanged in an adhesive applying device for a pellicle frame of an air-pressure operating system. SOLUTION: A cylinder main body 1 is vertically provided with a cylinder 21, a piston 23 to slide the cylinder 21 is provided at a rod 12 which is integrated with the needle valve 2 for opening/closing a discharge opening 4 of the cylinder main body 1 and a packing 24 is fitted to the periphery thereof. Air of definite pressure is continuously supplied to the cylinder 21 above the position, oil in a tank is supplied to the cylinder 21 below the piston by switching a solenoid valve and amount of the oil supplied is adjusted by the speed controller. Both pressures above and below the piston 23 are kept approximately equal in a state in which the discharge opening 4 is closed by the needle valve 2. When even a small quantity of the oil is supplied, the needle valve 2 is lifted to open the discharge opening 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a pellicle used for preventing foreign substances from adhering to a mask or a reticle (hereinafter referred to as a "reticle") in a photolithography process for manufacturing an integrated circuit. The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying an adhesive to one side of a pellicle frame in order to attach a pellicle film made of a transparent thin film to the pellicle frame.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional coating apparatus of this type. A needle valve 2 is slidable by a bearing 3 on a cylinder body 1 mounted on a direct robot (not shown). The hot melt adhesive 6 in the tank 5 is discharged by the air pressure constantly applied to the inside of the tank or by the weight of the adhesive 6 by the opening and the opening of the hot melt type adhesive 6 in the tank 5.

[0003] A cup-shaped spring retainer 7 is screwed into the upper end of the cylinder body 1, and the spring retainer 7 is provided with a moving amount adjusting screw 8 which can adjust a rising amount of the needle valve 2. It is screwed. A coil spring 11 mounted on the adjusting screw 8 is interposed between the piston 9 fixed to the upper end of the needle valve and the spring retainer 7,
The needle valve 2 is biased so as to be constantly depressed. In the figure, reference numeral 12 denotes a packing mounted on the piston 9 for sealing.

The cylinder body 1 also has a speed controller SP13 between the bearing 3 and the piston 9.
, The pressure gauge 14 and a control signal from the control device,
Alternatively, a supply / exhaust pipe 16 having an electromagnetic valve 15 switched by a manual switch operation is connected, whereby pressurized air is supplied into the cylinder body 1 between the bearing and the piston, or The piston 9 is lowered by the action of the coil spring 11 as the pressurized air is discharged.

The above-described apparatus is configured as described above. When applying the adhesive on the pellicle frame, the electromagnetic valve 15 is switched from the state shown in FIG. 1 with the discharge port 4 positioned on the pellicle frame. Then, the pressurized air is supplied into the cylinder main body 1 with its volume adjusted by the speed controller 13. When the air pressure in the cylinder body reaches the minimum operating pressure of the piston 9 which is constantly pushed down by the coil spring 11, the needle valve 2 starts to rise, and the discharge port 4 is opened. Thus, the hot melt adhesive 6 in the tank 5 is discharged onto the pellicle frame. The adhesive 6 is applied to the entire periphery of the pellicle frame by moving the discharge port 4 at a constant speed along the pellicle frame under the control of the robot.

When the application is stopped after the adhesive is applied to the entire periphery of the pellicle frame, the solenoid valve 15 is switched to the state shown in FIG. Then, the amount of pressurized air between the bearing and the piston in the cylinder body 1 is adjusted by the speed controller 13 and discharged. As a result, the pressure in the cylinder body decreases, and the needle valve 2 is lowered by the action of the coil spring 11. Then, the discharge port 4 is closed, and the discharge of the adhesive is stopped.

[0007]

In applying the adhesive to the pellicle frame, it is desirable that the time from when the solenoid valve is switched to when the needle valve actually starts operating be constant. When the time until the needle valve actually operates after the solenoid valve is changed, the application start point and end point of the adhesive will shift, and the adhesive will be applied repeatedly, or the application start position and end If the positions are separated or the layers are applied repeatedly, the applied amount of the adhesive becomes too large and the adhesive comes out of the pellicle frame when the pellicle film is adhered.

Since the pellicle is used for the purpose of preventing foreign matter from adhering to the reticle, the pellicle itself should not be a source of foreign matter, but the adhesive protruding from the pellicle frame is often a source of foreign matter. Tends to be.
After switching the solenoid valve, the time required for the needle valve to actually operate depends on the use of the above-mentioned packing 12 or the change in the amount of screwing when the spring retainer is once removed and replaced again for replacement of the packing. Changes in the spring pressure of the
It changes by changing the degree of opening. In the latter case, when the solenoid valve is switched, the pressure between the speed controller and the solenoid valve suddenly drops as shown in FIG. 2 and the instrument pressure instantaneously becomes zero. There is a time delay before the pressure on the piston reaches the minimum operating pressure of the piston and the needle valve actually begins to drop. The time delay changes depending on the opening of the speed controller as shown in the figure, and becomes larger as the opening is made smaller and closed.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus which can reliably apply the adhesive to the pellicle frame without excess or shortage without delaying the timing of the start and the end of the application of the adhesive. Is what you do. It is desired that the adhesive application device be further reduced in weight as much as possible. This is because the linear robot carrying the coating device is driven by a cantilever, so that the weight of the coating device must not be reduced to reduce the bending, so that the adhesive cannot be uniformly applied to the pellicle frame.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus which can achieve the first object by using an existing apparatus without increasing the overall weight to the left.

[0011]

A coating apparatus for achieving the first object includes a cylinder body having a discharge port, and a discharge valve such as a needle valve that is supported in the cylinder body so as to be able to advance and retreat, and opens and closes the discharge port. , Integrated with the discharge valve, a piston around which a packing for sealing is mounted, a container connected to the cylinder body and in which the adhesive is put in a pressurized state, and for pushing the discharge valve in the direction to close the discharge port A first supply device for supplying a working fluid to one side of the piston, a controller for adjusting a flow rate on a pipe, and an electromagnetic valve for controlling stop of the supply of the working fluid, and a piston on the other side. A second supply device for supplying a working fluid for opening the discharge port.

According to this device, when the solenoid valve of the second supply device is switched, the working fluid is supplied to the other side of the piston via the controller. When the pressure on the other side of the piston becomes larger than the pressure on the one side of the piston, the piston is activated and the discharge port is opened. The timing of the operation of the discharge valve at this time is earlier as the pressure on the other side of the piston is made slightly smaller than the pressure on the one side of the piston, and the difference is made smaller. When the discharge port is opened, the pressurized adhesive in the tank is fed into the cylinder body, discharged from the discharge port and applied onto the pellicle frame.

If the pressure of the working fluid supplied by the first supply device is maintained at a constant pressure, the minimum operating pressure at the time of opening and closing does not change. There is no. The working fluid used in the present invention may be a compressible fluid such as air, but preferably an incompressible fluid such as hydraulic oil is used. By using the incompressible fluid, the responsiveness of the discharge valve operation is increased, and even if the operation of the discharge valve is adjusted by the speed controller, the opening and closing operation starts immediately after the solenoid valve is switched. When hydraulic oil is used as the incompressible fluid, the sliding surface of the packing is lubricated by performing the function of a lubricating oil, thereby extending the life of the packing and reducing the frequency of replacement of the packing. Considering the response characteristics, the hydraulic oil is preferably one having a low viscosity and a low pour point such as a turbine oil such as a mineral oil, but depending on the discharge environment of a liquid material or the like, a spindle oil, a water glycol-based oil, or the like may be used. Hydraulic oil may be used.

The piston may be mounted in a cylinder provided coaxially with the cylinder body. The discharge valve can be accurately controlled by increasing the size of the piston by increasing the diameter of the cylinder, but the device becomes complicated and the size increases. A coating apparatus for achieving the second object is characterized in that the piston of the above-described coating apparatus is mounted in a cylinder body.

According to the present device, it is only necessary to provide the first supply device in the existing device, and only to make a slight change to the conventional device, without causing a significant weight increase.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A pneumatically operated adhesive application apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is different from the pneumatically operated adhesive application apparatus shown in FIG. An air supply device (not shown) as a device is connected so that air at a constant pressure is constantly supplied to the upper side of the piston, and a second supply device connected to the cylinder body 1 below the piston is provided. In addition to the speed controller 13, a tank (not shown) containing turbine oil and an electromagnetic valve 19 are provided. When the electromagnetic valve 19 is turned on, pressurized air is sent into the tank and the oil is transferred to the lower part of the piston. It can be supplied to the cylinder body 1 on the side. The tank 5 is filled with a hot-melt type adhesive and is always pressurized with N ₂ gas. When oil is supplied to the cylinder body 1, the piston 9 and the needle valve 2 rise, and Discharge port 4 opens and tank 5
The supplied adhesive is discharged.

The pneumatically operated adhesive application device shown in FIG.
In the pneumatically-actuated adhesive application apparatus shown in FIG. 3, a cylinder 21 is vertically installed on the cylinder main body 1 so that the axes thereof are aligned with each other. Fix the piston 2
3, a packing 24 for sealing is mounted, and a cylinder 21 has an air supply device in the application device of FIG. 3 and an oil supply device, that is, a solenoid valve 26, a tank 27 containing oil, and a speed controller 13. And the like.

When the same hot melt type adhesive was applied using the conventional pneumatically operated adhesive application apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the opening and closing operation of the needle valve 2 was 3000 to 8000.
The air leakage occurred when repeated, and the packing had to be replaced. However, when the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 was used, even if the opening / closing operation of the needle valve 2 was repeated about 10,000 times, the oil leakage occurred. Did not. Every time the opening / closing operation of the needle valve 2 was repeated, the operation start timing of the needle valve 2 was measured. However, no change was observed in the operation start timing, and the operation timing did not change even if the packing was replaced. .

When the operating speed of the needle valve 11 was adjusted by the speed controller 13, as shown in FIG. 5, the operating timing of the needle valve 2 did not change even if the opening of the speed controller 13 was adjusted. .

[0020]

According to the coating apparatus of the first aspect, the first
By supplying a constant pressure working fluid from the supply device, the minimum operating pressure at the time of opening and closing the discharge valve can be easily maintained at a constant level. As a result, the minimum operating pressure of the discharge valve changes, the operation timing of the discharge valve easily shifts, and there is no problem that the timing of starting and ending the application of the adhesive is shifted. Also, by controlling the working fluid supplied to both sides of the piston, the pressure of the working fluid on both sides of the piston can be easily balanced, and if the pressure on both sides of the piston is substantially balanced,
Even when the working fluid is slightly supplied by narrowing the opening of the speed controller, the discharge valve can be operated immediately by switching the solenoid valve, and therefore, even if the opening of the speed controller is adjusted, The operation can be performed immediately after the switching of the solenoid valve without causing a shift in the operation timing.

When an incompressible fluid is used as the working fluid as in the device according to the second aspect, the responsiveness of the discharge valve can be improved, and hydraulic oil is used as the working fluid as in the third embodiment. If used, the sliding surface of the packing is lubricated, so that the wear of the packing is reduced, the life is extended, the frequency of replacement of the packing is reduced, and long-term use is possible. Further, as in the device according to claim 4, if a cylinder is provided separately from the cylinder main body and a piston is mounted on the cylinder,
Accurate control can be achieved by increasing the size of the piston.

When the piston is mounted on the cylinder body as in the device according to the fifth aspect, only a slight change is required in the conventional device, and the weight of the entire device does not increase to the left. The bending of the direct robot carrying the application device does not increase, and the adhesive can be uniformly applied to the pellicle frame as in the conventional device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional pneumatically operated adhesive application device.

FIG. 2 is a time chart of a solenoid valve and a discharge valve of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a pneumatically operated adhesive application device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another embodiment.

5 is a time chart of a solenoid valve and a discharge port of the device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Cylinder body 2. Needle valve 3. Shaft bearing 4. Discharge port 5, 27 Tank 6. Adhesive 7. Spring retainer 8. Adjusting screw 9, 23 Piston 11. Coil spring 12, 24 Packing 13. Speed controller 14. Pressure gauge 15, 19, 2
6. Solenoid valve 21 Cylinder 22 Rod

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroki Nakazawa 1-2-1, Waki, Waki-cho, Kuga-gun, Yamaguchi Prefecture Inside Mitsui Petrochemical Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cylinder body having a discharge port, a discharge valve such as a needle valve supported in the cylinder body so as to be able to advance and retreat, and opening and closing the discharge port, and forming an integral part with the discharge valve and forming a seal around the discharge valve. A piston fitted with packing, a container connected to the cylinder body and containing the adhesive under pressure, and a working fluid supplied to one side of the piston with the piston interposed to push the discharge valve in the direction to close the discharge port A first supply device, a controller for controlling a flow rate on a pipe, and a solenoid valve for controlling stop of supply of the working fluid, and a second for supplying a working fluid for opening a discharge port to the other side of the piston. A device for applying an adhesive to a pellicle frame, comprising a supply device. 2. An apparatus for applying an adhesive to a pellicle frame according to claim 1, wherein an incompressible fluid is used as a working fluid. 3. An apparatus for applying an adhesive to a pellicle frame according to claim 2, wherein hydraulic oil is used as the incompressible fluid. 4. The apparatus for applying an adhesive to a pellicle frame according to claim 1, wherein the piston is mounted in a cylinder coaxially connected to the cylinder body. 5. An apparatus for applying an adhesive to a pellicle frame according to claim 1, wherein the piston is mounted on the cylinder body.