KR102172217B1 - Pellicle container and particle removing method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pellicle storage container, and more particularly, to a pellicle storage container having a structure capable of removing particles adhering to the inner surface of a pellicle film of the received pellicle, and a particle removal method using the same. The present invention is a pellicle storage container in which a pellicle containing a pellicle frame and a pellicle film attached to one surface of the pellicle frame is accommodated, the support surface on which the pellicle is placed, the pellicle frame when the pellicle is placed on the support surface, and the pellicle It provides a pellicle storage container comprising a main body having at least one groove formed concave in the support surface so as to communicate with a space surrounded by a membrane and the support surface, and a cover coupled to the main body. The use of the pellicle storage container according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to easily remove contaminants such as particles adhering to the inner surface of the pellicle film.

Description

Pellicle container and particle removing method using the same {Pellicle container and particle removing method using the same}

The present invention relates to a pellicle storage container, and more particularly, to a pellicle storage container having a structure capable of removing particles adhering to the inner surface of a pellicle film of the received pellicle, and a particle removal method using the same.

In the manufacture of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal panel, a method called photolithography is used as a method of patterning a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate. In photolithography, a mask is used as an original for patterning, and the pattern on the mask is transferred to a wafer or a substrate for liquid crystal. If dust adheres to the mask, the transferred pattern is damaged because light is absorbed or reflected by the dust, resulting in a problem that the performance or yield of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal panel is deteriorated.

Therefore, these operations are usually performed in a clean room, but since dust also exists in the clean room, a method of attaching a pellicle has been performed to prevent dust from adhering to the mask surface. In this case, the dust does not directly adhere to the surface of the mask, but adheres on the pellicle film, and during lithography, the focus is aligned on the pattern of the mask, so that the dust on the pellicle is out of focus and is not transferred to the pattern.

The pellicle includes a pellicle film and a pellicle frame supporting the pellicle film.

The material of the pellicle film is preferably a material that has a high exposure light transmittance and is difficult to absorb exposure light. Specifically, a cellulose resin such as nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate, or a fluororesin is used that allows good transmission of light (g-line, i-line, 248 nm, 193 nm, 157 nm, etc.) used for exposure.

In recent years, the required resolution of an exposure apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing is gradually increasing, and in order to realize the resolution, light having a short wavelength is used as a light source. Since such short wavelength light has high energy, it is difficult to secure sufficient light resistance with a conventional cellulose-based film material. Therefore, recently, a pellicle membrane is mainly manufactured using a fluorine-based resin solution.

The pellicle film is formed by coating a resin solution on a substrate at a constant temperature and drying at a temperature near the boiling point of the solvent. The substrate has a smooth surface, and a silicon wafer, quartz glass, or general glass is used as the substrate.

As a method of coating, various known methods can be used. For example, a pellicle film may be formed on the substrate by roll coating, casting, spin coating, water casting, dip coating, or a coating method such as Langmuir Blodgett. The thickness of the film can be adjusted by changing conditions such as the concentration of the solution applied to the substrate and the number of rotations of the spin coater.

After coating, it is dried at a temperature near the boiling point of the solvent to form a pellicle film. Next, the dried pellicle film is peeled from the substrate. The pellicle film can be removed from the substrate by attaching a frame-shaped jig coated with a cellophane tape or adhesive to the pellicle film, and then lifting the cellophane tape or a frame-shaped jig from one end by hand or mechanical means.

The finished pellicle film is used while being fixed to the pellicle frame to prevent deformation, distortion, and damage. After the separated pellicle film is pulled and tightened, the pellicle is attached to the pellicle frame coated with an adhesive such as acrylic resin, epoxy resin, or fluorine resin, and unnecessary films outside the frame are cut and removed to complete the pellicle.

Since the exposure disc is mounted under the pellicle frame, a pressure-sensitive adhesive made of polybutene resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin or silicone resin, and a release liner for protecting the pressure-sensitive adhesive for the purpose of protecting the pressure-sensitive adhesive are provided.

The pellicle frame is mainly made of aluminum alloys such as A7075, A6061, and A5052, and an oxide film is formed to prevent contamination by aluminum during the lithography process. The oxide film of the pellicle frame is formed in black. This is because when exposure light is incident on the pellicle frame and reflected, the transferred pattern is damaged, so that reflection of exposure light incident on the pellicle frame must be minimized. In addition, it is because the surface of the pellicle frame must be black so that it is easy to identify impurities or dust attached to the surface.

The finished pellicle is sold in a pellicle storage container. 1 is a view showing a state in which a pellicle is accommodated in a conventional pellicle storage container. As shown in Fig. 1, the pellicle storage container includes a main body 1 and a cover 2. The pellicle 10 is fixed to the upper surface of the body 1. Using the tape 5, the four blades 15 of the release liner 14 for protection of the pellicle adhesive 13 of the pellicle 10 are attached to the upper surface of the body 1. After fixing the pellicle (10) to the body (1), insert the cover (2) into the body (1). Then, a tape (not shown) is attached around the cover 2 and the body 1 to couple the cover 2 and the body 1.

The user removes the cover 2 of the pellicle storage container and inspects whether particles are attached to the surface of the pellicle film 11 while the pellicle 10 is accommodated in the body 1. At this time, particles adhering to the outer surface of the pellicle film 11 are removed by spraying nitrogen gas or the like. However, when contaminants adhere to the inner surface of the pellicle film 11 facing the mask, there is a problem that it is difficult to remove.

Registered Patent 10-1223967 Patent Publication 10-2016-0074402

An object of the present invention is to improve detailed problems, and an object thereof is to provide a pellicle storage container capable of easily removing contaminants such as particles adhering to the inner surface of a pellicle film.

Another object is to provide a method for removing contaminants such as particles adhering to the inner surface of a pellicle film using a pellicle storage container.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a pellicle storage container in which a pellicle including a pellicle frame and a pellicle film attached to one surface of the pellicle frame is accommodated, a support surface on which the pellicle is placed, and the pellicle is placed on the support surface. When the pellicle frame, the pellicle film and the support surface to communicate with the space surrounded by the support surface, the body having at least one groove concavely formed, and a pellicle storage container including a cover coupled to the body to provide.

In addition, the inlet and the outlet of the ditch provide a pellicle storage container exposed to the outside of the pellicle.

In addition, a concave groove is formed around the support surface, and the concave groove provides a pellicle storage container communicating with the trench.

In addition, a pellicle storage container is provided in which an adhesive is applied to the concave groove.

In addition, the cover provides a pellicle storage container having a protrusion fitted into the concave groove.

In addition, the present invention includes the steps of attaching the pellicle to the support surface of the tray of the pellicle storage container, and gas on the outer surface of the pellicle membrane so that particles attached to the outer and inner surfaces of the pellicle membrane are separated from the pellicle membrane. It provides a particle removal method comprising the step of injecting and flowing gas into the ditch of the tray so that the particles separated from the inner surface of the pellicle membrane are discharged through the outlet of the ditch.

The use of the pellicle storage container according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to easily remove contaminants such as particles adhering to the inner surface of the pellicle film.

1 is a view showing a state in which a pellicle is accommodated in a conventional pellicle storage container.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a pellicle storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view in the AA direction of the pellicle storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a plan view of the main body shown in FIG. 2.
5 is a diagram for explaining a particle removal method according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the pellicle storage container according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are provided as examples in order to sufficiently convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below and may be embodied in other forms. In addition, in the drawings, the width, length, thickness, etc. of the component may be exaggerated for convenience. The same reference numbers throughout the specification denote the same elements.

2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of a pellicle storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main body shown in FIG. 2. 2 and 3, a pellicle storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body 20 and a cover 30 coupled to the body 20.

2 to 4, the main body 20 has a generally square plate shape, and a concave groove 22 is formed around it. It is preferable that the body 20 is made of black plastic. This is because it is easy to inspect the particles attached to the pellicle film 11.

A coating layer for preventing the generation of particles may be formed on the surface of the main body 20, and an antistatic treatment for preventing the generation of static electricity may be applied.

Four trenches 25 are formed in parallel on the support surface 21 that is the upper surface of the main body 20. In this embodiment, both ends of the trenches 25 are connected with the concave groove 22.

The support surface 21 serves to support the pellicle 10. The pellicle 10 is placed on the support surface 21 with the release liner 14 facing the support surface 21. The pellicle 10 can be fixed to the body 20 by attaching the blades 15 of the release liner to the support surface 21 using a tape 5.

The space surrounded by the fixed pellicle 10 and the support surface 21 communicates with the trenches 25. The inlet 26 and outlet 27 of the ditch 25 are located outside the pellicle 10. Therefore, ventilation of the space surrounded by the pellicle 10 and the support surface 21 is ensured.

In addition, an adhesive 29 is applied to the inner surface of the concave groove 22 of the main body 20.

The cover 30 may be made of a transparent plastic material. A protrusion 32 corresponding to the concave groove 22 of the main body 20 is formed around the cover 30. When the protrusion 32 of the cover 30 is inserted into the concave groove 22, the surface of the protrusion 32 and the inner surface of the concave groove 22 are adhered by the adhesive 29 applied to the inner surface of the concave groove 22. do.

Hereinafter, a method of removing particles using the pellicle storage container described above will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

After removing the cover 30, if the pellicle film 11 is inspected and it is confirmed that particles are attached to the pellicle film 11, nitrogen, etc., on the outer surface of the pellicle film 11, as shown in FIG. Gas is injected to separate particles adhering to the outer surface of the pellicle film 11 from the pellicle film 11. At this time, the particles attached to the inner surface of the pellicle film 11 fall into the support surface 21 or the ditch 25. Particles that have fallen from the outer surface of the pellicle membrane 11 are removed using an inhaler or the like.

And when a gas such as nitrogen is blown through the inlet 26 of the ditch 25, the particles that have fallen into the support surface 21 or the ditch 25 are concave groove 22 through the outlet 27 of the ditch 25. Is discharged. And the particles are attached to the adhesive 29 applied to the concave groove (22). In the present invention, the pressure-sensitive adhesive 29 not only combines the cover 30 and the main body 20, but also collects particles.

The above-described embodiments are merely describing preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical spirit and claims of the present invention Various changes, modifications, or substitutions may be made by this, and such embodiments are to be understood as being within the scope of the present invention.

10: pellicle
11: pellicle membrane
12: pellicle frame
13: Pellicle adhesive
14: release liner
15: wing
20: main body
21: support surface
22: concave groove
25: ditch
29: adhesive
30: cover
32: protrusion

Claims (6)

A pellicle storage container containing a pellicle including a pellicle frame and a pellicle film attached to one side of the pellicle frame,
And a support surface on which the pellicle is placed, and at least one groove formed concave on the support surface to communicate with the space surrounded by the pellicle frame, the pellicle film, and the support surface when the pellicle is placed on the support surface. Body and,
It includes a cover coupled to the body,
The inlet and outlet of the ditch are exposed to the outside of the pellicle,
A concave groove is formed around the support surface, and the concave groove communicates with the trench,
An adhesive is applied to the concave groove,
The cover is a pellicle storage container having a protrusion fitted into the concave groove. Attaching the pellicle to the support surface of the tray of the pellicle storage container of claim 1,
Injecting a gas onto the outer surface of the pellicle membrane so that particles attached to the outer and inner surfaces of the pellicle membrane are separated from the pellicle membrane,
And flowing gas into a ditch of the tray so that particles separated from the inner surface of the pellicle membrane are discharged through an outlet of the ditch.
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