Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Radiation modifying product or process of making – Radiation mask
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-15
2002-01-01
McPherson, John A. (Department: 1756)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Radiation modifying product or process of making
Radiation mask
C428S014000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06335126
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP97/04640 which has an International filing date of Dec. 16, 1997 which designated the United States of America.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a pellicle and a jig for manufacturing a pellicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an LSI and a VLSI, and a liquid crystal display plate, or the like, patterning for forming wiring called a pattern is performed by photo-irradiation onto a semiconductor wafer or an original plate for a liquid crystal display plate. During the patterning, a so-called mask (an original plate for exposure) is used, and if even a very small amount of dust is present on the mask, the dust makes an adverse effect on patterns and results in causing the semiconductor device or the liquid crystal display plate not usable.
For that reason, as well known, patterning is performed in an especially dustless room which is called a clean room. However, even in such clean room, it is still difficult to remove microscopic dust completely.
Accordingly, in order to remove dust strictly, a cover called a pellicle is attached to the surface of the mask for protecting the mask from dust.
The pellicle is a body consisting of an organic transparent thin film pasted on a specified frame, and the pasted thin film is generally called a pellicle film, and further, the specified frame on which the pellicle film is pasted is called a pellicle frame.
Although a method of manufacturing a pellicle is known as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 7-281421, this manufacturing method will be briefly described below.
(1) An organic thin film such as a nitro-cellulose, ethyl cellulose, or the like which becomes a pellicle film is temporarily attached to another frame, which is larger than the specified frame which becomes a pellicle frame, in a covered-state.
(2) An adhesive is coated on one of side edges of the specified frame.
(3) The another larger frame coated with the organic thin film of the (1) is brought to approach the adhesive-coated one edge of the (2) from above, and the organic thin film of the (1) is attached to the adhesive-coated one edge of the (2), and then the organic thin film is transferred from the another frame to the specified frame by separating the another frame from the specified frame. In this case, the organic thin film is radially protruded from the edges of the specified frame. The protruded portion is an unnecessary portion which cannot be used as the pellicle film, and non-protruded portion is an effective portion which functions as the pellicle film. Hereinafter, the unnecessary portion is referred to as “the unnecessary film” as against the pellicle film.
(4) The pellicle is formed by trimming the unnecessary film along the above-mentioned specified frame.
Meanwhile, as a means for trimming the unnecessary film, there have been known a physical method including a cutter such as a knife, a laser beam for cutting and other physical method, and a chemical method in which the unnecessary film is dissolved by a dissolving liquid.
With the physical method, although the unnecessary film can be removed within a short period of time, exceedingly minute dust such as chips, etc. will remain along the trimmed edges.
If the pellicle, in this state of having the remained dust, is used to cover a mask, it would occur that the dust drops from the pellicle, and adheres to a pattern. Then, as described above, a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display plate becomes useless because of inferior products.
Accordingly, heretofore, efficiency of removal is enhanced by wiping the remained dust with a solvent or an adhesive tape after removing the unnecessary film with the above-mentioned method, but further efficiency of removal is demanded.
On the other hand, with the chemical method, although adverse influences by dust such as chips are not caused, it takes a long time for removing the unnecessary film in comparison with the physical method.
For that reason, there has been desired a new technology having advantages of both physical and chemical methods, in which disadvantages of both methods are eliminated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and, therefore, an object of the invention is, in manufacturing a dust cover, namely, a pellicle, for a mask being used in a so-called in patterning in manufacturing a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display plate and the like, to provide a method of manufacturing a pellicle and a jig for trimming an unnecessary film, whereby exceedingly minute dust such as chips, etc. which is produced in a process of cutting off the unnecessary film, can be suppressed as much as possible, and the cutting-off process can be accomplished within a short period of time.
A method of manufacturing a pellicle according to the present invention is:
(1) a method of manufacturing a pellicle comprising the steps of:
temporarily coating a thin film, which is a constituting member of a pellicle which is a dust cover for a mask used in patterning in manufacturing a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display plate, on a frame larger than a specified frame which is another constituting member of the pellicle;
coating an adhesive on the specified frame in advance;
overlapping said larger frame on the specified frame coated with said adhesive;
adhering the thin film which has been temporarily coated on said larger frame to the specified frame by the adhesive;
transferring the thin film coated on the larger frame to the specified frame from the larger frame; and
removing a portion of the transferred thin film, the portion which is protruded from the specified frame, with a physical trimming means, and
wherein a coating material, consisting of an organic solvent and a specified resin dissolved therein, the coating material which is a thermo-setting type adhesive or an ultraviolet curing type adhesive which can suppress dust produced in cutting off the thin film and make not to remove the dust from the thin film, is supplied to a cut-off portion which is intended to be cut off, by said physical trimming means, at the same time or before cutting off the thin film with the physical trimming means.
Accordingly, with the method of manufacturing a pellicle of the present invention, before removing the protruded portion of the thin film transferred to the specified frame with the physical trimming means, the cut-off portion intended to be cut off is coated with the coating material. Consequently, even though exceedingly minute dust(s) is (are) produced in a trimmed portion of the thin film, the minute dust(s) is(are) mixed with the coating material, thereby the dust cannot move due to an adhesive force of the coating material. Thus, the minute dust comes into a state that it is attached to the trimmed portion of the thin film. Therefore, it is possible to suppress to the utmost drop of the minute dust such as chops onto a pattern. Further, the protruded portion is removed by the physical trimming means, and trimming work can be finished within a short period of time.
The method of manufacturing a pellicle may be carried out in the following modes.
(2) The coating material is a thermo-setting type adhesive or an ultraviolet curing type adhesive which is applied to and covering a cutting surface of the thin film, thereby to suppress dust produced in cutting off the thin film with the physical trimming means and not to remove the dust from the cut thin film.
(3) The coating material is a saturated solution which consists of a specified organic solvent and a specified resin saturatedly dissolved therein.
(4) The resin contained in the coating material is immersed in the organic solvent for at least five hours or longer, and, preferably, 12 hours or longer at a temperature in the range of 20-25° C.
(5) The saturated solution co
Fujita Minoru
Kondou Masahiro
Kurata Hiroyuki
Nakagawa Hiroaki
Biurch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP
McPherson John A.
Mitsui Chemicals Inc.
Mohamedulla Saleha R.
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