IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,032,281
Granted Patent B2
US 12,032,281 · App. 17/889,472 · Granted Jul 9, 2024

Pellicle cleaning apparatus and pellicle cleaning method using the same

Inventors: Byunghoon Lee (Seoul, KR); Jin Goo Park (Ansan-si, KR); Tae-Gon Kim (Ansan-si, KR); Sanguk Park (Yongin-si, KR); Changyoung Jeong (Yongin-si, KR); Jinho Ahn (Seoul, KR); Hyun-tae Kim (Anyang-si, KR)
Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY ERICA CAMPUS
G03F1/82B08B7/0028B08B11/02B08B13/00G03F7/70925
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,032,281
App. No.
17/889,472
Granted
Jul 9, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A pellicle cleaning apparatus includes a stage to support a pellicle, a particle remover above the stage, the particle remover being configured to remove a particle from a first surface of a pellicle, and the particle remover including a cantilever, and an adhesive material on a bottom surface of the cantilever, and a pressure controller adjacent to the stage, the pressure controller being configured to control a pressure of a fluid on a second surface of the pellicle.

Claims (45)

1. A pellicle cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a stage to support a pellicle;

a particle remover above the stage, the particle remover being configured to remove a particle from a first surface of the pellicle, and the particle remover including:

a cantilever, and

an adhesive material on a bottom surface of the cantilever; and

a pressure controller adjacent to the stage, the pressure controller being arranged to supply air current to a second surface of the pellicle so as to control vibration of the pellicle, wherein

the pellicle is controlled to spread flat when the air current supplied by the pressure controller to the second surface of the pellicle has a same strength as air current on the first surface of the pellicle,

the pellicle is controlled to protrude convexly upwards when the air current supplied by the pressure controller to the second surface of the pellicle is stronger than the air current on the first surface of the pellicle, or

the pellicle is controlled to protrude concavely downwards when the air current supplied by the pressure controller to the second surface of the pellicle is weaker than the air current on the first surface of the pellicle.

2. The pellicle cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a pellicle frame on the stage, the pellicle frame including a frame space exposing a center of the stage.

3. The pellicle cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein:

the stage includes a pressure delivery hole connected to the frame space,

the second surface of the pellicle is exposed to the frame space, and

the pressure controller is connected to the pressure delivery hole.

4. The pellicle cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cantilever includes:

a support member; and

a tip extending from the support member toward the stage, the adhesive material being on a bottom surface of the tip.

5. A pellicle cleaning method, comprising:

supplying air current to a second surface of a pellicle so as to control vibration of the pellicle, wherein

the pellicle spreads flat when the air current supplied to the second surface of the pellicle has a same strength as air current on a first surface of the pellicle,

the pellicle protrudes convexly upwards when the air current supplied to the second surface of the pellicle is stronger than the air current on the first surface of the pellicle, or

the pellicle protrudes concavely downwards when the air current supplied to the second surface of the pellicle is weaker than the air current on the first surface of the pellicle;

obtaining an information about a position of a particle on the first surface of the pellicle;

placing a particle remover above the particle;

driving the particle remover toward the particle and the first surface of the pellicle;

adhering the particle to the particle remover by allowing the particle to adhere to an adhesive material on the particle remover; and

removing the particle remover with the adhered particle.

6. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein adhering the particle to the particle remover includes moving the particle remover toward the first surface of the pellicle, such that the adhesive material is pressed against the particle.

7. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising ascertaining whether the adhesive material is pressed against the particle.

8. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein obtaining the information about the position of the particle on the first surface of the pellicle includes:

using an imager to capture an image of the first surface of the pellicle to obtain an image information about the first surface of the pellicle; and

obtaining the information of the position of the particle from the image information.

9. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising ascertaining whether the particle is removed from the pellicle.

10. A pellicle cleaning method, comprising:

loading a pellicle on a stage;

supplying air current to a second surface of the pellicle so as to control vibration of the pellicle;

placing a particle remover above the pellicle;

driving the particle remover to move above the pellicle;

adhering a particle from a first surface of the pellicle to the particle remover by allowing the particle to adhere to an adhesive material on the particle remover; and

removing the particle remover with the adhered particle from the pellicle,

wherein supplying the air current to the second surface of the pellicle is maintained during placing the particle remover, driving the particle remover, adhering the particle, and removing the particle remover.

11. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein driving the particle remover includes moving the particle remover in a horizontal direction above the pellicle.

12. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein allowing the particle to adhere to the adhesive material of the particle remover includes allowing the particle to adhere to the adhesive material on the particle remover during movement in the horizontal direction.

13. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein loading the pellicle on the stage includes placing a pellicle frame on the stage, the pellicle frame supporting the pellicle.

14. The pellicle cleaning method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising analyzing a component of the particle.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 17, 2023
From: KIM, HYUN-TAE
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.; INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY ERICA CAMPUS
Reel/Frame 065258/0035 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 17, 2022
From: LEE, BYUNGHOON; PARK, JIN GOO; KIM, TAE-GON; PARK, SANGUK; JEONG, CHANGYOUNG; AHN, JINHO
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.; INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY ERICA CAMPUS
Reel/Frame 060828/0515 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2021-0185830 · Dec 23, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230205078A1 · Jun 29, 2023