PELLICLE

• US 20140106265A1
• Filed: 10/04/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Inventors: Sekihara, Kazutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/5
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/62 Pellicles, e.g. pellicle assemblies, e.g. having membrane on support frame; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/64 characterised by the frames, e.g. structure or material, including bonding means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24008 including fastener for attaching to external surface

Abstract

A pellicle is proposed in which the frame is composed of a detachable double structure of an inner frame and an outer frame, and the pellicle membrane is adhered only to the inner frame and the photomask-agglutination layer is laid only to the inner frame, and the outer frame is removed from the inner frame after the pellicle is agglutinated to the photomask.

Claims

1. A pellicle comprising a pellicle frame having an upper annular face and a lower annular face, a membrane adhered in a slack-free manner to said upper annular face of the pellicle frame, and an agglutinant layer attached to lower annular face of the pellicle frame, characterised in that said frame has a double structure consisting of an inner frame and an outer frame, that said membrane is adhered exclusively to said inner frame and said agglutinant layer is attached exclusively to said inner frame, and that the outer frame is adapted to closely connect with the inner frame detachably.

2. The pellicle as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that said outer frame connects with the inner frame by means of a screw means.

3. The pellicle as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that said outer frame connects with the inner frame by means of a magnetic means.

4. A method for agglutinating a pellicle to a photomask using a pressure means, in which said pellicle comprises a pellicle frame having an upper annular face and a lower annular face, a membrane adhered in a slack-free manner to said upper annular face of the pellicle frame, and an agglutinant layer attached to lower annular face of the pellicle frame, said frame having a double structure consisting of an inner frame and an outer frame, said membrane being adhered exclusively to said inner frame and said agglutinant layer being attached exclusively to said inner frame, and the outer frame being adapted to closely connect with the inner frame detachably, the method being characterized in that said agglutinating of the pellicle is effected by pressing only said inner frame with said pressure means.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, characterized by that after the agglutination the outer frame is detached from said inner frame and only the inner frame holding the pellicle membrane remains on the photomask.