Mask cleaning apparatus and mask cleaning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636718-B2
Application number	US-201514904221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2015
Priority date	Dec 24, 2014
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A mask cleaning apparatus and a mask cleaning method are provided. The mask cleaning method comprises: placing a mask ( 100 ) on a stage ( 20 ); and ejecting a dry ice particle group including a plurality of dry ice particles ( 101 ) toward a surface of the mask ( 100 ) at a speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, within a cleaning time, wherein the plurality of dry ice particles ( 101 ) impact the surface of the mask ( 100 ) so as to remove a contaminant on the surface of the mask. Thereby, the mask cleaning apparatus and the mask cleaning method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure can remove the contaminant on the mask, without increasing a contamination medium and damaging the surface of the mask.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mask cleaning method, comprising:
placing the mask on a stage; and
ejecting a dry ice particle group including a plurality of dry ice particles toward a surface of the mask at a speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, within a cleaning time, wherein the plurality of dry ice particles impact the surface of the mask so as to remove a contaminant on the surface of the mask.

2. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , wherein within the cleaning time, in a case that a density of the dry ice particles in the dry ice particle group is 1.4 g/cm 3 to 1.6 g/cm 3 , a feed rate of the dry ice particle group is 6.18×10 −9 kg/min to 0.6 kg/min.

3. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , wherein within the cleaning time, in a case that a density of the dry ice particles in the dry ice particle group is 1.4 g/cm 3 to 1.6 g/cm 3 , a gas with a pressure of 1.97×10 −3 PA to 9.7×10 5 PA is supplied to the dry ice particle group, so that the dry ice particle group is ejected toward the surface of the mask at the speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s.

4. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , after ejecting the dry ice particle group including the plurality of dry ice particles toward the surface of the mask at the speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, further comprising: collecting the contaminant separated from the surface of the mask and carbon dioxide converted from the dry ice particles.

5. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , after ejecting the dry ice particle group including the plurality of dry ice particles toward the surface of the mask at the speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s and before collecting the contaminant separated from the surface of the mask and carbon dioxide converted from the dry ice particles, further comprising:
blowing air to the surface of the mask impacted by the dry ice particles; and/or,
transmitting an ultrasonic wave with a frequency of 1K Hz to 100K Hz to the mask, while blowing air to the surface of the mask.

6. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , while ejecting the dry ice particle group including the plurality of dry ice particles toward the surface of the mask at the speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, further comprising:
blowing air to the surface of the mask; and/or,
transmitting an ultrasonic wave with a frequency of 1K Hz to 100K Hz to the mask, while blowing air to the surface of the mask.

7. The mask cleaning method according to claim 6 , while ejecting the dry ice particle group including the plurality of dry ice particles toward the surface of the mask at the speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, further comprising:
collecting the contaminant separated from the surface of the mask and carbon dioxide converted from the dry ice particles.

8. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , wherein a particle size of the dry ice particle is 1 μm to 100 μm.

9. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , wherein while ejecting the dry ice particle group including the plurality of dry ice particles toward the surface of the mask at the speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, the mask is fixed and stationary.

10. The mask cleaning method according to claim 1 , wherein, while ejecting the dry ice particle group including the plurality of dry ice particles toward the surface of the mask at the speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, the mask is moved.

11. A mask cleaning apparatus, comprising:
a chamber, configured to accommodate a mask; and
a dry ice ejecting device, configured to eject a dry ice particle group including a plurality of dry ice particles toward the mask at a speed of 340 m/s to 1000 m/s, wherein the dry ice particles impact a surface of the mask so as to remove a contaminant on the surface of the mask.

12. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the dry ice ejecting device comprises:
a dry ice transport channel, configured to accommodate the dry ice particle group;
a nozzle, a head of the nozzle being located in the chamber, and a connecting portion of the nozzle being connected with the dry ice transport channel; and
a pressure member, configured to supply a gas with a pressure of 1.97×10 −3 PA to 9.7×10 5 PA to the dry ice transport channel to act on the dry ice particle group comprising the dry ice particles with a density of 1.4 g/cm 3 to 1.6 g/cm 3 .

13. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein in a case that a particle size of the dry ice particle is 1 μm to 100 μm, a pipe diameter of the dry ice transport channel is 1 mm to 3 mm.

14. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein a feed rate of the dry ice particle group supplied by the dry ice ejecting device to the mask is 6.18×10 −9 kg/min to 0.6 kg/min, and a density of the dry ice particles in the dry ice particle group is 1.4 g/cm 3 to 1.6 g/cm 3 .

15. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a collecting member, connected with an air outlet of the chamber and configured to collect the contaminant separated from the surface of the mask and carbon dioxide converted from the dry ice particles.

16. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising: a blowing member and an ultrasonic wave generating source,
wherein the blowing member is connected with an air inlet of the chamber and is used for blowing air to the surface of the mask; and/or
the ultrasonic wave generating source is used for transmitting an ultrasonic wave with a frequency of 1K Hz to 100K Hz to the mask, while the dry ice particles impact the mask.

17. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising: a dry ice producing device, communicated with the dry ice ejecting device, and configured to supply the dry ice particles to the dry ice ejecting device.

18. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the dry ice producing device comprises:
a storage chamber, configured to store liquid carbon dioxide; and
an air intake chamber, configured to supply compressed air to the storage chamber, so that the liquid carbon dioxide is converted to the dry ice particles,
wherein a discharge port of the storage chamber is connected with the dry ice ejecting device, and an air inlet port of the storage chamber is connected with the air intake chamber.

19. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the chamber is provided with a stage on which the mask is placed.

20. The mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the chamber is further provided with a conveying device, the conveying device being configured to move the stage.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chiang Kelvin
• Zhang Peng

Classifications

• B24C3/32

  designed for abrasive blasting of particular work, e.g. the internal surfaces of cylinder blocks (B24C3/08, B24C3/18 take precedence) · CPC title

• B24C1/086

  Descaling; Removing coating films · CPC title

• B24C1/003

  using material which dissolves or changes phase after the treatment, e.g. ice, CO2 · CPC title

• B24C1/00

  Methods for use of abrasive blasting for producing particular effects; Use of auxiliary equipment in connection with such methods · CPC title

• B08B7/028 Primary

  Using ultrasounds · CPC title