Pellicle assembly and method for advanced lithography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759997-B2
Application number	US-201514973562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Dec 17, 2015
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for a semiconductor lithography process in accordance with some embodiments. The apparatus includes a pellicle membrane with a thermal conductive surface; a porous pellicle frame; and a thermal conductive adhesive layer that secures the pellicle membrane to the porous pellicle frame. The porous pellicle frame includes a plurality of pore channels continuously extending from an exterior surface of the porous pellicle frame to an interior surface of the porous pellicle frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for a semiconductor lithography process, comprising:
a pellicle membrane with a thermal conductive surface;
a porous pellicle frame, wherein the porous pellicle frame includes a plurality of pore channels continuously extending from an exterior surface of the porous pellicle frame to an interior surface of the porous pellicle frame; and
a thermal conductive adhesive layer that secures the pellicle membrane to the porous pellicle frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of pore channels are randomly configured;
each of the plurality of pore channels extends from a first opening on the exterior surface of the porous pellicle frame to a second opening on the interior surface of the porous pellicle frame; and
the each of the plurality of pore channels has a randomly varying diameter from the exterior surface to the interior surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous pellicle frame includes a porous material selected from the group consisting of metal, alloy and ceramic material.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the porous material includes a material selected from the group consisting of Al, SiO2, Al—Mg, Al—Ti, Al—Ni and Al—Fe, AlN, Al2O3, ZrO2, BN, BC and a combination thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous pellicle frame is fabricated by a technique selected from the group consisting of liquid sintering, solid sintering, evaporation sintering, and a combination thereof.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mask including a patterned surface; and
another thermal conductive adhesive layer that secures the mask to the porous pellicle frame, wherein the pellicle frame is mounted on the mask, and wherein the membrane is suspended a standoff distance away from the patterned surface, and wherein an internal space is defined by a bottom surface of the membrane, a top surface of the mask, and the interior surface of the pellicle frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of pore channels with tunable pore sizes tuned to prevent particles from entering the internal space, and wherein the plurality of pore channels are configured to provide pressure equalization between the internal space and a space surrounding the system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is used in an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system and is maintained in a vacuum environment during a lithography exposure process.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pellicle membrane includes
a low-transmittance material layer of a material selected from the group consisting of pSi, a-Si, SiCN, and SiP Graphene; and
a thermal conductive material layer disposed on the low-transmittance material layer, wherein the thermal conductive material layer includes a material selected from the group consisting of Ru, Ir, a carbon-based material, Cu, Ni, Fe, and a combination thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the carbon-based material includes one of graphite, graphene, diamond and nanotube.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermal conductive adhesive layer includes a thermal conductive filler disposed in an adhesive polymer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the thermal conductive filler includes one of metal, metal alloy, thermal conductive ceramic material, thermal conductive polymer, and thermal conductive compound.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the thermal conductive filler includes one of Al, Ag, AlO, AlN, BN, carbon (graphene, nanotube or graphite sheet)) Be, B4C, SiC, and a mixing material thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the adhesive polymer includes one of styrene ethylene/butylene styrene rubber (SEBS), thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPE), polyether urethane (TPU), thermoplastic olefinic elastomer (TPO), and thermoplastic vulcanisate (TPV).

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the adhesive polymer includes a block copolymer having a soft block and a hard block.

16. A method for fabricating a pellicle assembly for a lithography process, comprising:
fabricating a porous pellicle frame with tunable pore sizes;
forming a pellicle membrane having a thermal conductive surface; and
attaching the pellicle membrane to the pellicle frame such that the pellicle membrane is suspended by the pellicle frame using a thermal conductive adhesive material.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the fabricating of the pellicle frame includes fabricating the pellicle frame by one of liquid sintering, solid sintering and evaporation sintering using a material selected from the group consisting of Al, SiO2, Al—Mg, Al—Ti, Al—Ni and Al—Fe, AlN, Al2O3, ZrO2, and BN, and BC.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the forming of the pellicle membrane includes:
forming a low-transmittance material layer of a material selected from the group consisting of pSi, a-Si, SiCN, and SiP Graphene; and
forming a thermal conductive material layer on the low-transmittance material layer, wherein the thermal conductive material layer includes a material selected from the group consisting of Ru, Ir, a carbon-based material, Cu, Ni, Fe, and a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the attaching of the pellicle membrane to the porous pellicle frame using the thermal conductive adhesive material includes dispersing a thermal conductive filler into an adhesive material using one of liquid sintering, solid sintering and evaporation sintering, wherein the thermal conductive filler includes one of metal, metal alloy, thermal conductive ceramic material, thermal conductive polymer, and thermal conductive compound.

20. A method for a lithography process, comprising:
providing a pellicle apparatus, wherein the pellicle apparatus includes a membrane with a thermal conductive surface and a porous pellicle frame that secures the membrane across the pellicle frame by a thermal conductive adhesive material;
mounting the pellicle apparatus onto a mask, wherein the mask includes a patterned surface;
loading the mask having the pellicle apparatus mounted thereupon into a lithography system and loading a semiconductor wafer onto a substrate stage of the lithography system; and
performing a lithography exposure process to transfer a pattern of the patterned surface from the mask to the semiconductor wafer.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Amö
• Lin Yun-Yue
• Lien Ta-Cheng
• Lee Hsin-Chang
• Lin Chih-Cheng
• Chen Jeng-Horng

Classifications

• H10P76/2041

  Photolithographic processes · CPC title

• G03F1/62 Primary

  Pellicles, e.g. pellicle assemblies, e.g. having membrane on support frame; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• G03F1/64 Primary

  characterised by the frames, e.g. structure or material, including bonding means therefor · CPC title

• G03F7/20

  Exposure; Apparatus therefor (photographic printing apparatus for making copies G03B27/00) · CPC title

• G03F1/22

  Masks or mask blanks for imaging by radiation of 100nm or shorter wavelength, e.g. X-ray masks, extreme ultraviolet [EUV] masks; Preparation thereof · CPC title