Patent Application
20110116059
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, for example, to a filter box which holds a filter or filters for removing any impurity, etc. contained in a gas, an exposure apparatus provided with the filter box, and a device producing method for producing, for example, a semiconductor element, a liquid crystal display element, or an image pickup element by using the exposure apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to obtain a high exposure accuracy (resolution, positioning accuracy, etc.) in an exposure apparatus to be used in the lithography step of producing an electronic device (microdevice) including for example a semiconductor element, it is necessary that the illumination characteristic of an illumination optical system and the imaging characteristic of a projection optical system are maintained in predetermined states; and that the space, in which a reticle (or a photomask or the like), the projection optical system, and a wafer (or a glass plate or the like) are installed or placed, is maintained in a predetermined environment. For this purpose, the body section of the exposure apparatus (exposure apparatus-body section) including a part of the illumination optical system of the exposure apparatus, a reticle stage, the projection optical system, a wafer stage and the like has been hitherto installed in a box-shaped chamber. Further, an air-conditioning apparatus is provided, the air-conditioning apparatus supplying a clean gas (for example, air), which is controlled or regulated to have a predetermined temperature and which is allowed to pass through a dustproof filter or dust-preventive filter, into the chamber in accordance with the down flow system and the side flow system.
As for the exposure apparatus, in order to respond to the request for realizing an extremely fine circuit pattern in recent years, the wavelength of the exposure light (exposure light beam) is progressively shortened. Recently, the KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm) and the ArF excimer laser (wavelength: 193 nm) substantially in the vacuum ultraviolet region are used as the exposure light. In a case that the exposure light having such a short wavelength is used, if a minute amount of any gas of organic matter (organic gas) is present in a space (for example, the internal space in a barrel) through which the exposure light is allowed to pass, then the transmittance of the exposure light is lowered, and it is feared that any cloudiness substance may be produced on a surface of an optical element such as a lens element or the like on account of the reaction between the exposure light and the organic gas. Further, it is desirable that a gas of alkaline substance (alkaline gas) or the like, which reacts with the photoresist (photosensitive material) coated on the wafer, is also removed from the gas to be supplied into the chamber.
In view of the above, a plurality of chemical filters have been hitherto provided at a gas take-in portion of the air-conditioning apparatus of the exposure apparatus in order to remove, for example, the organic gas and/or the alkaline gas from the gas to be supplied into the chamber (see, for example, International Publication No. 2004/108252).
In a conventional exposure apparatus, a plurality of chemical filters have been stacked while being positioned in a casing. Therefore, when the chemical filters are exchanged, it is necessary that used chemical filters are successively unloaded, and then unused chemical filters are stacked and installed while being mutually positioned. Therefore, the time, which is required to exchange the chemical filters, is prolonged and/or it is feared that positional deviation or shift may be caused between the plurality of chemical filters, and the gas-tightness may be lowered between the chemical filters.
Further, in the exposure apparatus, the number of stages of the installed chemical filters is increased corresponding to the further improvement in the required exposure accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary that the chemical filters should be exchanged efficiently.
Taking the foregoing circumstances into consideration, an object of the present invention is that the filters are exchanged efficiently or the filters are exchanged so that the positioning of the filters can be performed with ease.
According to a first aspect, there is provided a filter box comprising: a filter; a box-shaped frame which holds the filter; and a protrusion/recess-formed portion which is formed on at least one side surface of the frame; wherein the protrusion/recess-formed portion has: a first recess which is arranged between an upper end and a lower end of the at least one side surface of the frame and which is communicated with a side end of the at least one side surface of the frame; and a second recess which is communicated with the first recess and which extends toward an upper end of the frame.
According to a second aspect, there is provided a filter apparatus comprising: a filter which removes a predetermined component contained in a gas; and a frame which has a first surface, a second surface facing the first surface, a third surface intersecting the first surface, and a fourth surface facing the third surface, and which surrounds the filter with the first surface, the second surface, the third surface and the fourth surface; wherein a first recess and a second recess are formed in each of the third and fourth surfaces, the first recess having an end arriving at the second surface, and the second recess connecting to the first recess and extending at least in an upward direction.
According to a third aspect, there is provided an exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate with an exposure light via a pattern, the exposure apparatus comprising: an exposure apparatus-body section which exposes the substrate; a chamber which accommodates the exposure apparatus-body section; at least one filter box of the first aspect; and an air-conditioning apparatus which feeds a gas taken in from outside of the chamber into the chamber via the filter box.
According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for producing a device, comprising exposing a photosensitive substrate by using the exposure apparatus; and processing the exposed photosensitive substrate.
According to the aspect, for example, by providing a protrusion portion on a side of a container which accommodates the filter box, and by moving the frame so that the protrusion portion is moved relative to (relatively moved with respect to) the recess of the protrusion/recess-formed portion provided on the side surface of the frame along the recess, the frame can be placed or installed with respect to the container and the frame can be unloaded from or transported out from the container efficiently or correctly. Thus, the filter box and consequently the filter in the filter box can be exchanged efficiently or can be positioned easily.
A first embodiment of the present invention will be explained below with reference to
The exposure apparatus EX is provided with a box-shaped chamber 10 having a high gas-tightness and installed on the floor FL1. The interior of the chamber 10 is comparted or partitioned into an exposure chamber 10a and a loader chamber 10b, for example, by a partition member 10d which has two openings that are opened/closed by shutters 24R, 24W. An exposure apparatus-body section 4, which includes the illumination optical system ILS, the reticle stage RST, the projection optical system PL, and the wafer stage WST, is installed in the exposure chamber 10a. A reticle loader system and a wafer loader system, which include the reticle library 9 and the wafer cassette 7 respectively, are installed in the loader chamber 10b.
The exposure apparatus EX is provided with an overall air-conditioning system for performing the air-conditioning for the whole interior of the chamber 10. The overall air-conditioning system includes a filter apparatus 26 which is installed on an upper surface of a second floor FL2 of a machine room as the lower floor of the first floor FL1 and which has a plurality of stacked chemical filters, an air-conditioning apparatus 30 which has an air-conditioning apparatus-body section 31 installed on the upper surface of the floor FL2, a large-sized blow port 18 which is installed at an upper portion of the exposure chamber 10a, a small-sized blow port 19R which is arranged on a bottom surface of a subchamber 22 accommodating the illumination optical system ILS, and a small-sized blow port 19W which is arranged in the vicinity of the projection optical system PL. The filter apparatus 26 removes predetermined impurities from the air AR as the air-conditioning gas supplied via a piping 25 so that the air, from which the impurities have been removed, is supplied to the air-conditioning apparatus-body section 31 via a first duct 32 as indicated by an arrow A1 (details will be described later on).
The air-conditioning apparatus 30 includes the first duct 32, the air-conditioning apparatus-body section 31, a second duct 35 which connects the air-conditioning apparatus-body section 31 and the interior of the chamber 10 via an opening provided on the floor FL1, and a dustproof filter or dust-preventive filter 36 such as ULPA filter (Ultra Low Penetration Air-filter) or the like which is arranged, for example, at an intermediate position of the second duct 35 and which removes minute particles (fine particles) from the air flowing the inside of the second duct 35. Each of the ducts 32, 35 and the piping 25 is formed by using a material with which the amount of production of the contaminant or pollutant is small, including, for example, stainless steel and fluororesin.
The air-conditioning apparatus-body section 31 is provided with a temperature control section 33A which controls the temperature of the air supplied via the first duct 32, a humidity control section 33B which controls the humidity of the air, and a fan motor 34 which feeds the air toward the second duct 35. The air is controlled to have a temperature of, for example, 23° C. within a range of 20° C. to 30° C., and the air is supplied in accordance with the down flow manner or system into the exposure chamber 10a via the second duct 35 and the blow port 18. The interior of the chamber 10 is set to be in a state of positive pressure in accordance with the supply of the air. The air in the second duct 35 is supplied into the exposure chamber 10a via branched tubes 35a, 35b and the blow port 19W and the blow port 19R corresponding thereto. A part of the air in the exposure chamber 10a is also allowed to flow into the loader chamber 10b.
As an example, the air, flowing through the interior of the chamber 10 (exposure chamber 10a), flows into an underfloor discharge duct 44 via a number of openings 45a provided on the bottom surface of the chamber 10 and a number of openings 45b provided on the floor FL1. The air in the discharge duct 44 is discharged after being cleaned via an unillustrated filter. All or a part of the air flowing to the discharge duct 44 can be also reused by returning all or the part of the air toward the piping 25.
With reference to
At first, the light source section 2, which is installed on the floor FL1 and disposed outside the chamber 10, includes an exposure light source which generates or emits the ArF excimer laser beam (wavelength: 193 nm) as the exposure light (exposure light beam) EL, and a beam-feeding optical system which guides the exposure light EL to the illumination optical system ILS. The light-exit end of the exposure light EL of the light source section 2 is arranged in the exposure chamber 10a via an opening disposed at an upper portion of the side surface in the +Y direction of the chamber 10. Those usable as the exposure light source also include an ultraviolet pulsed laser light source such as a KrF excimer laser light source (wavelength: 248 nm) or the like, a high harmonic wave generating light source of YAG laser, a high harmonic wave generator of solid-state laser (semiconductor laser or the like), a mercury lamp (for example, i-ray), etc.
The illumination optical system ILS, which is arranged at the upper portion in the chamber 10, includes, for example, an illuminance-uniformalizing optical system including an optical integrator, a reticle blind, a condenser optical system, etc. as disclosed, for example, in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0025890. A slit-shaped illumination area of a pattern surface of the reticle R, which is elongated or slender in the X direction and which is defined by the reticle blind, is illuminated with the exposure light EL at a substantially uniform illuminance by the illumination optical system ILS.
The image of the pattern in the illumination area, which is included in a pattern area formed on the reticle R, is projected and imaged on a surface of the wafer W via the projection optical system PL which is telecentric on the both sides and which has a projection magnification β of reduction magnification (for example, ¼).
A lower frame 12 is installed on the floor FL1 in the exposure chamber 10a of the chamber 10 via a plurality of bases 11. A flat plate-shaped base member 13 is fixed to a central portion of the lower frame 12. A flat plate-shaped wafer base NB is supported on the base member 13 via anti-vibration bases 14 which are disposed, for example, at three positions. The wafer stage WST is placed on the upper surface of the wafer base WB parallel to the XY plane via an air bearing so that the wafer stage WST is movable in the X direction and the Y direction and rotatable in the θz direction. An optical system frame 16 is supported at the upper end of the lower frame 12 via anti-vibration bases 15 which are disposed, for example, at three positions and which are arranged to surround the wafer base WB. The projection optical system PL is arranged in an opening disposed at a central portion of the optical system frame 16. An upper frame 17 is fixed on the optical system frame 16 so that the projection optical system PL is surrounded thereby.
A Y axis laser interferometer 21WY is fixed at the end portion in the +Y direction of the bottom surface of the optical system frame 16. An X axis laser interferometer (not shown) is fixed at the end portion in the +X direction of the bottom surface. A wafer interferometer, which is constructed of these interferometers, radiates a plurality of axes of measuring beams onto reflecting surfaces (or movement mirrors) disposed on side surfaces of the wafer stage WST respectively to measure the positions of the wafer stage WST in the X direction and the Y direction and the angles of rotation in the θx, θy, and θz directions, for example, with the references of reference mirrors (not shown) disposed on side surfaces of the projection optical system PL; and the wafer interferometer supplies measured values to the main controller (not shown).
A stage control system in the main controller (not shown) controls the positions and the velocities in the X direction and the Y direction and the angle of rotation in the θz direction of the wafer stage WST via a driving mechanism (not shown) including a linear motor or the like based on the measured value obtained by the wafer interferometer, a measured value obtained by an autofocus sensor (not shown), and/or the like. Further, the stage control system controls a Z stage (not shown) in the wafer stage WST so that the surface of the wafer W is focused on the image plane of the projection optical system PL. Further, an alignment system ALG, etc. is also provided in order to perform the alignment for the reticle R and the wafer W.
On the other hand, the subchamber 22, which accommodates the illumination optical system ILS, is fixed to the upper portion in the +Y direction of the upper frame 17. Further, the reticle stage RST is placed on the upper surface, of the upper frame 17, parallel to the XY plane via an air bearing so that the reticle stage RST is movable at a constant velocity in the Y direction, movable in the X direction, and rotatable in the θz direction.
A Y axis laser interferometer 21RY is fixed to the end portion in the +Y direction of the upper surface of the upper frame 17. An X axis laser interferometer (not shown) is fixed to the end portion in the +X direction of the upper surface. A reticle interferometer, which is constructed of these interferometers, radiates a plurality of axes of measuring beams, for example, onto a movement mirror 21MY provided on the reticle stage RST respectively to measure the positions of the reticle stage RST in the X direction and the Y direction and the angles of rotation in the θz, θx, and θy directions, for example, with the references of reference mirrors (not shown) disposed on side surfaces of the projection optical system PL; and the reticle interferometer supplies measured values to the main controller (not shown).
The stage control system contained in the main controller (not shown) controls the position and the velocity in the Y direction, the position in the X direction, the angle of rotation in the θz direction, etc. of the reticle stage RST, via a driving mechanism (not shown) including a linear motor or the like based on, for example, the measured value obtained by the reticle interferometer.
In a case that the exposure apparatus EX of this embodiment is of the liquid immersion type, a predetermined liquid (pure or purified water, etc.) is supplied to a local liquid immersion area, disposed between the wafer W and an optical member arranged at the forward end of the projection optical system PL, from a local liquid immersion mechanism (not shown) including, for example, a ring-shaped nozzle head arranged at the lower surface of the optical member disposed at the lower end of the projection optical system PL. A liquid immersion mechanism, which is disclosed, for example, in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/242247, can be used as the local liquid immersion mechanism. In a case that the exposure apparatus EX is of the dry type, it is unnecessary to provide the liquid immersion mechanism.
The reticle library 9 and a reticle loader 8 as a horizontal articulated robot are installed on en upper surface of an upper support stand 67 in the loader chamber 10b. The reticle loader B exchanges the reticle R between the reticle library 9 and the reticle stage RST via the opening which is opened/closed by the shutter 24R of the partition member 10d.
A wafer cassette 7 and a horizontal articulated robot 6a for taking in and taking out the wafer with respect to the wafer cassette 7 are installed on an upper surface of a lower support stand 68 in the loader chamber 10b. A wafer transport apparatus 6b, which constructs the wafer loader 6 together with the horizontal articulated robot 6a, is installed over or above the horizontal articulated robot 6a. The wafer transport apparatus 6b transports the wafer W between the horizontal articulated robot 6a and the wafer stage WST via the opening which is opened/closed by the shutter 24W of the partition member 10d.
When the exposure apparatus EX performs the exposure, the alignment is firstly performed for the reticle R and the wafer W. After that, the radiation or irradiation of the exposure light EL onto the reticle R is started. An image of the pattern (pattern image) of the reticle R is transferred to one shot area on the surface of the wafer W in accordance with a scanning exposure operation in which the reticle stage RST and the wafer stage WST are synchronously moved (subjected to the synchronous scanning) in the Y direction at a velocity ratio of the projection magnification β of the projection optical system PL, while projecting an image of a part of the pattern of the reticle R onto the shot area on the surface of the wafer W via the projection optical system PL. After that, the pattern image of the reticle R is transferred to all shot areas of the wafer W in the step-and-scan manner by repeating an operation in which the wafer W is step-moved in the X direction and the Y direction via the wafer stage WST and the scanning exposure operation described above.
In the next viewpoint, the exposure apparatus EX of this embodiment is provided with the overall air-conditioning system including the air-conditioning apparatus 30 which supplies the temperature-regulated clean air into the chamber 10 in accordance with the down flow system as described above in order to perform the exposure at a high exposure accuracy (resolution, positioning accuracy, etc.) while maintaining the illumination characteristic (the illuminance uniformity, etc.) of the illumination optical system ILS and the imaging characteristic (resolution, etc.) of the projection optical system to be in predetermined states and maintaining the atmosphere (space) for placing or installing the reticle R, the projection optical system PL, and the wafer W therein to be in a predetermined environment.
The overall air-conditioning system is provided with a local air-conditioning section. That is, the temperature-regulated clean air is supplied from the branched tubes 35b, 35a of the second duct 35 to the blowing portion 19R disposed on the bottom surface of the subchamber 22 and the blowing portion 19W disposed on the bottom surface of the optical system frame 16 respectively. In this case, the blowing portions 19R, 19W are arranged on the optical paths of the measuring beams of the Y axis laser interferometer 21RY for the reticle stage RST and the Y axis laser interferometer 21WY for the wafer stage WST respectively. The blowing portions 19R, 19W respectively cause the temperature-regulated air to be blown onto the optical paths of the measuring beams at an approximately uniform air velocity distribution in accordance with the down flow system (or the side flow system as well). Similarly, the temperature-regulated air is also locally supplied to the optical paths of the measuring beams of the X axis laser interferometers. Accordingly, the positions of the reticle stage RST and the wafer stage WST can be measured highly accurately by the reticle interferometer 21R and the wafer interferometer 21W, etc.
A local air-conditioning apparatus 60 is installed in the loader chamber 10b. The local air-conditioning apparatus 60 is provided with a small-sized fan motor 61 which is arranged on the bottom surface of the support stand 68, a duct 62 which supplies the air fed by the fan motor 61 to the upper portion, and blow ports 65, 66 which are arranged over or above the reticle library 9 and the wafer cassette 7. The forward end portion of the duct 62 is divided into branched tubes 62R, 62W which supply the air to the blow ports 65, 66 respectively. Dustproof filters such as ULPA filters or the like are installed in the vicinity of air inflow ports of the blow ports 65, 66 respectively. Filter boxes 63, 64, which accommodate chemical filters for removing predetermined impurities, are installed in the duct 62 in the vicinity of the fan motor 61. As an example, the chemical filter of the filter box 63 removes the organic gas (gas of organic matter), and the chemical filter of the filter box 64 removes the alkaline gas (gas of alkaline substance) and the acid gas (gas of acid substance).
When the local air-conditioning apparatus 60 is operated in the loader chamber 10b, the air, which is fed from the fan motor 61, is supplied to the space in which the reticle library 9 and the wafer cassette 7 are arranged respectively in accordance with the down flow system from the blow ports 65, 66 via the filter boxes 63, 64 and the duct 62. The air flowing around the reticle library 9 is returned to the fan motor 61 via the surroundings of the support stand 67, the surroundings of the wafer cassette 7 disposed under or below the support stand 67, and the surroundings of support stand 68. The air supplied from the blow port 66 to the surroundings of the wafer cassette 7 is returned to the fan motor 61 via the surroundings of the support stand 68. The air returned to the fan motor 61 is supplied again into the loader chamber 10b from the blow port 65, 66 via the filter boxes 63, 64 and the dustproof filters. In this way, the air in the loader chamber 10d is retained in a clean state by the local air-conditioning apparatus 60.
Next, an explanation will be made about the construction and the function of the filter apparatus 26 connected to the air-conditioning apparatus 30 in the overall air-conditioning system of this embodiment. The filter apparatus 26 has a slender box-shaped casing 28; partition plates 42A, 42B, 42C which divide the space in the casing 28 into four spaces; three stages of first filter boxes 38 which are installed and stacked on the upper surface of the partition plate 42A; three stages of second filter boxes 40 which are installed and stacked on the upper surface of the partition plate 42B; and three stages of first filter boxes 38 which are installed and stacked on the upper surface of the partition plate 42C. In this embodiment, the casing 28 has a shape which is elongated or slender in the Z direction. The space in the casing 28 is divided into the four spaces in the Z direction, namely a first space 28c sandwiched or interposed by an upper plate 28i of the casing 28 and the partition plate 42C, a second space 28d interposed by the partition plate 42B and the partition plate 42C, a third space 28e interposed by the partition plate 42A and the partition plate 42B, and a fourth space 28f interposed by the partition plate 42A and a bottom plate 28h of the casing 28. Further, the filter apparatus 26 has a door 29 which is installed openably/closably to the casing 28 via hinge mechanisms (not shown) disposed at a plurality of positions in order that the window is opened to take in/out the filter boxes 38, 40 during the exchange of the filter boxes 38, 40. Here, a side of the window of the casing 28 which is closed by the door 28 is referred to as a “front surface 28k” of the casing 28, and a side (far side or rear side) facing or opposite to the window of the casing 28 is referred to as a “back surface 28j” of the casing 28, and two surfaces laterally connecting the front surface 28k and the back surface 28j are referred to as “side surfaces 28m, 28n” of the casing 28. An opening 28a (see
Each of the filter boxes 38, 40 has a height of, for example, 200 to 400 mm, and each of the filter boxes 38, 40 has a weight of about 10 to 20 kg.
Those usable as the chemical filter Si for removing the organic gas include, for example, activated carbon type filters and ceramics type filters. Those usable as the chemical filter 56 for removing the alkaline gas and the acid gas include impregnated activated carbon type filters, ion exchange resin type filters, ion exchange fiber type filters, impregnated ceramics type filters, and the like. Each of the frames 50, 55, the partition plates 42A to 42C, the casing 28, and the door 29 is formed of, for example, a material which has the corrosion resistance and which scarcely undergoes the degassing or the like, for example, stainless steel or aluminum (aluminum subjected to the almite treatment or processing) formed with an oxide coating (aluminum oxide or the like) on the surface. Each of the frames 50, 55, etc. can be also formed of, for example, a material including a resin material which has the corrosion resistance and which scarcely undergoes the degassing (laminated plate coated with polyethylene or fluorine-based resin, etc.).
By removing the organic gas, the transmittance of the exposure light EL is improved in the exposure chamber 10a of the chamber 10, and the appearance of the cloudiness substance is suppressed, which would be otherwise formed on the surface of the optical element on account of the interaction between the organic gas and the exposure light EL. Further, by removing the alkaline gas and the acid gas, the change in the characteristic of the photoresist of the wafer W, etc. is suppressed. In particular, in a case that the photoresist is the chemical amplification type photoresist, if any alkaline gas such as ammonia, amine or the like is present in the air, then it is feared that the produced acid might react to form a hardly soluble layer on the surface of the photoresist. Therefore, it is especially effective to remove the alkaline gas such as ammonia, amine or the like.
The chemical filters, which are accommodated in the filter boxes 63, 64 in the loader chamber 10b shown in
With reference to
In this embodiment, the guide grooves 52, 53 are directly formed on the side surfaces of the frame 50. Therefore, the side surfaces of the frame 50 function as guide surfaces for loading or transporting the filter box 38 into the casing 28 at a predetermined position in the casing 28. Grip portions 70, 71, each of which is formed of a recess to be gripped by an operator manually or by hand, are attached to portions disposed over or above the guide grooves 52, 53 on the both side surfaces of the frame 50. A forward end portion of each of columnar shaft members (guides) 48A, 48B, 48C, 48G, 48H, 48I which have mutually same shape and which are fixed to the inner surface of the casing 28 respectively is engaged with the guide groove 52 disposed on one side surface of one of the filter boxes 38; and a forward end portion of each of columnar shaft members 49A, 49B, 49C, 49G, 49H, 49I which have the same shape as that of the columnar shaft member 48A and which are fixed to the inner surface of the casing 28 respectively is engaged with the guide groove 53 disposed on the other side surface of one of the filter boxes 38. The frames 50 of the filter boxes 38 are positioned in the X direction (short side direction) and the Y direction by the shaft members 48A, 49A, 49C, 49G, 49H, 49I, respectively. The frames 50 of the lower stage filter boxes 38 are fixed by the self-weights in a state of being positioned with respect to the upper surfaces of the partition plates 42A, 42C. The frames 50 of the middle stage filter boxes 38 are positioned with respect to the upper end surfaces of the lower stage filter boxes 38, and are fixed by the self-weights. Further, the frames 50 of the upper stage filter boxes 38 are positioned with respect to the upper end surfaces of the middle stage filter boxes 38, and are fixed by the self-weights.
Similarly, protrusions/recesses are formed by guide grooves (protrusion/recess-formed portions) 57, 58 on the both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of each of the frames 55 of the three filter boxes 40 disposed on the partition plate 42B. In this embodiment, the guide grooves 57, 58 are directly formed on the side surfaces of the frame 55. Therefore, the side surfaces of the frame 55 function as guide surfaces for loading or transporting the filter box 40 into the second space 28d at a predetermined position in the casing 28. Grip portions 70, 71 are attached to portions disposed over or above the guide grooves 57, 58 on the both side surfaces of the frame 55. The forward end portion of each of columnar shaft members 48D, 48E, 48F fixed to the inner surface of the casing 28 respectively is engaged with the guide groove 57 disposed on one side surface of one of the filter boxes 40. The forward end portion of each of columnar shaft members 49D, 49E, 49F fixed to the inner surface of the casing 28 respectively is engaged with the guide groove 58 disposed on the other side surface of one of the filter boxes 40. The frames 55 of the three filter boxes 40 are fixed by the self-weights by the shaft members 48D 49D, 48E, 49E, 48F, 49F in a state of being positioned in the X direction and the Y direction. The frame 55 of the lower stage filter box 40 is fixed by the self-weight in a state of being positioned with respect to the upper surface of the partition plate 42B. The frame 55 of the middle stage filter box 40 is positioned with respect to the upper end surface of the lower stage filter box 40, and is fixed by the self-weight. Further, the frame 55 of the upper stage filter box 40 is positioned with respect to the upper end surface of the middle stage filter box 40, and is fixed by the self-weight.
In this case, the frame 50 of the filter box 38 and the frame 55 of the filter box 40 have the same outer shape (same outer dimension), and are different from each other only in the shapes of the guide grooves 52, 53 and the guide grooves 57, 58 formed on the both side surfaces in the Y direction. Further, the shaft members 48A to 48C, 48G to 48I, 49A to 49C and 49G to 49I have the distances from the front surface 28k of the casing 28 which are set to be shorter than the distances from the front surface 28k of the casing 28 which are provided for the shaft members 48D to 48F and 49D to 49F. Accordingly, the filter box 40, which has the chemical filter 56 for removing the alkaline gas and the acid gas, is prevented from being installed on the partition plates 42A, 42C; and reversely, the filter box 38, which has the chemical filter 51 for removing the organic gas, is prevented from being installed on the partition plate 42B.
A rectangular window 28b is formed on the front surface 28k of the casing 28 in order to take in/out the filter boxes 38, 40. A gasket 46 is fixed to the door 29 in order to hermetically close a space between the door 29 and the end portions of the partition plates 42B, 42C and the surroundings of the window 28b when the window 28b of the casing 28 is closed by the door 29. The gasket 46 can be formed of a material which is excellent in the corrosion resistance and which scarcely undergoes the degassing, including, for example, a sheet of Teflon (trade name of DuPont), a sheet of silicone rubber, etc.
In the next viewpoint,
As shown in
Further, as shown in
In this case, by fixing the shaft members 48A to 48C and 49A to 49C at the positions QA1 to QC1 and the positions QA3 to QC3, the filter boxes 38 for removing the organic gas can be installed therebetween. On the other hand, by fixing the shaft members 48A to 48C and 49A to 49C at the positions QA2 to QC2 and the positions QA4 to QC4, the filter boxes 40 for removing the alkaline gas and the acid gas can be installed therebetween. Similarly, the configuration is also made for the other shaft members 48D to 48I and 49D to 49I shown in
With reference to
Next, an explanation will be made about the shapes of the guide grooves 52, 53 of the frame 50 of the filter box 38 and the guide grooves 57, 58 of the frame 55 of the filter box 40. Here, regarding the frame 50 of the filter box 38, when the filter box 38 (frame 50) is inserted in the casing 28, a surface of the frame 50 which faces or is opposite to the front surface 28k of the casing 28 is referred to as a front surface 50a (first surface) of the frame 50; a surface facing the back surface 28j of the casing 28 is referred to as a back surface 50b (second surface) of the frame 50; and surfaces facing the side surfaces 28m, 28n of the casing 28 are referred to as side surfaces 50c, 50d (third and fourth surfaces) of the frame 50. In the embodiment, although the side surfaces 50c, 50d of the frame 50 are perpendicular to the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b, there is no limitation to the perpendicularity. For example, at least one of the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b of the frame 50 may intersect or cross (incline with respect to 90 degrees) with respect to the sides surfaces 50c, 50d of the frame 50. A surface of the frame 50 located above (on the upper side) with respect to the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b is referred to as an upper surface 50f; and a surface of the frame 50 located below (on the lower side) with respect to the front surface 50a and the back surface 50b is referred to as a bottom surface 50e. The respective surfaces of frame 55 of the filter box 40, which will be described later on, are also specified in a similar manner as regarding the frame 50 of the filter box 38. As shown in
Further, the guide groove 52 has a first tapered portion 52c which is formed at a position of communication between the first groove 52a and the second groove 52b and which has a width gradually narrowed from the side of the front surface 50a of the frame 50 toward the side of the back side end 154 or toward the side of the back surface 50b of the frame 50, and a second tapered portion 52d which is formed at a portion of communication with the back surface 50b of the first groove 52a and which has a width gradually widened toward (narrowed in a direction away from) the side of the back surface 50b of the frame 50, from the side of the front surface 50a of the frame 50. An edge portion 50ae (lower end portion of the upper side portion 52e, of the side surface 52d, divided by the guide groove 53) disposed on the side of the upper surface 50f of the first groove 52a and an edge portion 50be (side end portion of the upper side portion 52e, of the side surface 52d, divided by the guide groove 53) disposed on the side of the back surface 50b of the second groove 52b are connected by the first tapered portion 52c.
As shown in a side view of
Note that since the shape of the guide groove 53 on the other side surface 50d of the frame 50 is symmetrical to the guide groove 52 with respect to the center line (not shown in the drawings) in the front and back direction of the frame 50 (in the description, referred to simply as “symmetrical”) or has a same shape as that of the guide groove 52, the explanation for the guide groove 53 will be omitted.
On the other hand, as shown in
Further, the guide groove 57 also has a first tapered portion 57c which is formed at a position of communication between the first groove 57a and the second groove 57b and which has a width gradually narrowed toward the back surface 55b of the frame 55, and a second tapered portion 57d which is formed at a portion of communication with the back surface 55b of the first groove 57a and which has a width gradually widened toward the back surface 55b. An edge portion 57ae (the lower end portion of the first portion 57e) disposed on the side of the upper surface of the first groove 57a and an edge portion 57be (the side end portion of the first portion 57e) disposed on the side of the back surface 55b of the second groove 57b are connected by the first tapered portion 57c.
As shown in a side view of
Note that since the shape of the guide groove 58 on the other side surface 50d of the frame 55 is symmetrical to the guide groove 57 with respect to the center line (not shown in the drawings) in the front and back direction of the frame 55 (or has a same shape as that of the guide groove 57), the explanation for the guide groove 58 will be omitted.
Next, in a case that the filter box 38 shown in
In an unused filter box 38, a thin film 59A is provided in a stretched form at the inlet of the first groove 52a of the frame 50 so that the thin film 59A can be exfoliated. The filter box 38 is pushed and inserted into the casing 28 via the window 28b as shown by an arrow B1, and the filter box 38 is further pushed and inserted so that the shaft member 48A is relatively moved slidably with respect to the frame 50 along the first groove 52a as shown by an arrow B2 in
After that, as shown in
Further, owing to the presence of the second tapered portion 52d, the first groove 52a can be easily guided and engaged with the shaft member 48A. Further, owing to the presence of the first tapered portion 52c, the second groove 52b can be easily engaged with the shaft member 48A next to the first groove 52a of the guide groove 52. By the first tapered portion 52c, the operator is enabled to easily grasp the position of the second guide groove 52b, consequently the position of the install position (arrangement position) in the inserting direction (X-direction) of the filter box 38.
The other filter boxes 38 shown in
On the other hand, in a case that the filter box 40 shown in
Subsequently, as shown by an arrow 36 in
The remaining filter boxes 40 shown in
Next, in a case that the filter boxes 38, 40 of the filter apparatus 26 are exchanged, the door 29 of the casing 28 is opened. The upper stage filter box 38 placed or disposed on the middle stage filter box 38 is unloaded from the middle stage filter box 38. After that, the middle stage filter box 38 placed or disposed on the lower stage filter box 38 is unloaded from the lower stage filter box 38. Finally, the lower stage filter box 38 placed or disposed on the partition plate 42A is unloaded from the partition plate 42A. The operations for unloading the filter boxes of the upper stage, the middle stage, and the lower stage are same with each other. Therefore, the unloading operation will be specifically explained below as exemplified by an exemplary case in which the lower stage filter box 38 is unloaded from the partition plate. After the upper stage filter box 38 and the middle stage filter box 38 are unloaded, the lower stage filter box 38 is unloaded according to an unloading method which will be explained below. When the lower stage filter box 38 is unloaded from the partition plate 42A, the operator grips the grip portions 70, 71 of the filter box 38 by the hands, and the operator lifts (uplifts) the filter box 38 upwardly so that the shaft member 48A is relatively moved with respect to the frame 50 slidably along the second groove 52b of the guide groove 52 as shown by an arrow C1 in
Similarly, the other filter boxes 38 can also be unloaded easily. After that, when an unused filter box is installed or arranged in the casing 28, the operation from
Further, for example, when the filter box 40 is unloaded from the upper surface of the partition plate 42B, the operator grips the grip portions 70, 71 of the filter box 40 by the hands, and lifts the filter box 40 upwardly so that the shaft member 48D is relatively moved with respect to the frame 55 slidably along the second groove 57b of the guide groove 57 as shown by an arrow C5 in
Similarly, the other filter boxes 40 can also be easily unloaded. After that, when an the unused filter box 40 is installed or arranged in the casing 28, the operation ranging from
The effects, etc. of this embodiment are as follows.
(1) The exposure apparatus EX of this embodiment is provided with the overall air-conditioning system including the filter apparatus 26 and the air-conditioning apparatus 30; and the filter apparatus 26 is provided with six stages of the first filter box 38 and three stages of the second filter box 40.
The first filter box 38 is provided with the box-shaped (cylindrical) frame 50 which holds the chemical filter 51, and the guide grooves 52, 53 provided on the pair of side surfaces 50c, 50d (protrusion/recess-formed portions) of the frame 50. The guide groove 52 as one of the grooves has the first groove (first recess) 52a which is arranged between the upper end and the lower end of the side surface 50c of the frame 50 and which is communicated with the back surface 50b of the frame 50, and the second groove (second recess) 52b which is communicated with the first groove 52a and which extends toward the upper end of the frame 50 (the end on the side of the upper surface 50f). Further, the second filter box 40 is constructed in a similar manner as the first filter box 38.
According to the embodiment, by providing the shaft members 48A and 48B (protrusion) on the side of the casing 28 accommodating the filter box 38 and by moving the frame 50 while guiding the frame 50 so that the shaft members 48A, 49A are relatively moved with respect to the frame 50 along the guide grooves 52, 53 of the side surfaces of the frame 50 respectively, the filter box 38 can be installed efficiently and accurately to the casing 28 and the filter box 38 can be unloaded from the casing 28 efficiently and accurately. Thus, it is possible to efficiently exchange the filter box 38 and consequently the chemical filter 51 in the filter box 38, and to easily position the filter box 38 and consequently the chemical filter 51 in the filter box 38. Similarly, it is possible to efficiently exchange and easily position the filter box 40 as well.
Note that the guide grooves 52, 53 of the filter box 38 may be formed substantially symmetrical to each other or may be formed to have a substantially same shape.
Further, it is allowable that the guide groove 52 is formed only on one of the side surfaces (for example, side surface 50c). In such a case, the side surface 50d as the other of the side surfaces is a substantially flat or level surface (substantially flat). Moreover, by moving the filter box 38 so that the guide groove 52 as the one of the guide grooves is relatively moved with respect and along the shaft member 48A, it is possible to relatively easily install or arrange the filter box 38 in the casing 28 and it is possible easily to unload the filter box 38 from the casing 28.
(2) In the embodiment, the shapes of the guide grooves 52, 53 holding the chemical filter 51 and the shapes of the guide grooves 57, 58 holding the chemical filter 56 are made to be different so as to avoid any incorrect insertion.
However, it is allowable that, for example by attaching identifiable labels, etc. to the chemical filters 51 and 56, the chemical filters 51 and 56 are held by frames having a same shape (for example, by the frames 50).
(3) The guide groove 52 of the filter box 38 has the first tapered portion 52c which is formed at the position of communication between the first groove 52a and the second groove 52b and which has the width gradually narrowed toward the back surface 50b of the frame 50. Since the operator can easily grasp the position of the second groove 52b by the first tapered portion 52c, the shaft member 49A can be relatively moved smoothly with respect to the guide groove 52.
It is not necessarily indispensable that the first tapered portion 52c is provided.
(4) The guide groove 52 has the second tapered portion 52d which is formed at the portion of communication with the back surface 50b of the first groove 52a and which has the width gradually widened toward (narrowed in a direction away from) the back surface 50b. Therefore, the first groove 52a can be easily engaged with the shaft member 48A, while being guided. The second tapered portion 52d can be also omitted.
(5) Further, the grip portions (third recesses) 70, 71 are provided between the upper ends of the frames 50 and the first grooves 52a and the equivalents of the frame 50. Therefore, the operator can transport the filter box 38 with ease. Each of the grip portions 70, 71 may be provided on only one side. For example, by making the side surfaces 50c, 50d of the frame 50 be rough surfaces, it is also possible to omit the grip portions 70, 71.
(6) The film 59A is provided at the inlet of the first groove 52a of the filter box 38 so that the film 59A can be exfoliated. Therefore, it is possible to easily confirm whether the filter box 38 has been used or unused.
The film 59A may be provided at any portions of the first groove 52a and the second groove 52b. Whether or not the filter box 38 has been used may be also confirmed by any other method (for example, a method in which the operator exfoliates a label) without providing the film 59A for the filter box 38.
(7) The chemical filter 51 (filter medium) in the filter box 38 removes the organic gas (organic matter) contained in the gas passing therethrough, and the chemical filter 56 (filter medium) in the filter box 40 removes the alkaline gas and the acid gas contained in the gas passing therethrough. Therefore, the air, from which the impurities have been removed to a high extent, can be supplied into the chamber 10 in which the exposure apparatus body-section 4 is accommodated.
Further, the six stages of the filter boxes 38 and the three stages of the filter boxes 40 are installed or placed in the filter apparatus 26 of this embodiment. However, the number of the filter box or boxes 38 to be placed is arbitrary, and the number of the filter box or boxes 40 is arbitrary as well. It is also allowable that only one stage or a plurality of stages of the filter box 38, or only one stage or a plurality of stages of the filter box 40 is/are placed in the filter apparatus 26.
Further, although the casing 28 of the filter apparatus 28 is divided into a plurality of spaces by the partition plates 42A to 42C, it is also possible to simply stack the filter boxes 38 and 40 for example alternately, without dividing (partitioning) the casing 28 by the partition plates 42A to 42C.
Note that the filter in the filter box 40 may be, for example, a filter which removes at least one of the alkaline substance and the acid substance contained in the gas passing therethrough.
Further, any arbitrary filter (filter medium) other than the chemical filter can be used for the filters in the filter boxes 38 and 40. For example, a dustproof filter such as HEPA filter, ULPA filter or the like, which is provided to remove minute particles (fine particles), can be also used as each of the filters in the filter boxes 38 and 40.
(8) Further, the exposure apparatus EX of this embodiment is the exposure apparatus which exposes the wafer W (substrate) with the exposure light EL via the pattern of the reticle R and the projection optical system EL, the exposure apparatus EX including the chamber 10 accommodating the exposure apparatus-body section 4 which exposes the wafer W; the filter boxes 38 and 40 of this embodiment; and the air-conditioning apparatus 30 which feeds the air taken in from the outside of the chamber 10 to the inside of the chamber 10 via the filter boxes 38 and 40.
According to this embodiment, since the filter box 38 and the filter box 40 can be exchanged efficiently and the positioning between the filter boxes 38 and 40 can be performed highly accurately, the maintenance can be performed efficiently for the exposure apparatus, and it is possible to highly accurately remove the impurities of the air in the chamber 10.
In this embodiment, frames, which are formed with the same or equivalent guide grooves as those of the frames 50, 55 of the filter boxes 38, 40, may be also used as the frames for the filter boxes 63, 64 of the local air-conditioning apparatus 60 in the loader chamber 10b, and the filter boxes 63, 64 may be also accommodated in a casing provided with shaft members 48A, 48B, etc. in the same manner as the casing 28.
In the first embodiment, although the guide grooves are formed on the side surfaces of the frame 50, the frame 50 may be formed with two distinct or separate members. For example, the frame 50 may be formed of a frame body which is formed to have flat side surfaces and which holds the filter, and a protrusion/recess-formed member which is attached to the side surfaces of the frame body and which has guide grooves formed therein.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to
As shown in
In this embodiment, the first groove 52Aa is a portion which is formed while being recessed with respect to the side surface 50c of the frame 50. Therefore, the first groove 52Aa can be also referred to as “recess-formed portion”, and a portion 520 other than the guide groove 52A of the side surface 50c of the frame 50 can be also referred to as “protrusion-formed portion”.
Further, the guide groove 52A has a first tapered portion 52Ac which is formed at a position of communication between the first groove 52Aa and the second groove 52Ab and which has widths gradually narrowed toward the back surface 50b, and a second tapered portion 52Ad which is formed at a portion communicated with the back surface 50b of the first groove 52Aa and which has widths gradually widened toward the back surface 50b. An edge portion 50ea disposed on the upper surface side of the first groove 52Aa and an edge portion 50be disposed on the side of the back surface 50b of the second groove 52Ab are connected by the tapered portion 52Ac.
In this case, as shown in a side view of
Note that since the shape of the guide groove 53 on the other side surface 50d of the frame 50 is symmetrical with (or has a same shape as) that of the guide groove 52, the explanation therefor will be omitted.
As shown in
The distance of the edge portion 57be of the second groove 57Ab with respect to the front surface 55a of the frame 55 of the filter box 40A is set to be longer than the distance of the edge portion 52be of the second groove 52Ab with respect to the front surface 50a of the frame 50 of the filter box 38A.
Further, the guide groove 57A also has a first tapered portion 57Ac which is farmed at a position of communication between the first groove 57Aa and the second groove 57Ab and which has widths gradually narrowed toward the back surface 55b of the frame 55, and a second tapered portion 57Ad which is formed at a portion communicated with the back surface 55b of the first groove 57Aa and which has widths gradually widened toward the back surface 55b.
As shown in a side view of
Note that since the shape of the guide groove 58 on the other side surface 55d of the frame 55 is symmetrical with (or has a same shape as) that of the guide groove 57, the explanation therefor will be omitted.
Next, in a case that the filter box 38A shown in
The filter box 38A is pushed and inserted into the casing 28 via the window 28b; and as shown in
On the other hand, in a case that the filter box 40A shown in
Subsequently, by further slidably pushing and inserting the filter box 40A as shown in
The filter boxes 38 and 40 can be easily unloaded from the partition plates 42A, 42B by repeating the operation of
The first embodiment is illustrative of the construction in which the guide grooves 52, 53 are directly formed on the side surfaces of the frame 50. However, another construction is also allowable, in which the guide grooves 52, 53 are formed on members distinct from the frame 50, and then the members are attached to the side surfaces of the frame 50. The other frame 55 may be constructed in the same manner as described above.
In the embodiment described above, an example is shown in which the second groove is formed to penetrate up to (penetrate to arrive at) the upper end of the frame. However, it is allowable that the second groove may be formed up to a position in front of (not arriving to) the upper end of the frame (the upper end of the second groove has a holding or stopping portion). By doing so, in a case that the user inadvertently makes a mistake regarding the installation position of the filter box in the up and down direction, it is possible to avoid the hand(s) of the user from being affected by a sudden load, owing to the presence of the holding portion at the upper end of the second groove. In the embodiment, the groove having a specific shape and the protrusion/recess-formed portion having a specific shape are shown by the drawings. However, the groove and the protrusion/recess-formed portion are not limited to the exemplified specific shapes, and may be formed to have any shapes. With respect to the shaft member, the shape of the shaft member is not limited to the columnar shape shown in the embodiment; and it is allowable to use shaft members having various shapes such as quadrangular prism shape, etc.
In the second embodiment, when the side surface 50c of the frame 50 is a protrusion-formed portion, the protrusion-formed portion may be formed with a distinct member. The other frame 55 may be constructed in the same manner as described above.
Further, in the respective embodiments described above, whether or not the filter box has been used is distinguished based on the exfoliation of the thin film. However, the present invention is not limited to this construction. It is also allowable that whether or not the filter box has been used is distinguished based on whether or not any cutout is formed in the film.
In the embodiment described above, the filter boxes 38 and 40 are respectively installed or charged in the casing at appropriate positions one by one. It is allowable, however, to install a plurality of filter boxes such as two pieces or three pieces of the filter boxes in the casing at the same time while stacking or overlaying (overlapping) the filter boxes. In such a case, it is allowable for example that among two pieces (or three pieces) of the filter boxes, a filter box or filter boxes is/are previously positioned with respect to and arranged on a lowermost filter box among the filter boxes which is located at the lowermost position, and then these filter boxes are installed or charged in the cashing. By doing so, when only the filter box located at the lowermost position among the stacked filter boxes is engaged with the corresponding shaft member and is installed in the casing at the appropriate position, than consequently all the stacked filter boxes are automatically positioned. Therefore, in such a case, it is sufficient that only the shaft member corresponding to the filter box located at the lowermost position among the stacked filter boxes is provided, and there is no need to provide another shaft member or members. For example, in a case that three filter box 38 are stacked or overlaid and installed at the same time in the first space 28c of the casing 28, only the shaft member 48G or/and the shaft member 48G is/are provided, and there is no need to use the shaft members 48H, 48I, 49H and 49I. In this case, there is no need to form the first groove and the second groove on the frame 50 of each of the middle and upper stage filter boxes 38.
The present invention is described in the claims attached herewith. Other than that, the following concept is also included in the present invention. Namely, a filter box system including the filter box of the present invention; a casing or chamber accommodating the filter box and having a member(s) engaging with the first recess and second recess is also a creative concept intended by the present invention.
In a case that an electronic device (or a microdevice) such as a semiconductor device or the like is produced by using the exposure apparatus EX of the embodiment described above, as shown in
Therefore, the method for producing the device includes forming a pattern of a photosensitive layer on the substrate by using the exposure apparatus of the embodiment described above, and processing the substrate formed with the pattern (Step 224). According to the exposure apparatus, it is possible to reduce the maintenance cost, and it is possible to improve the exposure accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to produce the electronic device inexpensively and highly accurately.
In the embodiment described above, the air is used as the gas for the air-conditioning. In place of the air, it is also allowable to use, for example, nitrogen gas, noble gas or rare gas (helium, neon, etc.), or a mixed gas of the above-described gases.
The present invention is also applicable to a case that the exposure is performed by using a projection exposure apparatus of the full field exposure type (stepper type), without being limited to only the projection exposure apparatus of the scanning exposure type.
The present invention is also applicable when the exposure is performed by using, for example, an exposure apparatus of the proximity system or the contact system in which any projection optical system is not used.
The present invention is not limited to the application to the process for producing the semiconductor device. The present invention is also widely applicable, for example, to the process for producing a display apparatus including a liquid crystal display element foLmed on a square or rectangular glass plate, a plasma display, etc., and the process for producing various devices including an image pickup element (COD, etc.), a micromachine, MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems), a thin film magnetic head, a DNA chip, etc. Further, the present invention is also applicable to the production step when a mask (a photomask, a reticle, etc.), on which mask patterns for various devices are formed, is produced by using the photolithography step.
As described above, it is a matter of course that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, which may be embodied in other various forms within a scope without deviating from the gist or essential characteristics of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61272865 | Nov 2009 | US |
