JPH01260819A - Device for storing and conveying mask - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To mount a reticle that is free from adhesion of dust and foreign substances efficiently to a semiconductor printing device, by disposing a mask frame equipped with a conveying means through which a plurality of inspected masks are moved in order on the optical path of exposure light after mounting them inside a storing case where exposure light passes to prescribed positions. CONSTITUTION:A storing case 11 is formed into a disk like shape with a hollow and coaxial optical windows 11a and 11a' through which light for printing passes are provided in the part of the case at its surface and rear. A gateway part 11c equipped with an inspection mechanism 11b is formed in a body so as to inspect the surface of a reticle. At the inside of the storing case 11, a circular mask mount 12 is mounted so that a shaft 12a is movable with a rotating axis through the bearing 11e of the storing case 11. A plurality of reticles, surfaces of which have been inspected at the inspection mechanism 11b, are placed on a plurality of prescribed positions of the mount 12. One of a plurality of the reticles located on the mask mount 12 holds a position as a matter of course on the optical path of the optical windows 11a and 11a'. A plurality of inspected reticles which are disposed on a circumference of the same plane are moved in order on the exposure optical path of a semiconductor printing device without exposing the foregoing reticles in the air by rotating the mask mount around the shaft.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] Regarding a mask storage and transportation device in a semiconductor printing device for semiconductor devices, the present invention aims to improve the efficiency of storage and transportation of reticle masks, and includes a means for shielding from the atmosphere, an inspection mechanism section, and A specific mask among a plurality of inspected masks arranged at a predetermined position on the same surface is moved onto the optical path of the exposure light beam inside a storage case having a structure in which the exposure light beam penetrates at a predetermined position. A mask mount is provided with a conveying means for transporting the mask.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a semiconductor printing apparatus for semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a mask storage/transport apparatus that improves the efficiency of storing and transporting a reticle mask.

In recent years, reticle patterns, which form the basis of patterning masks, have become finer due to the increased integration of semiconductor devices. A solution to this problem is desired since foreign matter is transferred onto the surface of the wafer, dry plate, etc., making the wafer defective and deteriorating its characteristics.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a conventional reticle storage and transportation process.

In the figure, reference numeral 2 indicates a reticle changer in which a plurality of reticles 1 are accommodated, and reference numeral 3 indicates a reticle changer that obliquely irradiates a laser beam 38 or the like onto the surface of a predetermined reticle 1 sent out from the reticle changer 2, and determines the presence or absence of reflected light. 3 shows a reticle surface inspection device 3 for inspecting the presence or absence of dust on the reticle.

Reference numeral 4 denotes an exposure light source section 4b which uses the inspected reticle 1 to print onto a workpiece 5 such as a semiconductor wafer or a dry plate placed on an X-Y table 4a.

This is a semiconductor printing apparatus equipped with a projection lens section 4c.

In terms of the process, a desired reticle 1 is taken out by a robot arm or the like from a plurality of reticles stored in the reticle changer 2, and is set as it is at a predetermined position in the reticle surface inspection device 3 via route (3). A built-in inspection mechanism inspects for dust and foreign matter.

Next, only the good reticle 1 is moved by a robot arm or the like to a predetermined position of the semiconductor printing device 4 as shown in route (3), and the semiconductor printing device 4 performs a predetermined printing operation on the workpiece 5 at a predetermined position. It is set to be implemented.

Thereafter, the reticle 1 is again moved as shown in route (3) using a robot arm, etc., and stored in the original position of the reticle changer 1.

In this case, the reticle may be exposed to the atmosphere in a clean room or the like during storage or transportation, and dust or foreign matter may adhere to the reticle, so it is not necessary to remove the above inspection process before mounting it on the semiconductor printing equipment. Can not.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventional methods for storing and transporting reticles have problems in that it takes time to transport them between each device, and requires an inspection process for the reticle just before it is installed in the semiconductor printing equipment.In addition, the reticle may fall or be damaged during transport. There was a problem that transportation troubles were likely to occur.

[Means for Solving Problem C]) The above-mentioned problem is that the storage case is equipped with a means for communicating with the atmosphere and an inspection mechanism, and has a structure through which the exposure light beam passes through at a predetermined position. The problem is solved by a mask storage/transport device comprising a mask mount equipped with a transport means for moving a specific mask among a plurality of inspected masks placed at a predetermined position onto the optical path of the exposure light beam. .

[For production]

In order to efficiently mount reticles that are free of dust and foreign matter into semiconductor printing equipment, it is desirable to be able to quickly send reticles that have undergone surface inspection to the semiconductor printing equipment without exposing them to the atmosphere. It is desirable that a plurality of inspected reticles be always prepared.

The mask storage/transfer device according to the present invention has a storage case that is directly connected to an inspection mechanism section that inspects the surface of a reticle and is equipped with an optical window through which exposure light for printing is passed. A mask mount on which a plurality of inspected reticles can be placed at a predetermined position on the circumference of the same plane is arranged so as to be rotatable about a central axis perpendicular to the mounting surface while shielded from the atmosphere. One of the reticles placed above is configured to coincide with the optical axis of the optical window of the storage case.

Therefore, the part through which the exposure beam of the mask storage/transfer device passes, that is, the optical window part of the storage case, is placed on the optical path between the light source and the projection lens of the semiconductor printing device, and the mask stand on which the reticle is mounted is rotated. By doing so, a plurality of inspected reticles arranged circumferentially on the same plane can be sequentially moved onto the exposure optical path of the semiconductor printing apparatus without exposing them to the atmosphere.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a mask storage/transfer device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the mask is installed in a semiconductor printing device.

In FIG. 1, (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration example, and (B) is a sectional view.

In Figures (A) and (B), a mask storage/transport device 10 is shown.
It is composed of a storage case 11 and a mask mount 12 disposed inside the storage case 11.

For example, it has a hollow disk shape made of stainless steel or the like with a diameter of several hundred mm and a thickness of about 100 mm, and has a coaxial optical window 11a in one place on the disk surface so that the printing light can pass through.
, Lla' are provided on the front and back sides of the storage case 11.
An inlet/outlet section 11c is integrated with an inspection mechanism section 11b for transferring the reticle from the atmosphere into the storage case 11 and taking it out from the storage case 11, and inspecting the surface of the reticle during the transfer.

Further, on both sides of the inspection mechanism section 11b in the front and back direction, there are inspection shutters 7 that slide in the vertical direction to open and close the reticle transfer path.
id and Ilc+' are provided, and in the figure (A) showing the state in which the reticle transfer path is opened after being pulled up, a lid is provided on the front side and a lid 11d' is provided on the rear side.

On the other hand, inside the storage case 11, a disk-shaped mask stand 12 made of stainless steel or the like and having a thickness of about 10 mm and a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the storage case 11 is mounted via a bearing 11e of the storage case 11 as shown in the figure. It is mounted so as to be rotatable around a rotating shaft 12a that is connected to an external rotating mechanism that is not provided.

Square holes 12b, which are slightly smaller than the external dimensions of the reticle, are provided at a plurality of predetermined positions on the same circumference of the mask mount 12, and the reticle can be received from the entrance/exit part 11c of the storage case 11. Dimensions of each part are set for easy delivery.

Note that 12c in the figure is a dust-proof wall for preventing dust from scattering due to friction caused by rotation of the shaft.

In the mask storage/transport device 10 having such a configuration, first, the reticle 1 is moved by a robot arm or the like (not shown) with the continuous shutters lid and lid closed, that is, with the slow closing shutter lowered. Insertion hole 11
f in the R direction shown in the figure.

Next, only the slow closing shutter lid is opened and the fast closing shutter 11d, which has transferred the reticle 1 to the inspection mechanism section 11b, is closed.

In this state, the inspection mechanism section 11b is operated to project, for example, a laser beam onto the surface of the reticle 1 as shown in FIG. 3, and detect whether or not dust is attached to the surface of the reticle 1 based on the presence or absence of reflected light. do.

If no dust is attached, the slow closing shutter 11d' is opened and the reticle 1 is transferred to a predetermined position on the upper surface of the mask mount 12, and the mask mount 12 is rotated by a predetermined angle.

On the other hand, if not, take it out from the entrance/exit part 11c at this point.

By repeating this operation, the mask stand 12
The inspected reticle can be placed at a plurality of predetermined positions.

In this case, one of the plurality of reticles located on the mask stand 12 is necessarily the optical window 11a.

It is located on the optical axis of 11a'.

Therefore, for example, when mercury lamp light or the like is irradiated onto the optical window 11b as indicated by a solid line L, the light beam passes through the storage case and then becomes a light ray L" indicated by a broken line and exits from the optical window 11a".

In FIG. 2 showing a state in which the mask is installed in a semiconductor printing apparatus, 10 is the storage/transfer device for the mask according to the present invention shown in FIG. A projection lens section 22 is a workpiece to be printed, such as a wafer or a dry plate, placed on an x-y table 23.

As described in FIG. 1, a plurality of reticles that have been inserted into the insertion hole 11f from the direction R in the figure and whose surfaces have been inspected by the inspection mechanism section 11b are located at respective predetermined positions inside the storage case 11.

On the other hand, the light beam emitted from the exposure light source section 20 is transmitted through an optical window 11a shown by a broken line, which is provided in the mask storage/transfer device 10.
, lla', the projection lens unit 2I reduces the pattern image of the desired reticle located between the optical windows 11a and lla' in the normal case, and displays the pattern image on the workpiece 22.
An image is formed at a predetermined position P point on the surface of .

Here, the X-Y table 23 is operated to move the workpiece 22 by a predetermined distance in the two-dimensional direction of X or Y, and the image is focused on a point P'' different from the point P, thereby repeating the same pattern multiple times. This makes irradiation easier.

In addition, when replacing the reticle, as explained in FIG. The required reticle can be easily set on the optical path.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mask storage/transport device that allows easy exchange of reticles without exposing them to the atmosphere, and improves the efficiency of storage and transportation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a mask storage/transport device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which it is installed in a semiconductor printing device, and Fig. 3 is an example of a conventional reticle mask storage/transport process. This is a conceptual diagram showing . In the figure, 1 is a reticle, 10 is a mask storage/transfer device, 11 is a storage case, lla and lla' are optical windows, 11b is an inspection mechanism section, llc is an entrance/exit section, lid,
lid' is a slow closing shutter, 11e is a bearing, llf is an insertion hole, 12 is a mask stand, 12a is a rotating shaft, 12b is a square hole, 1
2c is a dustproof wall, 20 is an exposure light source section, 21 is a projection lens section, 22 is a workpiece, 23 is an X-Y table,
respectively. (A) (B) Figure 21 Explaining the death of Masu 2's 'B' in the 4th floor. The back of the mouth showing pale blue 2 z

Claims (1)

[Claims] One of a plurality of inspected masks placed at a predetermined position on the same surface inside a storage case that is equipped with a means for shielding from the atmosphere and an inspection mechanism part, and has a structure through which the exposure light beam penetrates at a predetermined position. A mask storage/transport device comprising a mask stand equipped with a transport means for moving a specific mask onto the optical path of the exposure light beam.