Environmental control assembly, photoetching equipment and manufacturing method of gas turning channel

Abstract

The invention provides an environment control assembly, photoetching equipment and a manufacturing method of a gas turning channel, the environment control assembly comprises a gas supply channel and a gas turning channel which are communicated, the gas turning channel is gradually narrowed in the direction away from the gas supply channel and forms a gas outlet, and the gas supply channel is communicated with the gas turning channel. The gas supply channel is used for blowing clean gas to the side wall of the gas turning channel, after the clean gas is sprayed out of the gas outlet, one part of the clean gas forms a first gas flow area, and the other part of the clean gas is mixed with external gas to form vortex so as to prevent the external gas from entering the first gas flow area. According to the configuration, the air pressure of the first airflow area is larger than that of the external area, external air is blocked outside the first airflow area, meanwhile, overflowing clean air and the external air form vortex through the air turning channel, and the blocking effect of the first airflow area is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor production equipment, and in particular to a method for manufacturing an environmental control component, a photolithography device and a gas redirection channel. Background Art

[0002] The control of the optical path microenvironment plays a vital role in the production process in specific fields. Taking the photolithography machine as an example, the control of the optical path microenvironment of the reader directly affects the accuracy of the measurement results.

[0003] Existing environmental control technologies mostly block external air from entering the optical path area of ​​the reader by spraying airflows of different flow rates from annular nozzles on both sides, so that the optical path area of ​​the reader is in a relatively static pressure area, thereby effectively reducing the impact of temperature and pressure caused by the high-speed movement of the motion platform.

[0004] With the development of science and technology, large-scale plane grating measurement systems are applied to domestic front-end lithography machines for the first time. Based on the new measurement system, in order to improve the accuracy of the measurement system, it is necessary to update the existing environmental control technology. If the reader (Encode) is directly applied to the WS (Wafer Stage) air bath environment, the stability of the ambient temperature is not enough to meet the harsh environmental requirements of the reader optical path. Moreover, when the lithography machine is working, the reader moves with the motion stage in the air bath environment. At this time, the environmental changes caused by the movement will cause greater and uncontrollable disturbances to the optical path, resulting in a significant impact on the measurement system error and repeatability, thereby affecting the overlay accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an environmental control component, a photolithography device and a manufacturing method for a gas redirection channel to solve the problem that the existing environmental control technology cannot meet the stability requirements of the optical path area for the ambient temperature, resulting in increased errors in the measurement system, weakened repeatability, and affected overlay accuracy.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an environmental control component, comprising: an air outlet unit;

[0007] The gas outlet unit includes a connected gas supply channel and a gas redirecting channel. The gas redirecting channel gradually narrows in a direction away from the gas supply channel to form an outlet. The gas supply channel is used to blow clean gas toward the side wall of the gas redirecting channel. After the clean gas is ejected from the outlet, a part of it forms a first airflow zone, and the other part is mixed with external gas to form a vortex to prevent the external gas from entering the first airflow zone.

[0008] Optionally, the inner wall of the gas redirection channel is an inclined surface or a curved surface.

[0009] Optionally, the gas redirecting channel has an outwardly convex section, which protrudes outwardly from a side wall of the gas redirecting channel and is arranged at a position of the gas redirecting channel close to the gas outlet.

[0010] Optionally, the gas outlet unit further includes a first microporous plate and / or a flow stabilizing plate, wherein the first microporous plate is located on a side of the gas supply channel close to the gas redirecting channel and covers an outlet of the gas supply channel;

[0011] The flow stabilizing plate is located between the first microporous plate and the gas redirecting channel, and covers the first microporous plate.

[0012] Optionally, the environmental control component further includes an air extraction unit; the air extraction unit is arranged outside the air outlet unit, and is used to extract a mixed gas of the external gas and the clean gas to form a second airflow zone.

[0013] Optionally, the gas extraction unit includes a second microporous plate, a gas suction channel and a suction device, wherein the suction device is located at the outlet of the gas suction channel and is used to drive the mixed gas to flow along the gas suction channel; the second microporous plate covers the inlet of the gas suction channel, and the second microporous plate is used to control the flow direction and flow rate of the mixed gas.

[0014] Optionally, the environmental control component also includes a gas source adapter plate; the suction device is connected to the gas supply channel and the gas suction channel through the gas source adapter plate, and the suction device is also used to drive the clean gas to flow along the gas supply channel.

[0015] Optionally, the suction force of the suction device is adjustable to increase or decrease the relative pressure difference between the first airflow area and the second airflow area.

[0016] Optionally, the air pressure value of the first airflow zone is p0, the air pressure value of the second airflow zone is p1, and the air pressure value of the external area is p2, then p0>p2>p1 is satisfied.

[0017] Optionally, the gas source adapter plate has an air outlet hole and a plurality of air suction holes, the suction device is connected to the gas supply channel through the air outlet hole, and the suction device is connected to the gas suction channel through the air suction hole;

[0018] The plurality of air extraction holes are evenly arranged along the central circumference of the air source adapter plate.

[0019] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention also provides a lithography device, which uses a large-size plane grating measurement system and is characterized in that it includes the environmental control component as described above.

[0020] Optionally, the lithography apparatus further comprises: a grating measurement unit and a motion stage;

[0021] The grating measurement unit comprises a grating receiving element and a mirror group, the optical path between the grating receiving element and the mirror group is located in the first airflow area, and the motion stage is used to change the distance between the grating receiving element and the mirror group.

[0022] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a gas redirection channel, comprising:

[0023] Determine at least three first vertices and at least three second vertices in a first plane and a second plane, respectively, wherein a distance between two adjacent first vertices is greater than a distance between two adjacent second vertices;

[0024] Connecting the first vertices and the second vertices correspondingly one by one to form an outer contour curve and an inner contour curve;

[0025] Connecting the adjacent first vertices end to end in sequence to form a first contour line, and connecting the adjacent second vertices end to end in sequence to form a second contour line;

[0026] The first contour line, the second contour line, the outer contour curve and the inner contour curve are sequentially scanned as paths to form a three-dimensional configuration of the gas redirection channel.

[0027] Optionally, the curvature of any point on the same outer contour curve is equal or unequal.

[0028] Compared with the existing environmental control technology, the environmental control component proposed in the present invention has the following advantages:

[0029] (1) The gas redirection channel gradually narrows in the direction away from the gas supply channel and forms an outlet, and the clean gas is ejected at the outlet to form a first airflow area. Since the air pressure in the first airflow area is greater than the air pressure in the external area, the clean gas flows from the first airflow area to the external area after being ejected. Influenced by the configuration that the gas redirection channel gradually narrows in the direction away from the gas supply channel, the overflowing clean gas and the external gas flow along the outer surface of the gas redirection channel, thereby forming a vortex and blocking the external gas from entering the first airflow area, thereby improving the environmental stability in the first airflow area, further reducing the measurement error of the grating measurement system, and thus improving the overlay accuracy;

[0030] (2) The air extraction unit is arranged outside the air outlet unit and is used to extract the mixed gas formed by the clean gas and the external gas to form a second air flow area. Since the air pressure in the second air flow area is lower than the air pressure in the external area, the overflowing clean gas and the external gas will be sucked by the air extraction unit to form a circular flow, and together with the vortex formed by the flow along the outer surface of the gas redirecting channel, a gas wall is formed, further blocking the external gas from entering the first air flow area;

[0031] (3) The second microporous plate is connected to the gas suction channel, which is combined with the gas redirection channel to jointly control the flow direction and flow rate of the external gas and the overflowing clean gas, which helps to form a stable mixed flow state of circulation and vortex in the second gas flow area, and effectively prevents the external gas from invading the first gas flow area;

[0032] (4) The first microporous plate is located on one side of the gas supply channel close to the gas redirecting channel, and is combined with the gas redirecting channel to form a laminar flow of the clean gas at the gas outlet, and further increase the flow rate of the clean gas, thereby increasing the relative pressure difference between the first gas flow area and the external area;

[0033] (5) The flow stabilizing plate is located between the first microporous plate and the gas redirecting channel, so that a stable laminar flow is formed at the gas outlet, thereby ensuring that the temperature and pressure field inside the gas redirecting channel is stable and controllable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 A comparison chart of the measurement error of the motion platform provided by the embodiment of the present invention and the measurement error of the prior art;

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the working principle of an environmental control component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 A simulation diagram of the working principle of an environmental control component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another environmental control component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 A bottom view of another environmental control assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the working principle of another environmental control component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 An exploded diagram of another environmental control component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of another environmental control assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Fig. 9 A top view of another environmental control assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] The description of each reference numeral is as follows:

[0044] 11-gas supply channel; 12-gas change-direction channel; 13-first microporous plate; 14-flow stabilizing plate; 121-gas outlet; 122-external convex section;

[0045] 21-gas suction channel; 22-second microporous plate;

[0046] 31-gas source adapter plate; 311-air outlet; 312-air extraction hole;

[0047] 40 - first airflow area; 50 - second airflow area; 60 - external area; 70 - mirror group. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to make the purpose, advantages and features of the present invention clearer, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and are not drawn to scale, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the structure shown in the drawings is often a part of the actual structure. In particular, the emphasis of each drawing is different, and sometimes different scales are used.

[0049] As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural objects, the term "or" is generally used to include the meaning of "and / or", the term "several" is generally used to include the meaning of "at least one", and the term "at least two" is generally used to include the meaning of "two or more". In addition, the terms "first", "second" and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include one or at least two of the features, "one end" and "the other end" and "the proximal end" and "the distal end" generally refer to two corresponding parts, which include not only the endpoints, and the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral body; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. In addition, as used in this specification, an element disposed on another element generally only indicates that there is a connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two elements, and the connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission between the two elements may be direct or indirect through an intermediate element, and it cannot be understood as indicating or implying the spatial position relationship between the two elements, that is, one element may be in any orientation such as inside, outside, above, below or on one side of another element, unless the content clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "upper", "lower", "top" and "bottom" are generally relative position relationships arranged in the direction of gravity; the terms "vertical, vertical direction" generally refer to the direction of gravity, which is generally perpendicular to the ground, and "horizontal, horizontal plane direction" generally refers to the direction parallel to the ground; for ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this specification can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0050] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an environmental control component, a motion stage, a photolithography device and a manufacturing method for a gas redirection channel, so as to solve the problem that the existing environmental control technology cannot meet the stability requirements of the optical path area for the ambient temperature, resulting in increased errors in the measurement system, weakened repeatability, and affected overlay accuracy.

[0051] The following description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 1, with the application of large-scale plane grating measurement systems in lithography equipment, the existing environmental control technology cannot meet the stability requirements of the ambient temperature in the optical path area. Those skilled in the art can understand that the grating measurement system is usually composed of a light source, a lens, a grating pair and a photoelectric receiving element; when measuring, when the light illuminates the grating in parallel, moiré fringes will be formed due to the transmission and diffraction effects of light; the movement amount and movement direction of the moiré fringes correspond to the movement amount and movement direction of the grating; as the grating moves, the moiré fringes also move up and down, thus converting the measurement of the grating pitch into the measurement of the number of moiré fringes. Specifically, in the process of real-time position measurement of the grating measurement system, there are six-directional offsets (i.e., X, Y, and Z directions in a three-dimensional space environment), and among these six-directional offsets, the Z-direction offset (in Figure 1 The vertical direction in the middle is most affected by the ambient temperature and pressure. Specifically, the ambient temperature and pressure affect the wavelength of light, thus affecting the measurement results of the grating. Figure 1 For example, based on the air bath duct temperature on the left and right sides of the motion platform, assuming that the external environment gas temperature is 21.95℃~22.00℃ (temperature difference is 50mK), and the XCHA (clean humid air) gas temperature is 21.995℃~22.005℃ (temperature difference is 10mK); when the environmental control component proposed in the present invention is not applied, there is only environmental gas in the optical path area, and the temperature difference in the optical path area is 50mK, and the Z-direction measurement error △Z1=3.1nm; after applying the environmental control component proposed in the present invention, there is only XCHA gas in the optical path area, and the temperature difference in the optical path area is 10mK, and the Z-direction measurement error △Z2=0.62nm. Based on this, after applying the environmental control component proposed in the present invention, the Z-direction measurement error is reduced by 80%.

[0053] Based on this, please refer to Figure 2The present invention provides an environmental control component, including: an air outlet unit; the air outlet unit includes a connected gas supply channel 11 and a gas redirecting channel 12, the gas redirecting channel 12 gradually narrows in a direction away from the gas supply channel 11, and forms an air outlet 121, the gas supply channel 11 is used to blow clean gas to the side wall of the gas redirecting channel 12, after the clean gas is ejected from the air outlet 121, a part of the clean gas forms a first airflow area 40, and the other part is mixed with external gas and forms a vortex to prevent external gas from entering the first airflow area 40. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the clean gas is XCHA gas, and the external gas is external air; optionally, the gas redirection channel 12 is a plate-like structure with a certain thickness, which can be a curved plate or an inclined plate, that is, the inner wall of the gas redirection channel 12 is an inclined surface or an arc surface, preferably an arc surface. With such a configuration, when the clean gas is blown toward the inner wall of the gas redirection channel 12, it can slowly change direction based on the curvature of the inner wall, so that the clean gas finally blown out is gentler; at the same time, the curvature of the outer surface and the inner surface of the gas redirection channel 12 can be equal or unequal. Figure 2 In the illustrated example, the first air flow area 40 is the P0 area, and the outer area 60 is the P1 area, wherein the P0 area is a laminar flow area, and the P1 area is a vortex flow area. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that laminar flow means that when the fluid flows, the trajectory of the fluid particles is a regular smooth curve. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the clean gas is ejected outward along the inner wall of the gas redirection channel 12, and the trajectory of the gas flow particles is a regular smooth curve, thereby forming a P0 laminar flow region; and eddy flow, as a type of turbulent flow, refers to the flow of fluid when the trajectory of the fluid particles is an irregular curve. Figure 2 In the figure, the P0 area is a high-pressure area. After being ejected, the clean gas will freely overflow to the P1 area. At the same time, the external gas flowing from the P1 area to the P0 area is blocked by the overflowing clean gas, and changes direction and flows to the P1 area with the overflowing clean gas, thus forming the P1 vortex area.

[0054] For further information, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the gas redirection channel 12 gradually narrows in the direction away from the gas supply channel 11. As a preferred embodiment, Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the gas redirecting channel 12 is also provided with a convex section 122 near the gas outlet 121, and the convex section 122 protrudes outward from the side wall of the gas redirecting channel 12 to form a "crater-like" configuration. With such a configuration, the convex section 122 can change the movement direction of the clean gas and make it flow outward; at the same time, the gas redirecting channel 12 gradually narrows in the direction away from the gas supply channel 11, and when the clean gas flows outward along the inner wall of the gas redirecting channel 12, as the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas redirecting channel 12 gradually decreases, the gas pressure of the clean gas also gradually increases, further increasing the relative pressure difference between the first gas flow area 40 and the external area 60; when the clean gas is ejected from the gas outlet 121 along the inner wall of the gas redirecting channel 12, due to the relative pressure difference, part of the clean gas overflows to the P1 area and forms a vortex gas wall to block the external gas from entering the P0 area. Of course, in other embodiments, the gas redirecting channel 12 may not be provided with the convex section 122. In this case, the clean gas will also flow from the P0 area to the P1 area under the influence of the gas pressure difference.

[0055] For further information, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 7 The gas supply channel 11 is an annular groove. After the clean gas enters the gas supply channel 11, it flows to the gas changing channel 12 through the annular groove, which not only extends the flow path of the clean gas, but also further controls the flow direction and flow rate of the clean gas, so that it will not be blown out at the gas outlet 121, thereby affecting the temperature and pressure of the surrounding environment.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 7 , the gas outlet unit also includes a first microporous plate 13, which is located on the side of the gas supply channel 11 close to the gas redirecting channel 12 and covers the outlet of the gas supply channel 11. It should be noted that the first microporous plate 13 is a plate-like component with through holes, and the inlet and outlet of the gas supply channel 11 are determined by the flow direction of the clean gas. The inlet of the gas supply channel 11 is the inlet of the clean gas, and the outlet of the gas supply channel 11 is the outlet of the clean gas. In this configuration, the first microporous plate 13 cooperates with the gas redirecting channel 12, so that the clean gas forms a laminar flow at the gas outlet 121, and when the clean gas passes through the micropores on the first microporous plate 13, the clean gas is further pressurized, thereby increasing the pressure difference between the first gas flow area 40 and the external area 60, which is conducive to the formation and stabilization of laminar flow and vortex flow, and can also prevent the first gas flow area 40 from being contaminated by external gas.

[0057] Furthermore, the gas outlet unit also includes a flow stabilizer 14, which is located between the first microporous plate 13 and the gas redirecting channel 12, and covers the first microporous plate 13. It should be noted that the flow stabilizer 14 is a porous medium. Those skilled in the art can understand that the porous medium is a material composed of a skeleton composed of solid matter and a large number of densely grouped tiny gaps separated by the skeleton. The tiny gaps in the porous medium can be interconnected or partially connected and partially disconnected. In this configuration, the first microporous plate 13 and the flow stabilizer 14 cooperate to form a laminar flow of the clean gas at the gas outlet 121, and balance the distribution of the airflow while stabilizing the air pressure, so that the temperature and pressure field inside the gas redirecting channel 12 is stable and controllable.

[0058] Please refer to Figures 3 to 6 In another embodiment, the environmental control assembly further includes an air extraction unit; the air extraction unit is arranged outside the air outlet unit, and is used to extract a mixed gas of external gas and clean gas to form a second air flow area 50. Figure 6 In the illustrated example, the first airflow area 40 is the P0 area (laminar area), the second airflow area 50 is the P1 area (circulation area and eddy area), and the outer area 60 is the P2 area (environmental area, normal air pressure value and normal temperature value); specifically, the air pressure value of the first airflow area 40 is p0, the air pressure value of the second airflow area 50 is p1, and the air pressure value of the outer area 60 is p2, then the air pressure values ​​in the corresponding areas satisfy: p0>p2>p1; further, due to the suction force of the air extraction unit, a relative negative pressure is formed in the P1 area, while the P2 area is the ambient normal pressure, P The P0 area is relatively high pressure, therefore, the clean gas overflowing from the P0 area and the external gas sucked into the P2 area are mixed in the P1 area, and at the same time, affected by the gas turning channel 12, a part of the mixed gas flows along the streamlined configuration of the outer wall of the gas turning channel 12 to form a vortex, and is sucked by the exhaust unit, and the other part of the mixed gas is directly sucked by the exhaust unit to form a circulation, and finally a stable gas wall of mixed flow of vortex and circulation is formed in the P1 area; in addition, the remaining external gas in the P2 area is blocked by the gas wall of the P1 area and cannot enter the P0 area.

[0059] Furthermore, in Figure 3 In the simulation diagram shown, the simulation results show that high-pressure clean gas can form a controlled area (in Figure 2 and Figure 6 The simulation results also further confirm that the environmental control component has a practical effect on the stability of the temperature and pressure in the controlled area. Compared with the existing environmental control technology, the environmental control component proposed in this embodiment can effectively block external gas and even refuse external gas from entering the controlled area.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 7 , the gas extraction unit includes a second microporous plate 22, a gas suction channel 21 and a suction device (not shown in the figure), the suction device is located at the outlet of the gas suction channel 21, and is used to drive the mixed gas to flow along the gas suction channel 21; the second microporous plate 22 covers the inlet of the gas suction channel 21, and the second microporous plate 22 is used to control the flow direction and flow rate of the mixed gas. It should be noted that the second microporous plate 22 is a plate-like component with through holes, which is similar to the first microporous plate 13 in structure and function; the gas suction channel 21 is a rectangular groove; the inlet and outlet of the gas suction channel 21 are determined by the flow direction of the mixed gas, the inlet of the gas suction channel 21 is the inlet of the mixed gas, and the outlet of the gas suction channel 21 is the outlet of the mixed gas. With such configuration, the gas redirecting channel 12 and the second microporous plate 22 cooperate with each other so that after the mixed gas forms a vortex, it can have a stable flow rate and direction when entering the gas suction channel 21, thereby reducing the influence of the mixed gas on the temperature and pressure inside the environmental control component, and further improving the stability of the environmental control component's control over ambient temperature and pressure.

[0061] Please refer to Figures 4 to 7 , the environmental control component also includes a gas source adapter plate 31; the suction device is connected to the gas supply channel 11 and the gas suction channel 21 through the gas source adapter plate 31, and the suction device is also used to drive the clean gas to flow along the gas supply channel 11. It should be noted that as a preferred embodiment, the clean gas and the mixed gas in the environmental control component contain different gas components. In order to avoid mixing of the gas components, the suction device may include an air extraction module and an air outlet module, the air extraction module is connected to the gas suction channel 21, and the air outlet module is connected to the gas supply channel 11; in some other embodiments, if there are no different gas components, the suction hole 312 of the suction device can be directly connected to the gas suction channel 21, and the air outlet hole 311 can be connected to the gas supply channel 11 to directly form a loop airflow.

[0062] As an optional embodiment, the suction force of the suction device can be adjusted to increase or decrease the relative pressure difference between the first airflow area 40 and the second airflow area 50. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Figure 6 For example, when the suction force of the suction device is changed, the flow field parameters of the corresponding P0 and P1 regions will also change, thereby meeting different working conditions. For example, increasing the suction force of the suction device directly increases the negative pressure in the P1 region and reduces the air pressure in the P0 region, but the relative pressure difference between the two (i.e., the air pressure in the first airflow region 40 minus the air pressure in the second airflow region 50) will increase accordingly. This embodiment performs several sets of simulation calculations on the suction pressure in the range of 0 to 1000 Pa (the simulation calculation uses a fixed intake flow rate), and the calculation results are shown in Table 1.

[0063] Table 1

[0064]

[0065]

[0066] It can be seen from Table 1 that the greater the extraction pressure, the higher the proportion of external intrusion gas. The relationship between the proportion of external intrusion gas and the extraction pressure is as follows:

[0067]

[0068] in:

[0069] x: extraction pressure (in Pa);

[0070] y: the proportion of external intrusion gas (in %);

[0071] It can be seen from the above formula that when the exhaust pressure is -315Pa, the external invading gas accounts for 1%, and the effect is better; when the exhaust pressure gradually increases, the speed of the mixed gas in the exhaust unit will also increase accordingly, and the huge speed will produce negative effects such as vibration and noise; considering comprehensively, the exhaust pressure range of 0~315Pa is the best range, which can not only ensure the exhaust speed, but also effectively control the invasion of external gas into the first airflow zone 40.

[0072] Furthermore, the gas source adapter plate 31 has an air outlet hole 311 and an air suction hole 312. The suction device is connected to the gas supply channel 11 through the air outlet hole 311, and the suction device is connected to the gas suction channel 21 through the air suction hole 312. As a preferred embodiment, the gas source adapter plate 31 has a plurality of air suction holes 312, and the plurality of air suction holes 312 are evenly arranged along the central circumference of the gas source adapter plate 31. Figure 5 and Figure 7 In the illustrated example, the gas source adapter plate 31 is provided with an air outlet hole 311 and four air extraction holes 312. The air outlet hole 311 and the air extraction holes 312 are both rectangular through holes. The air outlet hole 311 is connected with the gas supply channel 11. The clean gas enters the gas supply channel 11 through the air outlet hole 311. The gas supply channel 11 is an annular groove. The clean gas flows in the annular groove and finally passes through the flow stabilizing plate 14 and the first microporous plate 13 to enter the interior of the gas redirecting channel 12. The air extraction hole 312 is connected with the gas suction channel 21. The mixed gas enters the gas suction channel 21 after passing through the second microporous plate 22 and finally reaches the interior of the suction device through the air extraction hole 312. It should be noted that in Figure 2 In the illustrated example, the gas source adapter plate 31 may also be provided with only the gas outlet 311. Those skilled in the art may adjust the configuration of the gas source adapter plate 31 according to the configuration of the environmental control component. Figure 7As shown, the gas source adapter plate 31 is a rectangular component, and the four air extraction holes 312 are respectively arranged on the four sides of the gas source adapter plate 31. Correspondingly, four gas suction channels 21 are also provided, which are respectively connected to the four air extraction holes 312 in a one-to-one correspondence. In other embodiments, the gas source adapter plate 31 can also be a component of a circular, triangular or other irregular shape, and accordingly, the number and shape of the air extraction holes 312 and the gas suction channel 21 should also change with the change of the shape of the gas source adapter plate 31.

[0073] The present invention also provides a lithography device, which uses a large-size plane grating measurement system and is characterized in that it includes the above-mentioned environmental control component.

[0074] Further, the lithography device further includes: a grating measurement unit (not shown in the figure) and a moving stage (not shown in the figure); the grating measurement unit includes a grating receiving element (not shown in the figure) and a mirror group 70, the optical path formed between the grating receiving element and the mirror group 70 is located in the first airflow area 40, and the moving stage is used to change the distance between the grating receiving element and the mirror group 70. In an optional exemplary embodiment, the environmental control component is arranged at the edge of the moving stage or embedded in the surface of the moving stage, the grating receiving element such as a reader is arranged inside the environmental control component, located on the plane where the first microporous plate 13 or the flow stabilizing plate 14 is located, and facing the air outlet 121, and the positional relationship between the mirror group 70 and the environmental control component is as shown in FIG. Figure 2 or Figure 6 As shown, the light is emitted from the air outlet 121, reflected by the lens group 70, and then received by the grating receiving element. Therefore, the optical path between the grating receiving element and the lens group 70 is located in the first airflow area 40; the moving stage drives the environmental control component and the grating receiving element to move to change the distance between the grating receiving element and the lens group 70. With such a configuration, the temperature and pressure field in the first airflow area 40 is stable and controllable, and the optical path area is located in the first airflow area 40, which can reduce the influence of the external environment on the measurement results, further improve the measurement progress, and thus improve the overlay accuracy of the lithography equipment. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the grating measurement unit should also include a grating pair, a light source, etc. The structure and use principle of the grating measurement unit can refer to the prior art, and the present invention will not elaborate on this. In the present embodiment, the moving stage drives the lens to move to change the distance between the grating receiving element and the lens and perform measurements; it can be seen from the foregoing content of the present embodiment that the temperature and pressure of the external environment will change the wavelength of the light, thereby causing the measurement result to have a Z-direction error, and caused by Figure 1 It can be seen that after applying the environmental control component proposed in the present invention, the Z-direction measurement error can be reduced by 80%; it should be noted that this embodiment takes the Z-direction error as an example because the Z-direction error is most affected by the temperature and pressure of the external environment, which does not mean that there are no errors in the X-direction and Y-direction. Those skilled in the art use the technical solution disclosed in this embodiment to reduce the measurement errors in the X-direction and Y-direction, which should also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0075] Please refer to Figures 8 to 9 The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a gas redirection channel 12, comprising:

[0076] Step S1: determining at least three first vertices and at least three second vertices in a first plane and a second plane respectively, wherein a distance between two adjacent first vertices is greater than a distance between two adjacent second vertices;

[0077] Step S2: Connect the corresponding first vertices and second vertices one by one to form an outer contour curve and an inner contour curve;

[0078] Step S3: Connect adjacent first vertices end to end in sequence to form a first contour line, and connect adjacent second vertices end to end in sequence to form a second contour line;

[0079] Step S4: scanning in sequence using the first contour line, the second contour line, the outer contour curve and the inner contour curve as paths to form a three-dimensional configuration of the gas redirection channel 12 .

[0080] It should be noted that steps S2 and S3 do not limit the execution order of each step, that is, they are not limited to being executed in order 2 and 3, and can also be executed in any order. Generally speaking, the first plane and the second plane are similar in shape, so the number of the first vertices and the second vertices are matched; at the same time, the gas redirecting channel 12 is a plate-like component with a certain thickness, so the average curvature of its outer contour curve can be equal to the average curvature of the inner contour curve (that is, the thickness of the gas redirecting channel 12 is uniform), or it can be different (that is, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, the thickness of the gas redirection channel 12 is uneven. Figures 8 to 9 In the illustrated example, the first plane is the air inlet surface XX of the gas changing channel 12 (i.e., the connecting surface between the gas changing channel 12 and the air inlet channel), and the second plane is the air outlet surface YY of the gas changing channel 12 (i.e., the air outlet 121). In the present embodiment, the gas source adapter plate 31 is a rectangular component, and accordingly, the first contour line and the second contour line are both rectangular, and the number of the first vertex and the second vertex are four respectively; in some other embodiments, the shape of the gas source adapter plate 31 may be circular, triangular or other irregular shapes, and accordingly, the shape of the first contour line and the second contour line should also be adjusted according to the shape of the gas source adapter plate 31, and the number of the first vertex and the second vertex should also be adjusted accordingly. Those skilled in the art may flexibly configure this according to actual conditions.

[0081] by Figure 8 and Fig. 9 For example, when the manufacturing method of the gas redirecting channel 12 proposed in this embodiment is applied to a working environment, those skilled in the art usually define the following parameters:

[0082] h1: the distance between the air outlet surface and the bottom surface of the object above;

[0083] h2: the distance between the air outlet surface and the air inlet surface;

[0084] l 11 , l 12 : The long side length and the short side length of the gas source adapter plate 31;

[0085] Q: intake air flow;

[0086] l 21 , l 22 : The length of the long side and the short side of the air inlet surface;

[0087] l4: The width of the air extraction unit on the air inlet surface.

[0088] The following parameters are not limited:

[0089] l 31 , l 32 : The length of the long side and the short side of the air outlet surface.

[0090] The ratio of the short side to the long side of the gas redirection channel 12 is equal, and the ratio is represented by n:

[0091]

[0092] Under certain working conditions, the better effect is that the clean gas is laminar flow, that is, the Reynolds number Re satisfies the following formula:

[0093]

[0094] in:

[0095] Re: Reynolds number, ≤2300 for laminar flow;

[0096] ρ: gas density;

[0097] μ: gas kinematic viscosity;

[0098] d: characteristic length.

[0099] From this, we can deduce that 31 Optimal results can be achieved within the following range:

[0100]

[0101] As an optional embodiment, the curvature of any point on the same outer contour curve is equal. It should be noted that if the curvature of any point on the same outer contour curve is equal, the curve is an oblique line, and the outer facade of the gas redirection channel 12 formed by the connection is an oblique surface. In this configuration, although the oblique surface can also block part of the external gas from invading the first airflow area 40, it is relatively Figures 2 to 7 The arc surface shown in the figure has a relatively weak ability to form vortices, and external gas is more likely to invade the first airflow area 40, thereby affecting the environmental stability of the first airflow area 40.

[0102] As a preferred embodiment, the curvature of any point on the same outer contour curve is not equal. It should be noted that if the curvature of any point on the same outer contour curve is not equal, the outer facade of the gas redirection channel 12 formed by the connection is a curved surface. Those skilled in the art can understand that, compared with an inclined surface, a curved surface is more likely to cause the mixed gas formed by the clean gas and the external gas to form a vortex, and can better block the external gas from entering the first airflow zone 40, thereby improving the environmental stability of the first airflow zone 40. As an alternative embodiment, the average curvature of the outer contour curve is 0.0203 to 0.5330, and the average curvature of the inner contour curve is -0.4550 to -0.0209.

[0103] In summary, in an environmental control component, a photolithography device, and a manufacturing method for a gas redirecting channel provided in an embodiment of the present invention, the environmental control component includes: an air outlet unit; the air outlet unit includes a connected gas supply channel and a gas redirecting channel, the gas redirecting channel gradually narrows in a direction away from the gas supply channel, and forms an air outlet, the gas supply channel is used to blow clean gas to the side wall of the gas redirecting channel, after the clean gas is ejected from the air outlet, a part of it forms a first airflow zone, and the other part mixes with the external gas and forms a vortex to block the external gas from entering the first airflow zone.

[0104] With such configuration, the gas redirecting channel gradually narrows in the direction away from the gas supply channel and forms an outlet, and the clean gas is ejected at the outlet to form a first airflow area. Since the air pressure in the first airflow area is greater than the air pressure in the external area, the clean gas flows from the first airflow area to the external area after being ejected, and under the influence of the configuration that the gas redirecting channel gradually narrows in the direction away from the gas supply channel, the overflowing clean gas and the external gas flow along the outer surface of the gas redirecting channel, thereby forming a vortex and blocking the external gas from entering the first airflow area, thereby improving the environmental stability in the first airflow area, further reducing the measurement error of the grating measurement system, and thus improving the overlay accuracy;

[0105] Furthermore, the air extraction unit is arranged outside the air outlet unit and is used to extract the mixed gas formed by the clean gas and the external gas to form a second air flow area. Since the air pressure in the second air flow area is lower than the air pressure in the external area, the overflowing clean gas and the external gas will be sucked by the air extraction unit to form a circular flow, and together with the vortex formed by the flow along the outer surface of the gas redirecting channel, a gas wall is formed, further blocking the external gas from entering the first air flow area;

[0106] Furthermore, the second microporous plate is connected to the gas suction channel, which is combined with the gas redirection channel to jointly control the flow direction and flow rate of the external gas and the overflowing clean gas, which helps to form a stable mixed flow state of annular flow and vortex in the second gas flow area, and effectively prevents the external gas from invading the first gas flow area;

[0107] Furthermore, the first microporous plate is located on one side of the gas supply channel close to the gas redirection channel, and is combined with the gas redirection channel to form a laminar flow of the clean gas at the gas outlet, and further increase the flow rate of the clean gas, thereby increasing the relative pressure difference between the first gas flow area and the external area;

[0108] Furthermore, the flow stabilizing plate is located between the first microporous plate and the gas redirecting channel, so that a stable laminar flow is formed at the gas outlet, thereby ensuring that the temperature and pressure field inside the gas redirecting channel is stable and controllable.

[0109] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes or modifications made by a person skilled in the art in the field of the present invention based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An environmental control component, It is characterized in that include: Air outlet unit; The gas outlet unit includes a connected gas supply channel and a gas redirecting channel. The gas redirecting channel gradually narrows in a direction away from the gas supply channel to form an outlet. The gas supply channel is used to blow clean gas toward the side wall of the gas redirecting channel. After the clean gas is ejected from the outlet, a part of it forms a first airflow zone, and the other part is mixed with external gas to form a vortex to prevent the external gas from entering the first airflow zone.

2. The environmental control assembly according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The inner wall of the gas redirection channel is an inclined surface or a curved surface.

3. The environmental control assembly according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The gas redirecting channel has an outward convex section, which protrudes outward from the side wall of the gas redirecting channel and is arranged at a position of the gas redirecting channel close to the gas outlet.

4. The environmental control assembly according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The gas outlet unit also includes a first microporous plate and / or a flow stabilizing plate. The first microporous plate is located on a side of the gas supply channel close to the gas redirecting channel and covers the outlet of the gas supply channel. The flow stabilizing plate is located between the first microporous plate and the gas redirecting channel and covers the first microporous plate.

5. The environmental control assembly according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The environmental control component also includes an air extraction unit; the air extraction unit is arranged outside the air outlet unit and is used to extract the mixed gas of the external gas and the clean gas to form a second air flow area.

6. The environmental control assembly according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The gas extraction unit includes a second microporous plate, a gas suction channel and a suction device, wherein the suction device is located at the outlet of the gas suction channel and is used to drive the mixed gas to flow along the gas suction channel; the second microporous plate covers the inlet of the gas suction channel, and the second microporous plate is used to control the flow direction and flow rate of the mixed gas.

7. The environmental control assembly according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The environmental control component also includes a gas source adapter plate; the suction device is connected to the gas supply channel and the gas suction channel through the gas source adapter plate, and the suction device is also used to drive the clean gas to flow along the gas supply channel.

8. The environmental control assembly according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The suction force of the suction device can be adjusted to increase or decrease the relative pressure difference between the first airflow area and the second airflow area.

9. The environmental control assembly according to claim 8, It is characterized in that The air pressure value of the first air flow area is p0, the air pressure value of the second air flow area is p1, and the air pressure value of the external area is p2, then p0>p2>p1 is satisfied.

10. The environmental control assembly according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The gas source adapter plate has an air outlet hole and multiple air suction holes. The suction device is connected to the gas supply channel through the air outlet hole, and the suction device is connected to the gas suction channel through the air suction hole; the multiple air suction holes are evenly arranged along the central circumference of the gas source adapter plate.

11. A lithography device using a large-size plane grating measurement system, It is characterized in that It comprises the environmental control component as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The lithographic apparatus according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The lithography apparatus further comprises: a grating measurement unit and a motion stage; The grating measurement unit comprises a grating receiving element and a mirror group, the optical path between the grating receiving element and the mirror group is located in the first airflow area, and the motion stage is used to change the distance between the grating receiving element and the mirror group.

13. A method for manufacturing a gas redirection channel, It is characterized in that include: Determine at least three first vertices and at least three second vertices in a first plane and a second plane, respectively, wherein a distance between two adjacent first vertices is greater than a distance between two adjacent second vertices; Connecting the first vertices and the second vertices correspondingly one by one to form an outer contour curve and an inner contour curve; Connecting the adjacent first vertices end to end in sequence to form a first contour line, and connecting the adjacent second vertices end to end in sequence to form a second contour line; The first contour line, the second contour line, the outer contour curve and the inner contour curve are sequentially scanned as paths to form a three-dimensional configuration of the gas redirection channel.

14. The method for manufacturing the gas redirection channel according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The curvature of any point on the same outer contour curve is equal or unequal.

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