Air bath device with variable air outlet angle

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of semiconductors, is applied to stable microenvironment control in a whole machine, and provides a variable air-out angle air bath device for local high-stability requirement control areas (such as the vicinity of a workpiece table and the light path area of an interferometer), according to the scheme, the variable air-out angle air bath device comprises an air bath plate, a fixing plate and air guide blades used for adjusting the air-out angle, a cavity is formed in the air bath plate, an air outlet is formed in one side of the bottom of the cavity in a penetrating mode, the fixing plate is fixedly connected with the bottom of the air bath plate, a through opening is formed in the bottom of the fixing plate in a penetrating mode, and the through opening and the air outlet are located in the same plane. The two opposite sides of the through opening are rotationally connected with the air guide blades through bearings, and one side of the interior of the cavity is connected with a plurality of pieces of filter cloth through bolts. The air outlet angle can be adjusted through the air guide blades, the blowing angle is adjusted according to the heat source position change condition, and the control stability of the surrounding microenvironment under the working table movement condition is effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of semiconductors, and in particular to an air bath device with a variable air outlet angle. Background Art

[0002] The photolithography machine is one of the important equipment for manufacturing semiconductor chips. It projects light onto silicon wafers to form tiny circuits on the surface of silicon wafers, thereby manufacturing microchips. The photolithography machine is one of the most critical steps in the semiconductor manufacturing process, which determines the resolution of the circuits and the final performance of the chip during the chip manufacturing process.

[0003] Parameters such as temperature, humidity and pressure inside the lithography machine are important factors affecting chip manufacturing. In order to ensure a stable working microenvironment, a complete set of environmental control solutions will be adopted in the entire machine, and local air bath devices will be used for purge in high-precision control areas.

[0004] The existing solutions all use a high-efficiency air filter (HEPA) or an ultra-high-efficiency air filter (ULPA) to input clean air into the lithography machine and blow it at a fixed angle through an air bath device to maintain the stability of the temperature and pressure in the control area. However, for some areas where the position of the heat source may change during random table operation, such as the WS (workpiece table) area, the airflow blown at a fixed angle cannot achieve ideal temperature stability control under certain position conditions. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings in the prior art that some heat sources may change their position when working on the random table, such as the workpiece table area, and the airflow blown at a fixed angle cannot achieve ideal temperature stability control under certain position conditions, and propose a variable air outlet angle air bath device.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: An air bath device with a variable air outlet angle comprises an air bath plate, a fixed plate and an air guide blade for adjusting the air outlet angle, wherein a chamber is arranged inside the air bath plate, and an air outlet is penetrated through one side of the bottom of the chamber, the fixed plate is fixedly connected to the bottom of the air bath plate, a through opening is penetrated through the bottom of the fixed plate, the through opening and the air outlet are located on the same plane, and the opposite sides of the through opening are rotatably connected to the air guide blades through bearings.

[0007] Preferably, a plurality of filter cloths are connected to one side of the chamber by bolts, and the filter holes of the filter cloths have gradually decreasing diameters.

[0008] Preferably, when the workpiece stage moves to the right, the measuring optical path on the left increases, and the gas bath purge angle is adjusted so that the overall gas bath flow direction is adjusted to the right optical path shortening area; similarly, when the workpiece stage moves to the left, the measuring optical path on the right increases, and the gas bath purge angle is adjusted so that the overall gas bath flow direction is adjusted to the left optical path shortening area.

[0009] Preferably, the overall purge angle adjustment range is controlled within a range of 60°-120° (angle with the horizontal direction).

[0010] Preferably, the environmental parameters of the measurement area affect the measurement error, and the environmental parameters are mainly temperature, pressure, humidity, etc., among which temperature is the most sensitive.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: The present invention provides a fixed plate and an air guide blade. When the airflow is discharged from the air outlet, the air guide blade can adjust the air outlet angle, and adjust the sweeping angle according to the change of the heat source position, so as to effectively improve the control stability of the surrounding microenvironment when the workbench moves. Figure 5 When the workpiece table moves to the right, the left measuring optical path increases, and the gas bath purge angle is adjusted to adjust the overall gas bath flow direction to the right optical path shortening area; similarly, if Figure 6 When the worktable moves to the left, the measuring optical path on the right increases, and the gas bath purge angle is adjusted to adjust the overall gas bath flow direction to the left optical path shortening area. The above-mentioned movement of the worktable to the right or to the left is a simple explanation of the effect made by the present application to facilitate an intuitive understanding of the effect of the present application, which is different from the actual motion trajectory. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an air bath device with a variable air outlet angle proposed by the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the partial structure of an air bath device with a variable air outlet angle proposed by the present invention; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the fixed plate structure of an air bath device with a variable air outlet angle proposed by the present invention; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an air guide blade of an air bath device with a variable air outlet angle proposed by the present invention; Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of adjusting the gas bath flow direction when the workpiece table moves to the right; Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of adjusting the gas bath flow direction when the workpiece table moves to the left.

[0013] In the attached figure: 1. air bath plate; 2. fixing plate; 3. air guide blades; 4. air outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0015] In the description of this patent, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this patent and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this patent.

[0016] In the description of this patent, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", and "set" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixedly connected or set, or it can be detachably connected or set, or connected or set in one piece. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this patent can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0017] Reference Figure 1-Figure 4 A variable air outlet angle air bath device comprises an air bath plate 1, a fixed plate 2 and an air guide blade 3 for adjusting the air outlet angle. A chamber is arranged inside the air bath plate 1, and an air outlet 4 is penetrated on one side of the bottom of the chamber. The fixed plate 2 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the air bath plate 1, and a through opening is penetrated on the bottom of the fixed plate 2. The through opening and the air outlet 4 are located on the same plane, and the opposite sides of the through opening are rotatably connected to the air guide blade 3 through bearings.

[0018] In the present invention, a plurality of filter cloths are connected to one side of the chamber by bolts, and the filter hole diameters of the filter cloths are gradually reduced.

[0019] In the present invention, reference is made to Figure 5 and Figure 6 When the workpiece stage moves to the right, the measuring optical path on the left increases, and the gas bath purge angle is adjusted to adjust the overall gas bath flow direction to the right optical path shortening area; similarly, when the workpiece stage moves to the left, the measuring optical path on the right increases, and the gas bath purge angle is adjusted to adjust the overall gas bath flow direction to the left optical path shortening area.

[0020] In the present invention, the overall blowing angle adjustment range is controlled within the angle range of 60°-120° with the horizontal direction.

[0021] In the present invention, the environmental parameters of the measurement area affect the measurement error, and the environmental parameters are mainly temperature, pressure, humidity, etc., and the temperature is the most sensitive among the above factors.

[0022] The comparison of temperature control within a single stage motion cycle after control by this solution is as follows:

[0023] In summary, with the aid of the above technical solution of the present invention: when the airflow is discharged from the air outlet 4, the air outlet angle can be adjusted through the air guide blade 3, and the purge angle can be adjusted according to the change of the heat source position, thereby effectively improving the control stability of the surrounding microenvironment when the workbench moves. When the workpiece stage moves to the right, the measured optical path on the left increases, and the air bath purge angle is adjusted to adjust the overall air bath flow direction to the right optical path shortening area; similarly, when the workpiece stage moves to the left, the measured optical path on the right increases, and the air bath purge angle is adjusted to adjust the overall air bath flow direction to the left optical path shortening area.

[0024] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical scheme and inventive concept of the present invention within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air bath device with a variable air outlet angle, comprising an air bath plate (1), a fixing plate (2) and an air guide blade (3) for adjusting the air outlet angle, characterized in that: The air bath plate (1) is provided with a chamber inside, and an air outlet (4) is provided through one side of the bottom of the chamber. The fixed plate (2) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the air bath plate (1). A through hole is provided through the bottom of the fixed plate (2). The through hole and the air outlet (4) are located on the same plane. The two opposite sides of the through hole are rotatably connected to the air guide blades (3) through bearings. When the workpiece stage moves to the right, the left measurement optical path increases, and the air bath purge angle is adjusted so that the overall air bath flow direction is adjusted to the right optical path shortening area. Similarly, when the workpiece stage moves to the left, the right measurement optical path increases, and the air bath purge angle is adjusted so that the overall air bath flow direction is adjusted to the left optical path shortening area. The environmental parameters of the measurement area affect the measurement error, and the environmental parameters are mainly temperature, pressure and humidity, etc., and the temperature sensitivity is the highest among the above factors.

2. The variable air outlet angle air bath device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of filter cloths are connected to one side of the chamber by bolts, and the filter holes of the filter cloths have gradually decreasing diameters.

3. The variable air outlet angle air bath device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overall purge angle adjustment range is controlled within a range of 60°-120° (angle with the horizontal direction).

Images