Reticle Pod Isolation System for EUV Shock Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current reticle containers for EUV photolithography are susceptible to contamination and damage due to the lack of suitable pellicle materials transparent to EUV light, and they fail to provide adequate shock absorption and vibration isolation, leading to potential misalignment and quality issues during transportation and storage.
Innovation Solution
A dual containment system with a primary pod and a secondary pod supported by elastomeric members, providing hermetic sealing and six degrees of freedom for shock and vibration isolation, along with a reticle support structure that minimizes contact and uses elastomeric pads for secure positioning and pressure equalization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reticle is placed in a conventional container for transport and storage, then the container provides basic protection, but the reticle is susceptible to shock and vibration damage leading to misalignment and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by incorporating shock-absorbing materials and vibration-damping structures into the container design before the reticle is subjected to transport shocks. The container includes compliant mounting structures and cushioning layers that are pre-positioned to absorb impact forces and isolate the reticle from vibration, preventing damage rather than correcting it after occurrence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary isolation layer between the external environment and the reticle. This intermediary structure includes vibration-damping mounts and shock-absorbing barriers that mediate the transmission of harmful forces, allowing the reticle to remain protected while the container absorbs and dissipates external shocks and vibrations through controlled deformation and energy absorption.
2Manufacturing precision
If the reticle is securely positioned in the container, then alignment is maintained, but contact with container surfaces can generate particulate contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible thin films and compliant mounting structures to support the reticle. These flexible elements maintain contact with the reticle for positioning and alignment while minimizing friction and abrasion that would generate particulates. The compliant nature of these films allows them to conform to the reticle surface without rigid contact, reducing wear and contamination generation during transport and handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an inert or controlled atmosphere environment within the container to reduce particulate generation and contamination. By maintaining a controlled internal environment with appropriate gas composition and particulate filtration, the system minimizes chemical reactions and particulate formation between the reticle and container surfaces, while still allowing secure positioning through non-contact or minimal-contact support structures.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the container provides hermetic sealing for contamination protection, then cleanliness is maintained, but pressure changes during transport can cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by incorporating pressure equalization mechanisms that allow the internal pressure of the hermetically sealed container to dynamically adjust in response to external pressure changes during transport. Pressure relief valves, expansion chambers, or compliant sealing elements are used to modify the pressure differential parameter, preventing excessive stress buildup while maintaining the hermetic seal's protective function against particulate contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses beforehand cushioning by pre-positioning pressure-absorbing elements and compliant mounting structures within the hermetically sealed container. These elements are designed to absorb and distribute pressure differentials before they can cause damage to the reticle or compromise the seal integrity, allowing the container to maintain hermetic sealing while accommodating transport pressure variations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively isolates the reticle from shocks and vibrations, reduces particulate generation, and maintains a controlled environment, ensuring the reticle's precise alignment and cleanliness during transport and storage, suitable for both shipping and storage within fabrication facilities.
Implementation Method 1
resilient shock and vibration isolation members
Implementation Method 2
elastomeric members extending both from the cover and the base
Implementation Method 3
an elastomeric seal configured to extend about a periphery of the base and engage with the cover
Implementation Method 4
a diffuser plate engaged with the lower portion and configured to restrict air flow between the primary and secondary enclosures
Implementation Method 5
unnecessary and unintended contact with other surfaces during manufacturing, processing, shipping, handling, transport or storage is highly undesirable in view of the susceptibility of the delicate features on the patterned surface of the reticle to damage due to sliding friction and abrasion
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a reticle container that is equipped with a secondary container which houses the reticle and is housed in the primary container. The secondary container is held within the primary container with shock and vibration isolation members so that the secondary container has multiple degrees of freedom of motion within the primary container. The reticle is secured inside the secondary container such that shock and vibration transmission from the reticle container to the reticle is substantially attenuated.