Reticle Storage Container Gas Nozzle and Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exposure apparatuses often have insufficient reticle storage capacity, which can hinder the production of semiconductor devices due to limited storage of reticles in reticle libraries.
Innovation Solution
A reticle storage container system comprising an outer container with a gas nozzle for injecting a filtered gas into an inner container, maintaining a hermetic environment to store multiple reticles, which can be integrated with an exposure apparatus to enhance reticle storage and transportation, thereby complementing the reticle library and improving semiconductor device production throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a reticle library is installed inside the exposure apparatus, then reticles can be stored and accessed, but the storage capacity is limited and insufficient for high-volume production
Solution Approach 1:
The reticle storage system is divided into two independent parts: a small reticle library inside the exposure apparatus for quick access, and an external reticle storage container with multiple pods for bulk storage. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high storage capacity while maintaining operational simplicity, as the external container can be handled as a single unit.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple reticle pods are nested within a single external storage container, which itself can be placed within or adjacent to the exposure apparatus. This nested structure maximizes storage density and allows the system to store numerous reticles without proportionally increasing the footprint or complexity of the exposure apparatus.
2Reliability
If reticles are stored in a hermetic environment, then reticle quality is maintained, but the storage system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Each reticle pod and the external storage container are designed as hermetic sealed units that maintain an inert or controlled atmosphere internally. This prevents contamination and moisture ingress, ensuring reticle quality is maintained throughout storage and transport without requiring complex active environmental control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetic sealing is built into the pod and container structures themselves, with integrated gaskets and sealing mechanisms that automatically maintain the protected environment when properly assembled. This self-sealing design maintains reliability without adding external complexity to the storage system.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple reticles are stored in separate pods, then reticle availability increases, but the handling and integration process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Reticles are organized into individual removable pods within the external storage container, allowing selective access and handling of single pods rather than the entire storage system. This segmentation improves ease of operation by enabling quick pod removal and installation without disturbing other reticles, while still maintaining high availability through the multiple-pod architecture.
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 maintains reticles in a dry, impurity-free environment, allowing for extended storage and increased reticle availability within the exposure apparatus, thereby enhancing semiconductor device production efficiency and capacity at reduced costs.
Implementation Method 1
The outer container is configured to include a gas nozzle which allows a predetermined gas to be injected
Implementation Method 2
The injected gas is vented through a vent hole installed in the inner container
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a reticle storage container including an inner container 10 which can store a plurality of reticles 16 and an outer container 1 which covers the inner container 10. The outer container 1 is configured to include a gas nozzle 5 which can inject a predetermined gas. The same gas as the gas supplied into an exposure apparatus 20 is supplied to the gas nozzle 5. The gas injected into the reticle storage container is vented through a vent hole 14 installed to the inner container 10.