JP2012186391A - Reticle housing container, exposure equipment and device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

A technique advantageous in positioning a reticle on a container while suppressing generation of particles is provided.
A container includes an inner case for accommodating a reticle and an outer case. The inner case includes a base plate, an inner cover, and a first positioning member that contacts the chamfered portion of the reticle to position the reticle. The first positioning member has a contact surface with the chamfered portion inclined with an elevation angle in the same direction with respect to the upper surface of the base plate, and the first positioning member is first pressed with the pressing portion and contacts the chamfered portion first. 122, and a second inclined surface 121 formed above the first inclined surface 122 and in contact with the chamfered portion after the first inclined surface 122, the first inclined surface 122 and the second inclined surface 121 being the first The angle formed outside one positioning member is less than 180 °.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a reticle container, an exposure apparatus, and a device manufacturing method.

  EUV lithography technology using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) is regarded as promising for future semiconductor device manufacturing. There is an EUV exposure apparatus as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which is the most important in the EUV lithography technology. In general, an exposure apparatus has a configuration in which a reticle on which a circuit pattern is formed is illuminated with illumination light, and is reduced and projected onto a wafer coated with a photoreceptor (resist) by a projection optical system. When particles adhere to the circuit pattern surface of the reticle, a particle image is transferred to the same position in each shot. As a result, the yield of semiconductor device manufacturing and the reliability of the semiconductor device itself are greatly reduced.

  In a conventional exposure apparatus using g-line, i-line, KrF laser light, ArF laser light, or the like, a method of arranging a transparent protective film called a pellicle at a position several mm from the circuit pattern surface of the reticle is employed. However, in the EUV exposure apparatus, there is no pellicle that is transparent to EUV light. In order to satisfy the transmittance required for the reticle, the thickness of the pellicle must be several tens of nm. In such a thickness, in the mechanical aspect against the pressure change from atmospheric pressure to the vacuum environment when the reticle is transported and vice versa, and in the thermal aspect due to the temperature rise due to absorption of EUV exposure light. Sufficient strength cannot be obtained. Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a so-called “double pod” reticle storage container in which a reticle is covered with a double storage container as a method of preventing particle adhesion when storing and transporting a reticle for EUV lithography. ing. In the “double pod” reticle storage container, a first pod called an inner pod stores a reticle, and a second pod called an outer pod stores this inner pod.

  A method of fixing a reticle inside a double pod when a conventional double pod is used will be described with reference to FIGS. The reticle 2 is supported by four support pins 102a to 102d installed on the base plate 100 with the pattern surface facing downward. The base plate 100 is provided with post pins 101a to 101h for preventing an extreme lateral shift of the reticle 2, and glass windows 106a and 106b for allowing the ID of the reticle to be observed from the lower part of the base plate 100. The inner cover 104 that protects the chuck surface of the reticle is provided with clean filters 105a and 105b for reducing the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the inner pod when the reticle 2 is held inside the inner pod. The fixing pins 103a to 103d are slidable in the vertical direction, and press the chamfer (hereinafter referred to as C surface) of the chuck surface of the reticle 2 to fix the reticle. When the outer pod is closed by the standard mechanism interface (SMIF), the fixing pins 103a to 103d push the reticle 2 vertically downward with a predetermined force via an elastic body such as a spring provided inside the outer pod. As a result, the reticle 2 is fixed so that there is no mechanical backlash. The C surface of the reticle 2 has an inclination angle of 45 °. The inclination angle of the reticle contact portion of the fixing pins 103a to 103d with respect to the horizontal plane is 135 ° which forms a complementary angle with the inclination angle of the C-plane of the reticle 2.

  In the prior art, the reticle 2 is moved and positioned in the horizontal direction with respect to the base plate 100 by contacting the C surface of the reticle 2 with the reticle contact portions of the fixing pins 103a to 103d.

JP 2006-184442 A Special table 2009-5510252 gazette

  However, when the fixing pins 103a to 103d push the C surface of the reticle 2 and the reticle 2 moves in the horizontal direction with respect to the base plate 100, this is a phenomenon involving contact and friction. Therefore, the positioning may not be performed with good reproducibility depending on the surrounding environment and the state of the reticle contact portion of the fixing pins 103a to 103d. Further, the reticle 2 has a variation in thickness within a range within a dimensional tolerance of the thickness. In such a case, the fixing pins 103a to 103d come into contact with the C surface at a position higher than usual. Therefore, when the outer pod is closed, the pressing force of the fixing pins 103a to 103d is increased, and is large near the contact portion with the reticle 2. Pressure is applied. The fixing pins 103a to 103d are often made of metal in order to reduce outgassing in a vacuum. In this case, a big difference arises in the hardness and rigidity of glass and a metal.

  For example, when the reticle 2 is displaced by Δx with respect to the center position of the base plate 100, if the rigidity of the elastic body connected to the fixing pins 103a to 103d is k, the inclination angle is 45 °. An extra force of k · Δx is applied to the C surface of the reticle 2. Since the expansion / contraction stroke of the elastic body is short, the rigidity k tends to be non-linear, and the generated force cannot be estimated. When compressed more than the design value, a pressure higher than expected is applied to the contact portion, and friction and rubbing increase, causing glass-derived particles to be generated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique advantageous for positioning a reticle in a container while suppressing generation of particles.

  One aspect of the present invention is a container including an inner case that accommodates a reticle and an outer case that accommodates the inner case, and the reticle has a chamfered portion at an edge thereof, and the outer case includes: The inner case includes a base plate that protects the lower surface of the reticle, and an inner cover that is disposed above the base plate and protects the upper surface of the reticle. And the outer case that is installed on the inner cover and that houses the inner case is closed by the lid member, and is pressed downward by a pressing portion formed on the lower surface of the lid member to come into contact with the chamfered portion. A first positioning member for positioning the reticle, wherein the first positioning member A first inclined surface that is inclined with an elevation angle in the same direction with respect to the upper surface of the base plate, and the first positioning member is first contacted with the chamfered portion when the first positioning member is pressed by the pressing portion; And a second inclined surface that is formed above the first inclined surface and contacts the chamfered portion after the first inclined surface, wherein the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are the first The angle formed outside the positioning member is less than 180 °.

  According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a technique advantageous for positioning a reticle on a container while suppressing generation of particles.

It is a figure which shows the container of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of an EUV exposure apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the inner case of a prior art. It is a figure which shows the base plate and inner cover of the inner case of a prior art. In prior art, it is a figure which shows the state which is fixing the reticle to the inner case. It is sectional drawing of the fixing pin of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the fixing pin of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode that a reticle is positioned using the fixing pin of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the reticle carrying out flow of exposure apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the fixing pin of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure showing the post pin of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode that a reticle is positioned using the post pin of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode that a reticle is positioned to an inner case using the post pin of 3rd Embodiment.

[Exposure equipment]
An EUV exposure apparatus as an example of an exposure apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The reflective reticle (original) 2 on which the circuit pattern is formed is held by a reticle chuck 7. A reticle chuck 7 holding the reticle 2 is mounted on a stage (reticle stage) 3 capable of coarse and fine movement in the scanning direction. The position and posture of the reticle stage 3 are always monitored by a laser interferometer (not shown). The projection optical system 5 projects the EUV exposure light reflected from the reticle 2 onto the wafer (substrate) 1 to expose the wafer 1. The wafer 1 is held on a wafer chuck 6. The wafer chuck 6 is mounted on a wafer stage 27 capable of coarse movement and fine movement in six axis directions. The position and orientation of the wafer stage 27 are constantly monitored by a laser interferometer (not shown).

  The reduction magnification of the projection optical system 5 is 1 / β, the scanning speed of the reticle stage 3 is Vr, and the scanning speed of the wafer stage 27 is Vw. The scanning operations of the reticle stage 3 and the wafer stage 27 are synchronously controlled so that the relationship Vr / Vw = β is established. The reticle stage 3 is disposed in the reticle stage space 4a, the projection optical system 5 is disposed in the projection optical system space 4b, and the wafer stage 27 is disposed in the wafer stage space 4c. The spaces 4a, 4b, and 4c can be independently pressure controlled.

  Next, an example of a reticle conveying method using the double pod 31 (also simply referred to as a container) will be described. An EFEM (Equipment Front-End Module) 19 takes out the inner case 10 from the double pod 31 that accommodates the reticle 2 in the atmosphere, and uses the robot 18 to transport the inner case 10 to the load lock chamber 23. The conveyed inner case 10 is evacuated in the load lock chamber 23. When the inside of the load lock chamber 23 reaches a predetermined pressure, the gate valve 12a on the exposure apparatus side is opened, and the inner case 10 is conveyed into the exposure apparatus by the robot 22. The inner case 10 is transported to the inner case library 25 by the robot 22, and then transported to the opener 24 that removes the inner cover from the inner case 10, and the inner cover is removed. Thereafter, the gate valve 12c is opened, and the reticle 2 is placed on the reticle pre-alignment stage 20, and after the approximate reticle position is measured, the reticle 2 is conveyed to the reticle stage 3. The carry-out operation of the reticle 2 is performed in the reverse step as will be described later. Here, the robot 22 and the opener 24 constitute a storage mechanism for storing the reticle in the double pod 31.

  Similarly, an example of a wafer transfer method will be described. An EFEM (Equipment Front-End Module) 14 takes out the wafer 1 from the carrier in the atmosphere and transports the wafer 1 to the load lock chamber 15 using the robot 13. The wafer 1 conveyed in the load lock chamber 15 is evacuated. When the load lock chamber 15 reaches a predetermined pressure, the gate valve 11a on the exposure apparatus side is opened, and the wafer 1 is transferred into the exposure apparatus by the robot 8. The wafer 1 is once transferred to the wafer stocker 26 by the robot 8. Thereafter, the gate valve 11 c is opened, and the wafer 1 is placed on the wafer pre-alignment stage 30, the approximate reticle position is measured, and then transferred to the wafer stage 27. The unloading of the wafer 1 is performed in the reverse steps. The robots 18, 22, etc. constitute a transport mechanism that transports the reticle 2 accommodated in the double pod 31 to the reticle stage 3 and transports the reticle 2 held on the reticle stage 3 to the double pod 31.

[Reticle container]
(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the double pod 31 that houses the reticle of the first embodiment includes an inner case 10 that houses the reticle 2 and an outer case 200 that houses the inner case 10. The outer case 200 includes a lid member 202 and a base member 201 disposed below the lid member 202. A pressing portion 202 a is configured on the lower surface of the lid member 202. The reticle 2 has a surface on which a pattern is formed and a surface held by the reticle chuck 7. A chamfered portion (also called chamfer or C-plane) is formed at the edge of the two surfaces of the reticle 2. Inner case 10 includes a base plate 100, an inner cover 104 disposed above base plate 100, and a fixing pin (first positioning member) 103 that is installed on inner cover 104 and positions and fixes reticle 2. The base plate 100 protects the lower surface side of the reticle 2 on which the pattern is formed, and the inner cover 104 protects the upper surface side of the reticle 2 held by the reticle chuck 7. When the closing operation of closing the outer case 200 containing the inner case 10 with the lid member 202 is performed, the fixing pin 103 is pressed downward by the pressing portion 202a and comes into contact with the C surface. The double pod 31 of the first embodiment is characterized in that the portion where the fixing pin 103 for positioning the reticle 2 contacts the C surface of the reticle 2 has two inclined surfaces having different inclination angles. .

  FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the fixing pin 103 in the first embodiment. The fixing pin 103 has a first inclined surface 122 and a second inclined surface 121 formed above the first inclined surface 122. When the fixing pin 103 is pushed downward by the pressing portion 202a, the first inclined surface 122 first comes into contact with the C surface, and then the second inclined surface 121 comes into contact with the C surface. The second inclined surface 121 has an elevation angle (second inclination angle) θ2 (= 45 °) with respect to the upper surface of the base plate 100 and a length L2. This second inclination angle is substantially the same as the angle of the C-plane which is the standard for the reticle 6025 substrate. The length L2 of the second inclined surface is substantially equal to the width of the C surface, but has a length longer than that. Further, the first inclined surface 122 has a first inclination angle θ1 and a length L1 which are larger than the second inclination angle θ2. The inclination angle of the inclined surface of the fixed pin 103 is defined as an elevation angle in the same direction with respect to the upper surface (usually a horizontal plane) of the base plate 100. The length of the inclined surface is the length of the inclined surface in the direction along the inclined surface in the illustrated cross section. Since the first inclination angle θ1 is larger than the second inclination angle θ2, the angle formed by the first inclined surface 122 and the second inclined surface 121 outside (outside) the fixing pin 103 is less than 180 °.

  FIG. 8 shows how the reticle 2 is positioned with respect to the base plate 100 using the fixing pins 103. State A indicates a state in which the reticle 2 is placed on the base plate 100 without being positioned with respect to the base plate 100. The amount of misalignment at this time is Δx with reference to the position where the reticle 2 is positioned. A state B shows a state in which the closing operation of the outer case 200 is started and the fixing pin 103 starts to contact the C surface 120 of the reticle 2. When the closing operation of the outer case 200 is continued in this state, the fixing pin 103 is pushed by the pressing portion 202a and further lowered. In the state B, the reticle 2 is in contact with the first inclined surface 122 of the fixing pin 103 at the edge of the C surface 120. Since the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surface 122 is larger than 45 °, the force N that the reticle 2 receives from the fixing pin 103 in the C surface 120 in the vertical direction is reduced as compared with the prior art. Therefore, even if the static friction coefficient μ between the reticle 2 and the fixed pin 103 is constant, the frictional force (μ × N) between the C surface 120 and the fixed pin 103 is reduced. Further, most of the force that the fixing pin 103 acts on the reticle 2 is a horizontal component force. As a result, the reticle 2 can be easily moved to the positioning position. That is, the first inclined surface 122 serves as a guide for guiding the reticle 2 to the positioning position.

  State C is a state in which reticle 2 has reached the positioning position on base plate 100. In the state C, the second inclined surface 121 and the C surface 120 of the reticle 2 are both in contact with each other, and the reticle 2 has a sufficient contact area with the fixing pin 103. 103 is fixed. When the reticle 2 is deviated from the positioning position by Δx, the length L1 of the first inclined surface 122 needs to be at least (Δx / cos θ1). Now, when the reticle 2 is supported on the base plate 100, an allowable displacement amount of the reticle 2 with respect to the base plate 100 is Δx. Then, the length L1 of the first inclined surface 122 and the first inclination angle θ1 need to satisfy L1 × cos θ1 ≧ Δx.

  The fixing pin 103 in the first embodiment has two inclined surfaces, and positions the reticle 2 by the lower first inclined surface 122 having an inclination angle θ1 larger than 45 °, and an inclination angle θ2 of about 45 °. The reticle 2 is fixed by an upper second inclined surface 121 having Therefore, the fixing pin 103 only needs to have the cross-section as described above, and may be, for example, a combination of quadrangular columns as shown in FIG. 7 or a combination of conical shapes. In order to perform the function of positioning and fixing the reticle 2 on the base plate 100, the portion of the fixing pin 103 that contacts the reticle 2 may use a material that is excellent in wear resistance, low friction, and low dust generation. it can. Examples of such a material include polyether ether ketone (PRRK) resin or plastic made of polyimide resin such as registered trademark Vespel (manufactured by Dupon) and registered trademark UPIMOL (manufactured by UBE). Further, the fixing pin 103 can be composed of two materials. For example, the first inclined surface 122 responsible for the positioning function uses a plastic with low wear, low friction, and conductivity, and the second inclined surface 121 responsible for the function of fixing the reticle 2 reduces degassing in vacuum as much as possible. In order to do this, a metal can be used.

  FIG. 1 shows a relative arrangement of the reticle 2, the inner cover 104, and the base plate 100 in a state where the reticle 2 is positioned and fixed to the base plate 100 in the first embodiment. On the base plate 100, a support pin 102a for supporting the reticle 2 and a post pin 101b for preventing an extreme displacement of the reticle 2 are arranged.

  Next, the operation when the double pod 31 for storing the reticle 2 of the first embodiment is applied to the reticle transport system of the EUV exposure apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, the exposure process is completed, the reticle 2 is transported into the inner case 10 and finally stored in the outer case 200. In S200, the exposure operation is completed, and the reticle 2 unloading operation is started. In step S <b> 201, the reticle 2 is moved to the pre-alignment stage 20 by the reticle stage 3 and detached from the reticle chuck 7. Since the separation process of S201 is a process of releasing from the state where the reticle 2 is in close contact with the reticle chuck 7, it is essentially a non-linear phenomenon, and the displacement of the reticle 2 is likely to occur.

  In step S <b> 202, the detached reticle 2 is placed on the base plate 100. Since the displacement is likely to occur in the separation step of S201, the reticle 2 is not positioned on the base plate 100. In S <b> 203, the inner cover 104 is coupled to the base plate 100 on which the reticle 2 is placed by the opener 24, so that the reticle 2 is protected in the inner case 10. At this stage, the reticle 2 has not been positioned with respect to the base plate 100 yet. In S <b> 204, the inner case 10 is transferred to the load lock chamber 23. In S205, the load lock chamber 23 is vented to atmospheric pressure.

  In S <b> 206, the inner case 10 is transported to the EFEM 19 and stored in the outer case 200. At this time, the fixing pin 103 effectively acts on positioning and fixing of the reticle 2. When the inner case 10 is conveyed to the EFEM 19, the reticle 2 is not positioned with respect to the base plate 100. However, when closing the outer case 200 with the EFEM 19, first, the edge of the C surface 120 of the chuck surface of the reticle 2 first comes into contact with the first inclined surface 122 where the inclination angle of the fixing pin 103 exceeds 45 °. To do. Due to the guide action of the first inclined surface 122, the reticle 2 moves to a predetermined positioning position. After the positioning operation is completed, the reticle 2 is fixed at the positioning position by the contact between the second inclined surface 121 having an inclination angle of approximately 45 ° and the C surface 120. In S207, a series of reticle transport operations are completed.

  According to the present embodiment, when the reticle 2 is stored in the double pod 31, the reticle 2 can be positioned and fixed with respect to the base plate 100 by using the fixing pin 103. In this case, no extra force is applied to the C surface 120 of the chuck surface of the reticle 2, so that no particles are generated due to friction and rubbing between the C surface 120 and the contact portion of the fixing pin 103.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the fixing pin 103 has two inclined surfaces with different inclination angles. However, the fixing pin may have three or more inclined surfaces. In FIG. 10, the fixing pin 103 ′ of the second embodiment includes a second inclined surface 121 (length L2, inclination angle θ2 = 45 °) for fixing the reticle and a first inclined surface for positioning the reticle 2. 122 (length L1, inclination angle θ1). The fixing pin 103 ′ of the second embodiment further includes a third inclined surface 123 (length L3, inclination angle θ3) that connects the first and second inclined surfaces 122 and 121. In this case, each inclination angle satisfies the relationship of θ1>θ3> θ2. Therefore, the angle formed by the third inclined surface 123 and the first inclined surface 122 outside the fixed pin 103 ′ and the angle formed by the third inclined surface 123 and the second inclined surface 121 outside the fixed pin 103 ′ are as follows. Both are less than 180 °. Although only one third inclined surface 123 is shown in FIG. 10, the number of the third inclined surfaces 123 may be two or more and may be at least one.

  By forming the third inclined surface 123, during the closing operation of the outer case 200, the fixing pin 103 'moves downward, the reticle 2 is positioned, and then the fixing pin is moved to the operation of fixing the reticle 2. A smooth operation of 103 'can be expected. The third inclined surface 123 does not have to be a flat surface. For example, the first inclined surface 122 and the second inclined surface 121 can be smoothly interpolated by using a curved surface having a curvature.

  By providing the third inclined surface 123 on the fixing pin 103 ′, the fixing pin 103 ′ moves smoothly when moving from the positioning operation of the reticle 2 to the fixing operation of the reticle 2, thereby further reducing the generation of particles. Is possible. Further, by providing the third inclined surface 123 with a curvature, the movement of the fixing pin 103 ′ becomes smoother and the generation of particles can be further reduced.

(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, by providing two or more inclined surfaces in the portion of the fixing pin 103 that contacts the reticle 2, the reticle 2 is positioned with respect to the base plate 100 during the closing operation of the outer case 200. Fix it. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the function of positioning the reticle 2 is formed by forming two or more inclined surfaces on the portion of the post pin 101 that contacts the reticle 2 instead of the fixed pin 103 installed on the inner cover 104. It is characterized by making it manifest. In other words, a post pin (101a to 101h in FIG. 4) that has been conventionally provided for the purpose of preventing extreme lateral displacement of the reticle 2 on the base plate 100 is provided with a function of positioning the reticle 2.

  FIG. 11 shows a cross section of the post pin (second positioning member) 101 of the third embodiment. The post pin 101 includes a first inclined surface 142 that first contacts the C surface of the reticle 2, and a second inclined surface 141 that is formed below the first inclined surface 142 and contacts the C surface after the first inclined surface 142. including. The second inclined surface 141 has a second inclination angle θ2 (= 45 °) as an elevation angle with respect to the upper surface of the base plate 100 and a length L2. The inclination angle of the inclined surface of the post pin 101 is defined as an elevation angle in the same direction with respect to the upper surface (usually a horizontal surface) of the base plate 100. The length of the inclined surface is the same as in the first and second embodiments. The inclination angle θ2 of the second inclined surface 141 is substantially the same as the angle of the C-plane of the reticle 2 that is the standard for the 6025 substrate of the reticle 2. The length L2 of the second inclined surface 141 is substantially equal to the width of the C surface, but has a length longer than that. The first inclined surface 142 has a first inclination angle θ1 and a length L1 that are larger than the second inclination angle θ2 (= 45 °). Therefore, the angle formed by the first inclined surface 142 and the second inclined surface 141 outside the post pin 101 is less than 180 °.

  FIG. 12 shows a method of positioning the reticle 2 with respect to the base plate 100 using the post pins 101. In the state A, a state in which the reticle 2 is not positioned with respect to the base plate 100 immediately before the reticle 2 is placed on the base plate 100 is shown. The positional deviation amount at this time is set to Δx with reference to the position where the reticle 2 is positioned. The state B shows a state where the first inclined surface 142 of the post pin 101 and the C surface 140 of the lower surface edge of the reticle 2 are in contact with each other. From this state, the reticle 2 descends downward by a reticle support mechanism (not shown). At this time, the reticle 2 comes into contact with the first inclined surface 142 of the post pin 101 at the edge of the lower C surface 140 of the reticle 2. Since the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surface 142 is larger than 45 °, most of the force due to the gravity reaction of the reticle 2 received by the post pin 101 is a horizontal component force. Therefore, the reticle 2 can easily move in the horizontal direction (left direction in the figure) on a reticle support mechanism (not shown). That is, the first inclined surface 142 serves as a guide for positioning the reticle 2.

  In the state C, the positioning of the reticle 2 on the base plate 100 is completed. Since the second inclined surface 141 having substantially the same inclination angle 45 ° and the C surface 140 of the reticle 2 have a sufficient contact area, the reticle 2 is unlikely to be laterally displaced at the positioning position. Thereafter, the fixing pin 103a installed on the inner cover 104 pushes the reticle 2 from above, so that the reticle 2 is fixed at the positioning position. When the reticle 2 is deviated by Δx from the positioning position, the length L1 of the first inclined surface 142 is required to be equal to or greater than (Δx / cos θ1).

  In the present embodiment, the post pin 101 having the cross-sectional shape of FIG. 11 has been described. However, the post pin 101 has two or more inclined angles different from each other at the contact portion in contact with the C surface 140 on the mask surface side of the reticle 2. If it has a surface, it will not be limited to this. The portion of the post pin 101 that is in contact with the reticle 2 has a function of positioning when the reticle 2 is placed on the base plate 100, so that it is excellent in wear resistance, low friction, and low dust generation as in the previous embodiment. Material. FIG. 13 shows a relative arrangement state of the reticle 2, the inner cover 104, and the base plate 100 positioned by using the post pin 101 of FIG. In the present embodiment, since the reticle 2 is placed on the base plate 100 as described above and positioned by the weight of the reticle 2, the fixing pin 103 a may have the same configuration as the conventional one.

  According to the present embodiment, when the reticle 2 is stored in the double pod 31, the reticle 2 can be easily positioned on the base plate 100 by using the post pin 101. In the present embodiment, no extra force is applied to the C surface of the chuck surface of the reticle 2 at the time of positioning, so no particles are generated due to friction and rubbing between the C surface and the contact portion of the fixing pin 103a.

  In the present embodiment, the first inclined surface 142 is directly connected to the second inclined surface 141. However, the first inclined surface 142 and the second inclined surface 141 may be connected by at least one third inclined surface. In that case, the angle formed by the plane including the third inclined surface and the plane including the first inclined surface outside the post pin 101, and the plane including the third inclined surface and the plane including the second inclined surface are the post pins 101. The outward angle is less than 180 °. Further, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface may be connected by a curved surface.

[Device manufacturing method]
Next, a method for manufacturing a device (semiconductor device, liquid crystal display device, etc.) will be described. A semiconductor device is manufactured through a pre-process for producing an integrated circuit on a wafer and a post-process for completing an integrated circuit chip on the wafer produced in the pre-process as a product. The pre-process includes a step of exposing the wafer coated with the photosensitive agent using the above-described exposure apparatus, and a step of developing the wafer. The pre-process also includes a process for inspecting the reticle. The post-process includes an assembly process (dicing and bonding) and a packaging process (encapsulation). A liquid crystal display device is manufactured through a process of forming a transparent electrode. The step of forming the transparent electrode includes a step of applying a photosensitive agent to a glass substrate on which a transparent conductive film is deposited, a step of exposing the glass substrate on which the photosensitive agent is applied using the above-described exposure apparatus, and a glass substrate. Developing. The device manufacturing method of the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of device performance, quality, productivity, and production cost as compared with the conventional method.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary. For example, the embodiment of the present invention has been described above by taking the exposure apparatus as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to a device manufacturing apparatus that handles a reticle in a device manufacturing process. In that case, the device manufacturing apparatus only needs to include a storage mechanism for storing the reticle in the container of the present invention, like the exposure apparatus described above. The device manufacturing apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus for cleaning or inspecting a reticle.

Claims (11)

A container including an inner case for accommodating a reticle and an outer case for accommodating the inner case,
The reticle has a chamfered portion at its edge,
The outer case includes a lid member and a base member disposed below the lid member,
The inner case includes a base plate that protects the lower surface of the reticle, an inner cover that is disposed above the base plate and protects the upper surface of the reticle, and the outer case that is installed on the inner cover and accommodates the inner case A first positioning member that positions the reticle in contact with the chamfered portion by being pressed downward by a pressing portion configured on the lower surface of the lid member by closing the lid with the lid member;
Including
The contact surface with the chamfered portion of the first positioning member is inclined with an elevation angle in the same direction with respect to the upper surface of the base plate, and the first positioning member and the chamfered portion are initially pressed by the pressing portion. A first inclined surface that contacts the first chamfered portion, and a second inclined surface that is formed above the first inclined surface and contacts the chamfered portion after the first inclined surface. The angle formed by the two inclined surfaces outside the first positioning member is less than 180 °,
A container characterized by that.   The first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are connected by a third inclined surface, and an angle formed by the third inclined surface and the first inclined surface outside the first positioning member, and The container according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by the third inclined surface and the second inclined surface outside the first positioning member is less than 180 °.   3. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first inclined surface, the second inclined surface, and a surface therebetween is a curved surface. When the allowable displacement of the reticle relative to the base plate is Δx, the length of the first inclined surface is L1, and the elevation angle of the first inclined surface is θ1, L1 and θ1 are
L1 × cos θ1 ≧ Δx
The container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A container including an inner case for accommodating a reticle and an outer case for accommodating the inner case,
The reticle has a chamfered portion at its edge,
The outer case includes a lid member and a base member disposed below the lid member,
The inner case includes a base plate that protects the lower surface of the reticle, an inner cover that is disposed above the base plate and protects the upper surface of the reticle, and is installed on the base plate to contact the chamfer and A second positioning member for positioning;
Including
The second positioning member has a contact surface with the chamfered portion inclined at an elevation angle in the same direction with respect to the upper surface of the base plate, and is first contacted with the chamfered portion of the reticle placed on the inner case. An inclined surface, and a second inclined surface that is formed below the first inclined surface and contacts the chamfered portion after the first inclined surface, wherein the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are The angle formed outside the second positioning member is less than 180 °,
A container characterized by that.   The first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are connected by a third inclined surface, and an angle formed by the third inclined surface and the first inclined surface outside the second positioning member, and The container according to claim 5, wherein an angle formed by the third inclined surface and the second inclined surface outside the second positioning member is less than 180 °.   The container according to claim 5 or 6, wherein at least one of the first inclined surface, the second inclined surface, and a surface between them forms a curved surface. When the allowable displacement of the reticle relative to the base plate is Δx, the length of the first inclined surface is L1, and the elevation angle of the first inclined surface is θ1, L1 and θ1 are
L1 × cos θ1 ≧ Δx
The container according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein: An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate through a reticle,
An exposure apparatus comprising: a storage mechanism for storing the reticle in the container according to claim 1. Exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 9;
Developing the substrate exposed in the step;
A device manufacturing method comprising:   A device manufacturing apparatus comprising: a storage mechanism that stores the reticle in the container according to claim 1.

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