US 11,231,646 B2 · Pellicle and pellicle assembly

Pellicle and pellicle assembly

AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.

InventorsDavid Ferdinand Vles, Chaitanya Krishna Ande, Antonius Franciscus Johannes De Groot, Adrianus Johannes Maria Giesbers, Johannes Joseph Janssen, Paul Janssen, Johan Hendrik Klootwijk, Peter Simon Antonius Knapen, Evgenia Kurganova, Marcel Peter Meijer, Wouter Rogier Meijerink, Maxim Aleksandrovich Nasalevich, Arnoud Willem Notenboom, Raymond Olsman, Hrishikesh Patel, Mária Péter, Gerrit Van Den Bosch, Wilhelmus Theodorus Anthonius Johannes Van Den Einden, Willem Joan Van Der Zande, Pieter-Jan Van Zwol, Johannes Petrus Martinus Bernardus Vermeulen, Willem-Pieter Voorthuijzen, Hendrikus Jan Wondergem, Aleksandar Nikolov Zdravkov

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Abstract

A pellicle assembly is disclosed that has a pellicle frame defining a surface onto which a pellicle is to be attached. The pellicle assembly includes one or more three-dimensional expansion structures that allow the pellicle to expand under stress. There is also disclosed a pellicle assembly for a patterning device, the pellicle assembly including one or more actuators for moving the pellicle assembly towards and way from the patterning device.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A pellicle assembly comprising:

a pellicle frame defining a surface onto which a pellicle is, or arranged to be, attached;
and
one or more three-dimensional expansion structures that allow the pellicle to expand under stress relative to the pellicle frame.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

16/614,815Filed 8 Jun 2018

Priority

EP 1717620515 Jun 2017

Published

US 2020/0209736 A12 Jul 2020

Granted

25 Jan 2022

Term ends

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Classification3 codes

G03F 1/62
Originals for photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g., masks, photo-masks, reticles; Mask blanks or pellicles…
G03F 1/64
Pellicles, e.g. pellicle assemblies, e.g. having membrane on support frame; Preparation thereof: characterised by the frames, e.g. structure or…
G03F
Photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces