Methods for dry printing carbon nanotube membranes

Abstract

Methods for preparing a nanotube membrane for use in a pellicle membrane using dry printing are disclosed. Nanotube fibers are produced in a reaction vessel and dry sprayed onto a filter to form the nanotube membrane. The thickness of the nanotube membrane can be controlled by moving the reaction vessel and the filter relative to each other, or by further processing to reduce the thickness of the layer deposited onto the filter. This method reduces the number of process steps, reducing overall production time, and can also be used to produce larger membranes. The pellicle membrane can be formed with multiple layers and has a combination of high transmittance, low deflection, and small pore size. A conformal coating may applied to an outer surface of the pellicle membrane to protect the pellicle membrane from damage that can occur due to heat and hydrogen plasma created during EUV exposure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.