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US 6,190,743 B1Granted
Photomask protection system
AssigneeMicro Lithography, Inc.
InventorChing-Bore Wang
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMicro Lithography, Inc.
InventorChing-Bore Wang
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides a photomask protection system for minimizing contamination resulting from the removal of a pellicle from a photomask. The system comprises a continuous wall attached to the photomask and disposed between the region of the mask where the pellicle attaches and the photomask pattern. The wall is dimensioned to fit within the pellicle and to be spaced from the pellicle membrane and the pellicle frame. The wall minimizes the likelihood that any contaminants generated by the removal of a pellicle frame from the photomask surface will reach the photomask pattern. The wall may be coated with an adhesive to capture any contaminants that contact it. The present invention also provides a method for minimizing the contamination of a photomask during the removal and replacement of a pellicle, comprising the steps of attaching a barrier to the photomask surface wherein the barrier surrounds the photomask pattern and fits within the pellicle without contacting the pellicle frame or pellicle membrane.
A photomask protection system for minimizing contamination resulting from the removal of a pellicle from a photomask, the pellicle including a pellicle membrane and pellicle frame which is removably mounted to the photomask, the pellicle membrane including an inside surface and the pellicle frame including an inside surface, the photomask including a surface with a centrally disposed pattern, the protection system comprising:
A method for minimizing contamination of a photomask during the removal and replacement of a pellicle, the pellicle including a pellicle frame and a pellicle membrane, the photomask including a photomask surface with a centrally disposed photomask pattern, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.