KR20100035512A - Apparatus and method for repairing a mask - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mask repair apparatus and a method thereof are provided to repair a mask efficiently by using an irradiating laser to remove foreign material on the mask and digging out the foreign material with a needle. CONSTITUTION: A laser part(210) irradiates a laser on foreign material in order to eliminate the foreign material. A needle portion(300) applies the physical power to the foreign material so that the foreign material can be removed. An optical part(220) enables the laser to be emitted from the laser part to reach the foreign material. The material of the needle portion is comprised of tungsten. The optical part comprises a beam splitter, a lens, a filter, and a shutter.

Description

Mask repair apparatus and method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING A MASK}

The present invention relates to a mask repair apparatus and method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mask repair apparatus and method for irradiating a laser on a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display having a predetermined pattern, and digging and removing it with a needle.

Recently, research on semiconductors has been progressing toward high integration and high performance in order to process more data in a short time. In addition, research on flat panel displays is progressing toward high resolution.

In order to manufacture semiconductor and flat panel displays, a series of unit processes such as film formation, pattern formation, and metal wiring formation are performed.

The pattern forming process includes a photolithography process, and the photolithography process includes a series of processes such as a cleaning process, a surface treatment process, a photoresist film forming process, an alignment / exposure process, a developing process, and an inspection process.

On the other hand, the use of a mask corresponding to the original plate of the pattern is essential for accurate pattern formation in the pattern formation process. During the pattern formation process, foreign materials (particles, organics, photoresist residues, etc.) remain in the mask for various reasons.

In particular, since the elements and wirings of the semiconductor and the flat panel display are extremely fine, if the pattern is formed while the foreign matter is buried in the mask, the formation of the normal device or the wire is interrupted, which causes defects in the semiconductor and the flat panel display. In addition, it is important to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the mask.

Conventionally, a method using a chemical is used as a method for removing foreign substances on a mask, but there is a problem in that contamination occurs during processing of the chemical used.

In order to solve this problem, the Republic of Korea Patent Application 1999-7001994 'a method for removing foreign substances on the surface of the substrate by a laser' has been disclosed. The technique is configured to spray a predetermined reaction gas to remove foreign substances on the surface of the substrate, and then remove the foreign substances by irradiating the laser with the foreign substances. However, according to the type of the foreign matter, there is a problem in that the foreign matter is not completely removed by the irradiation of the laser and remains secondary on the mask while generating secondary contamination.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the foreign matter on the mask for manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display having a predetermined pattern is irradiated with a laser and digging and removed with a needle to remove the foreign matter. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mask repair apparatus and method that can be efficiently removed.

In order to achieve the above object, the mask repair apparatus according to the present invention is a mask repair apparatus for repairing a mask by removing a foreign material on a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display in which a predetermined pattern is formed, wherein the foreign matter is removed. Laser unit for irradiating the laser to the foreign matter; And it characterized in that it comprises a needle for applying a physical force to the foreign matter so that the foreign matter is removed.

The optical unit may further include an optical unit for allowing the laser emitted from the laser unit to reach the foreign matter.

The material of the needle part may be tungsten.

The needle part may be connected to a motor to allow the needle part to apply a physical force to the foreign matter.

The needle part may remove the foreign matter by a digging motion.

An air unit having at least one function of inhaling the foreign matter or blowing the foreign matter may be installed near the needle part.

The air unit may further include a function of suctioning and blowing foreign matter attached to the needle in the process of removing the foreign matter from the needle part.

The brush unit may further include a brush unit for removing the foreign matter attached to the needle part in the process of removing the foreign matter by the needle part.

In order to achieve the above object, the mask repair method according to the present invention is a mask repair method for removing a foreign material on a mask for semiconductor or flat panel display fabrication in which a predetermined pattern is formed and repairing the mask, wherein the foreign material is removed. Irradiating a laser to the foreign matter so as to be possible; And applying a physical force to the foreign matter so that the foreign matter is removed.

The method may further include at least one of inhaling the foreign matter or blowing the foreign matter.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that the mask can be repaired more efficiently by irradiating a laser on a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display on which a predetermined pattern is formed and digging away with a needle.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a mask repair apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the mask repair apparatus 100 may include the table 110, the X-axis and Y-axis moving units 120 and 130, the stage 140, the mask seating frame 150, the repair unit 200, and the like. It is configured to include.

First, the table 110, called a gantry (Gantry) is installed on a frame structure that is firmly installed on the ground to prevent external vibration or impact. The upper surface of the table 110 is accurately leveled in order to proceed with a more reliable repair process.

The upper and lower ends of the table 110 have a pair of X-axis moving parts 120 formed in a linear form to interlock with each other, and each of the X-axis moving parts 120 has a Y-axis formed in a linear shape. Both ends of the moving unit 130 are connected to each other so as to be movable on the upper portion of the table 110 by the operation of the X-axis moving unit 120.

The Y-axis moving unit 130 is provided with a repair unit 200 to move by the operation of the Y-axis moving unit 130.

The X-axis moving unit 120 and the Y-axis moving unit 130 are operated by a driving force of a motor not shown.

The stage 140 on which the seating frame 150 is seated is installed on the table 110. The stage 140 may be spaced apart from the repair unit 200 by a predetermined distance so as not to interfere with the operation of the repair unit 200 installed in the Y-axis moving unit 130.

A mask (not shown) as a repair target is mounted on the mask mounting frame 150.

2 and 3 are views showing the configuration of the repair unit 200 of the mask repair apparatus 100.

First, the repair unit 200 may include a laser unit 210 capable of irradiating a laser.

The laser unit 210 serves to irradiate the laser beam to the foreign matter in order to remove the foreign matter present on the mask. The wavelength and output range of the laser beam emitted from the laser unit 210 may be variously changed to be suitable for removing foreign matter. The laser beam emitted from the laser unit 210 may be a pulsed laser beam or a continuous laser beam.

An optical system 220 may be installed between the laser unit 210 and the foreign matter so that the laser beam emitted from the laser unit 210 may be effectively focused on the foreign matter. The optical system 220 may include a beam splitter, a lens, a filter, a shutter, and the like. On the other hand, the optical system 220 may include an objective lens unit 222 that can observe whether the mask and the foreign matter is removed.

When the laser beam emitted from the laser unit 210 is irradiated to the foreign matter on the mask, the foreign matter may be burned and removed. In this case, in order to promote the combustion process, a surrounding of the foreign matter to which the laser beam is irradiated may be formed in a predetermined auxiliary gas atmosphere. For this purpose, the laser unit 210 may further include an auxiliary gas supply unit (not shown).

In addition, the repair part 200 may include a needle part 300 and an air part 400.

The needle part 300 and the air part 400 serve to remove foreign matters (for example, foreign matters left after being burned by the laser, etc .; residues) which have not been completely removed by using the laser part 210. Do it.

4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of the needle part 300 and the air part 400 of the mask repair apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The needle part 300 includes a needle 310, a fixing block 312, 314 and 316 for fixing the needle 310, and a first manipulator 320 for finely adjusting the behavior of the needle 310.

An attachment is formed at one end of the needle 310. The middle portion of the needle 310 is bent at a predetermined inclination. Needle 310 is preferably made of a material of high rigidity such as tungsten, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The needle 310 is positioned at the center of one side of the first fixing block 312 having a flat plate shape with the attachment of the needle 310 facing a predetermined direction. The second fixing block 314 having a 'c' shape is coupled to the upper portion of the first fixing block 312, and the third fixing block 316 is coupled to the second fixing block 314 so that the needle 310 is completely To be fixed.

The needle 310 is preferably fixed to the mount 230 via the first manipulator 320 that can move in the X, Y, Z axis direction.

The needle part 300 serves to remove the residue by applying a physical force through the needle 310 to the residue on the mask that is not completely removed by irradiating the laser beam. In this case, it is preferable that the needle 310 can remove the residue by a digging method of digging out the residue.

The operation of approaching the residue to be removed by the needle 310 and the operation of removing the residue by the digging method by the needle 310 are performed by the X-axis moving motor M1 and Y installed above the needle part 300. The driving force supplied from the axial movement motor M2 and the Z-axis movement motor M3 can be achieved.

The first manipulator 320 includes an X-axis micrometer stage 322 and a Y-axis micro to enable fine movement of the needle 310 during fine adjustment and replacement of the needle 310 connected to the first manipulator 320. Meter stage 324 and Z-axis micrometer stage 326 may be installed. At this time, the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis micrometer stage (322, 324, 326) it is preferable to finely adjust the behavior of the needle 310 in a manual manner.

The air unit 400 serves to remove residues that are not completely removed even using the needle unit 300.

The air unit 400 includes an air pipe 410, auxiliary mounts 420 and 422 for fixing the air pipe 410, and a second manipulator 430 for finely controlling the behavior of the air pipe 410. .

Air tube 410 inhales or blows air into the residue to remove residue on the mask. To this end, an air supply terminal 412 is installed at one end of the air pipe 410. The air supply terminal 412 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) for suctioning residue and an air storage unit (not shown) for supplying air to the residue. One side of the air supply terminal 412 is preferably provided with an air speed controller 414 to adjust the pressure of the air supplied to the air pipe 410.

The air pipe 410 is fixed to the mount 230 by auxiliary mounts 420 and 422. At this time, the auxiliary mount 422 may be bent in a predetermined direction so that the air pipe 410 can easily access the residue.

The operation of approaching the residue to be removed from the air pipe 410 is from the X-axis moving motor (M1), Y-axis moving motor (M2), Z-axis moving motor (M3) installed on the upper side of the air portion 400 It can be achieved by the driving force supplied.

The second manipulator 430 includes an X-axis micrometer stage 432 that enables fine movement of the air pipe 410 during fine adjustment and replacement of the air pipe 410 connected to the second manipulator 430. Axial micrometer stage 434 and Z-axis micrometer stage 436 may be installed. At this time, the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis micrometer stage (432, 434, 436) it is preferable to finely control the behavior of the air pipe 410 in a manual manner. For reference, in FIGS. 2C and 4, the Y-axis micrometer stage 434 is not shown due to the installed position.

Meanwhile, the air unit 400 not only serves to remove residues on the mask that are not removed by the needle unit 300, but also adheres to the surface of the needle 310 in the process of removing residues of the needle unit 300. It may also remove residues that may be present. That is, the residue attached to the surface of the needle 310 during the residue removal process may secondaryly contaminate the mask when the residue on the mask is removed, and thus it is necessary to periodically clean the surface of the needle 310. The air pipe 410 of the air unit 400 may be approached to the needle 310 to suck the residue on the needle 310 or blow the air to the residue to clean the needle 310.

In addition, as described above, residues that are not completely removed on the needle 310 even by using the air unit 400 may be removed by using a brush (not shown) installed at a predetermined position of the mask repair apparatus 100. Can be removed. That is, the needle 310 may be contacted with a brush to brush the residue on the needle 310 to remove the residue. In this case, it is preferable to use an anti-static brush for the brush.

Meanwhile, when the residues are removed by the needle part 300 and the air part 400, the residues may be scattered around the mask to secondaryly contaminate the mask repair apparatus 100 and the surrounding clean room environment. In order to prevent this, a sticky pad (not shown) may be installed on the lower side of the mask, that is, on the table 110 to easily collect the residues scattered in the residue removal process. Preferably, the sticky pad is provided around the brush.

Referring to the drawings, the operation of the mask repair apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

First, a mask that is a repair target (that is, contaminated with foreign matter) is placed on the stage 140 of the mask repair apparatus 100.

Subsequently, the position of the foreign matter on the mask is determined by using a non-illustrated observation means (eg, a camera) installed in the mask repair apparatus 100, and the X-axis moving unit 120 and the Y-axis moving unit 130 are located. ) So that the laser unit 210 is positioned above the foreign matter.

Thereafter, the laser unit 210 is operated to irradiate the laser beam toward the foreign matter. In this case, the laser beam may be focused and irradiated with a foreign material by using an optical system 220 such as a beam splitter, a lens, and a filter. When the laser beam is irradiated on the foreign matter, the foreign matter is burned and removed on the mask.

On the other hand, the foreign matter can be removed mostly by the combustion method, the foreign matter may not be burned well by the laser beam or incomplete combustion depending on the material may not be completely removed. In some cases, foreign matter that cannot be removed by the heat generated by the laser beam may be fused onto the mask to be removed from the mask.

As such, foreign matters that are not removed on the mask even by the combustion method using a laser beam, particularly residues left after incomplete combustion, can be removed in the following manner.

First, by operating the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis moving motors M1, M2, and M3, the attachment of the needle 310 constituting the needle portion 300 to the residue on the mask is approached. Allow attachment to contact residue.

Thereafter, when the attachment of the needle 310 continues to operate in the X, Y, and Z axis moving motors M1, M2, and M3 in the X, Y, and Z directions while the attachment of the needle 310 is in contact with the residue, the residue may remain in the needle 310. Can be removed on the mask under physical force. In this case, it is preferable to allow the needle 310 to remove the residue by a digging method in which the needle 310 digging out the residue by proper operation of the X, Y, and Z-axis moving motors M1, M2, and M3. Do. In this process, when the attachment of the needle 310 comes in contact with the mask surface, damage may occur to the mask, so that a sensor (not shown) may be additionally installed in the needle part 300.

In addition, residues which are not removed on the mask even by the needle part 300 may be removed in the following manner.

First, the X-, Y-, and Z-axis moving motors M1, M2, and M3 are operated to move the air pipe 410 of the air portion 400 close to the residue.

Thereafter, the residue may be removed on the mask by sucking the residue using a vacuum through the air tube 410. In addition, the residue may be removed on the mask by blowing the high-pressure air toward the residue through the air pipe 410. At this time, the vacuum and air are supplied to the air pipe 410 through the air supply terminal 412 connected to the vacuum pump (not shown) and the air supply unit (not shown). In addition, the pressure of the air supplied to the air pipe 410 can be adjusted using the air speed regulator 414, which prevents the mask from being damaged by excessive air pressure.

The air unit 400 may further include a function of removing the residue by sucking the residue attached to the surface of the needle 310 in the process of removing the residue of the needle unit 300 or blowing air on the residue. This prevents secondary contamination of the mask by residue on the needle 310. In addition, the residue on the needle 310 may be further removed using a brush (not shown) installed at a predetermined position of the mask repair apparatus 100.

In the above description, the laser unit 210, the needle unit 300, and the air unit 400 are sequentially used to remove foreign substances on the mask, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the operation order of the laser unit 210, the needle unit 300, and the air unit 400 may be variously changed as necessary, and as necessary, among the needle unit 300 and the air unit 400. You can use either one. In addition, if necessary, the needle part 300 and the air part 400 may be operated simultaneously to remove foreign substances on the mask.

As described above, the mask repair apparatus and method according to the present invention has an advantage that the mask can be repaired more efficiently by irradiating a laser on a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display with a laser and digging and removing it with a needle.

In the present invention as described above has been described by the specific embodiments, such as specific components and limited embodiments and drawings, but this is provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and variations are possible from these descriptions.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the claims described below, belong to the scope of the present invention. something to do.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a mask repair apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3 are perspective views showing the configuration of the repair unit of the mask repair apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the needle portion and the air portion of the mask repair apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: mask repair device

110: table

120: X axis moving part

130: Y axis moving part

140: stage

150: mask seating frame

200: repair part

210: laser unit

220: optical system

222: lens unit

230: mount

300: needle part

310: needle

320: first manipulator

322, 324, 326: X, Y, Z axis micrometer stage

400: air part

410: air pipe

412: air connection terminal

414: air speed controller

420, 422: secondary mount

430: second manipulator

432, 434, 436: X, Y, Z axis micrometer stage

M1: X axis moving motor

M2: Y axis moving motor

M3: Z axis moving motor

Claims (10)

A mask repair apparatus for repairing a mask by removing foreign substances on a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display in which a predetermined pattern is formed, A laser unit for irradiating a laser to the foreign matter so that the foreign matter is removed; And Needle part for applying a physical force to the foreign matter so that the foreign matter is removed Mask repair apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 1, Mask repair apparatus, characterized in that further comprising an optical unit for the laser emitted from the laser unit to reach the foreign matter. The method of claim 1, Mask repair device, characterized in that the material of the needle portion comprises tungsten. The method of claim 1, Mask repair device, characterized in that the needle is connected to the motor to enable the needle to apply a physical force to the foreign matter. The method of claim 4, wherein The needle part mask repair apparatus, characterized in that for removing the foreign matter by digging (digging) movement. The method of claim 1, Mask repair apparatus, characterized in that the air portion having at least one of the function of inhaling the foreign matter or blowing the foreign matter is installed in the vicinity of the needle portion. The method of claim 6, And the air unit further includes a function of suctioning and blowing foreign substances attached to the needles in the process of removing the foreign substances from the needle unit. The method of claim 1, And a brush unit for removing the foreign matter attached to the needle part in the process of removing the foreign matter by the needle part. A mask repair method for repairing a mask by removing foreign substances on a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display in which a predetermined pattern is formed, Irradiating a laser on the foreign matter so that the foreign matter is removed; And Applying a physical force to the foreign matter to remove the foreign matter Mask repair method comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9, Mask repair method, characterized in that further comprising at least one of the step of inhaling the foreign matter or blowing the foreign matter.

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