US 11,682,573 B2
Pellicle removal tool
Hilario Ar-Miguel Alvarez, Flower Mound, TX (US); Spencer Allen Mullens, Denison, TX (US); and Jesse Eugene Williams, II, McKinney, TX (US)
Assigned to PHOTRONICS, INC., Brookfield, CT (US)
Filed by PHOTRONICS, INC., Brookfield, CT (US)
Filed on Jul. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/390,018.
Application 17/390,018 is a continuation of application No. 15/960,963, filed on Apr. 24, 2018, granted, now 11,183,410.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/489,200, filed on Apr. 24, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0384057 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. G03F 1/64 (2012.01); G03F 7/20 (2006.01); H01L 21/68 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01); G03F 7/00 (2006.01); G03F 1/82 (2012.01); H01L 21/683 (2006.01); G03F 1/62 (2012.01); B32B 38/10 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/68 (2013.01) [H01L 21/682 (2013.01); H01L 21/68742 (2013.01); B32B 38/10 (2013.01); G03F 1/62 (2013.01); G03F 1/64 (2013.01); G03F 1/82 (2013.01); G03F 7/70983 (2013.01); H01L 21/683 (2013.01); Y10T 156/1168 (2015.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pellicle removal tool comprising:
(A) a stage that holds a photomask in a fixed position relative to an associated pellicle;
(B) two or more arms positioned around the stage and configured to engage pellicle side wells included on at least one side of the pellicle and configured to be lifted in a sequential order; and
(C) two or more actuators configured to:
(i) independently adjust at least a vertical position of a corresponding arm of the two or more arms, and
(ii) lift the two or more arms in a sequential order from one arm to the next arm so as to apply a sequence of lifting forces around the pellicle with the stage holding the photomask in a fixed position for removal of the pellicle from the photomask,
wherein each of the two or more actuators comprises:
a first actuator configured to provide a fine position adjustment of the corresponding arm, and
a second actuator configured to provide a rough position adjustment of the corresponding arm,
wherein the two or more arms are each housed in a corresponding column, each column being configured to be independently positioned along the at least one side of the pellicle that includes the pellicle side wells.