US 12,189,312 B2
Reticle gripper damper and isolation system for lithographic apparatuses
Roberto B. Wiener, Ridgefield, CT (US); Peter Conrad Kochersperger, Easton, CT (US); Boris Kogan, Norwalk, CT (US); Martinus Agnes Willem Cuijpers, Veldhoven (NL); Robert Jeffrey Wade, Stamford, CT (US); and Shaun Evans, Danbury, CT (US)
Assigned to ASML Holding N.V., Veldhoven (NL); and ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Appl. No. 17/799,652
Filed by ASML Holding N.V., Veldhoven (NL); and ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
PCT Filed Jan. 26, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/051758
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 12, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/160423, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 19, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/976,553, filed on Feb. 14, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0075162 A1, Mar. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/709 (2013.01) [G03F 7/70741 (2013.01); H01L 21/68707 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A reticle handler apparatus for positioning of a reticle, the reticle handler apparatus comprising:
a reticle handler arm;
a reticle baseplate configured to hold the reticle; and
a gripper arranged to connect the reticle baseplate to the reticle handler arm,
wherein the gripper comprises:
a static structure that is coupled to the reticle handler arm;
an isolation structure that is coupled to the static structure; and
one or more damping elements, at least one of the one or more damping elements being located within an internal volume of the static structure and/or isolation structure, and
wherein the gripper is configured to reduce vibrations of the reticle in the reticle handler apparatus using the one or more damping elements.