	US 12,276,906 B2
	Methods for cleaning lithography mask
I-Hsiung Huang, Hsinchu County (TW); Yung-Cheng Chen, Jhubei (TW); and Chi-Lun Lu, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Mar. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/690,150.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/279,835, filed on Nov. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0152686 A1, May 18, 2023
Int. Cl. G03F 1/82 (2012.01); G03F 1/22 (2012.01); G03F 1/26 (2012.01); G03F 1/62 (2012.01)

CPC G03F 1/82 (2013.01) [G03F 1/22 (2013.01); G03F 1/26 (2013.01); G03F 1/62 (2013.01)]

20 Claims

1. A method for removing haze defects from a patterned photomask used in the production of integrated circuits, comprising:

placing the patterned photomask into a chamber;

pumping a cleaning gas and a purging gas into the chamber, the cleaning gas comprising hydrogen and the purging gas comprising nitrogen;

exposing the patterned photomask to radiation having a wavelength of about 0.1 nm to about 193 nm to decompose the haze defects;

ceasing the pumping of the cleaning gas and the exposure to radiation while maintaining pumping of the purging gas;

ceasing the pumping of the purging gas; and

removing the patterned photomask from the chamber.