US 12,282,264 B2
Cleaning apparatus for cleaning surface of photomask
Ting-Hsien Ko, Tainan (TW); Chih-Wei Wen, Tainan (TW); and Chung-Hung Lin, Tainan (TW)
Assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED, Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed by TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED, Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed on May 5, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/308,308.
Prior Publication US 2022/0357678 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01); B08B 5/02 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/70925 (2013.01) [B08B 5/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface of a photomask, comprising:
a housing defining a chamber;
a photomask holder disposed within the chamber;
a gas dispenser over the photomask holder and disposed within the chamber to direct a gas-knife toward the photomask holder, the gas dispenser comprising two or more gas dispensing outlets, a first gas dispensing outlet of the two or more gas dispensing outlets directing gas over a first portion of the photomask holder and a second gas dispensing outlet of the two or more gas dispensing outlets directing gas over a second portion of the photomask holder partially overlapping the first portion of the photomask holder; and
a vacuum disposed within the chamber to establish vacuum relative to the photomask holder, wherein:
the vacuum comprises two or more vacuum pores,
the two or more gas dispensing outlets are stacked in a first direction, and
a first centerline, extending in a second direction different than the first direction, of the first gas dispensing outlet is aligned with an area between a first vacuum pore of the two or more vacuum pores and a second vacuum pore of the two or more vacuum pores.