US 12,443,114 B2
Particle removal method
Chih-Yuan Yao, Hsinchu (TW); Yu-Yu Chen, Taichung (TW); and Hsiang-Lung Tsou, Taichung (TW)
Assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Nov. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/513,893.
Application 17/835,152 is a division of application No. 16/867,762, filed on May 6, 2020, granted, now 11,385,555, issued on Jul. 12, 2022.
Application 18/513,893 is a continuation of application No. 17/835,152, filed on Jun. 8, 2022, granted, now 11,852,982.
Prior Publication US 2024/0085808 A1, Mar. 14, 2024
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01); B08B 5/00 (2006.01); B08B 6/00 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/70741 (2013.01) [B08B 5/00 (2013.01); B08B 6/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A particle removal method, comprising:
providing a first particle attracting member with a first coating layer;
detecting a number of particles on the first coating layer to obtain a first detected value;
after obtaining the first detected value, loading the first particle attracting member into a processing chamber of a processing apparatus, wherein the processing chamber is configured to perform a lithography exposure process on a semiconductor wafer;
fixing the first particle attracting member on a reticle holder in the processing chamber in a cleaning cycle;
attracting particles in the processing chamber by the first coating layer of the first particle attracting member due to a potential difference between the particles and the first coating layer;
after the cleaning cycle, loading the first particle attracting member with the first coating layer and the attracted particles out of the processing chamber;
detecting the number of the particles on the first coating layer of the first particle attracting member to obtain a second detected value, after loading the first particle attracting member out of the processing chamber;
calculating a difference between the first detected value and the second detected value; and
when the difference between the first detected value and the second detected value is smaller than or equal to a preset value, loading the semiconductor wafer into the processing chamber and performing the lithography exposure process on the semiconductor wafer using a reticle fixed on the reticle holder.