US 12,461,440 B2
Pellicle membrane with improved properties
Pei-Cheng Hsu, Taipei (TW); Wei-Hao Lee, Taipei (TW); Ting-Pi Sun, Taichung (TW); Chia-Tung Kuo, Hsinchu (TW); Huan-Ling Lee, Hsinchu (TW); Hsin-Chang Lee, Zhubei (TW); and Chin-Hsiang Lin, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jun. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/854,133.
Prior Publication US 2024/0004284 A1, Jan. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. G03F 1/64 (2012.01); B82Y 40/00 (2011.01); G03F 1/48 (2012.01)
CPC G03F 1/64 (2013.01) [B82Y 40/00 (2013.01); G03F 1/48 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming a pellicle assembly, comprising:
reducing a thickness of an initial membrane to obtain a first nanotube layer for a pellicle membrane, wherein the initial membrane is formed from thick nanotube bundles which have an average diameter of 25 nanometers or greater and which are formed from 25 or more nanotubes;
reducing a thickness of at least one second membrane to obtain at least one second nanotube layer for the pellicle membrane, wherein the at least one second membrane is formed from thin nanotube bundles which have an average diameter of about 4 nanometers to about 20 nanometers, and which include from one to 20 nanotubes;
joining the first nanotube layer and the at least one second nanotube layer together to form the pellicle membrane; and
affixing the pellicle membrane to a mounting frame to obtain the pellicle assembly.