Patent · US Expired

Exposure apparatus with foreign particle detector

US4676637A · kind A · utility

18Cited by
2References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 23, 1985
Grant dateJun 30, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 23, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2021/9563
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A plurality of substrate assemblies each including a substrate such as a reticle or photomask used for exposure and frames, mounted to the opposite surfaces of the substrate, to which foreign particle deposition preventive films are applied are stored in a magazine. By using a transport unit, a substrate assembly is taken out of the magazine, transported from the magazine to a mask table disposed at an exposure position and set at the mask table. A foreign particle detector is provided near the transport unit to optically detect foreign particles present on the foreign particle deposition preventive film of the substrate assembly. The substrate assembly set at the mask table is aligned to a wafer. A light beam is irradiated on the substrate assembly aligned relative to the wafer and a circuit pattern formed on the substrate is projected upon the wafer through a projection optical system to expose the wafer to the light beam through the circuit pattern.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.