CN-122029485-A - Contact for reducing wear in reticle pod

Abstract

A reticle contact for use in a reticle container is provided having additional features for wear reduction. The wear reduction features include one or more of an annular protrusion or one or more elongated arcuate protrusions from a reticle contact region, one or more reliefs, such as an annular groove provided in a reticle contact region, or one or more reliefs provided by a relatively thin region having the reticle contact region.

Inventors

• WANG HUAPING
• R V stayed sick

Assignees

• 恩特格里斯公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240920

Priority Date

20230922

Claims (20)

1. 1. An article comprising a reticle contact for a reticle pod, the reticle contact comprising: a reticle contact body configured to be received in a lid of the reticle pod or a bottom plate of the reticle pod, and A reticle contact region at a distal end of the reticle contact body, wherein the reticle contact region includes a wear reducing feature.
2. 2. The article of claim 1, wherein the wear reduction feature comprises one or more elongated arcuate projections.
3. 3. The article of claim 2, wherein the one or more elongated arcuate projections enclose a reticle contact region.
4. 4. The article of claim 2, wherein the one or more elongated arcuate projections comprise one or more rings, each of the one or more rings surrounding a center of the reticle contact region.
5. 5. The article of claim 2, wherein a maximum height of the reticle contact region is disposed on at least one of the one or more arcuate protrusions, and wherein a transition from a sidewall of the one or more arcuate protrusions to a reticle contact surface of the one or more arcuate protrusions is filleted at a distance of 0.3 millimeters (mm) or less.
6. 6. The article of claim 1, wherein the wear reducing feature comprises at least one relief disposed in the reticle contact region.
7. 7. The article of claim 6, wherein the relief has a depth of at least 0.1 millimeters (mm).
8. 8. The article of claim 6, wherein the at least one relief comprises an annular groove.
9. 9. The article of claim 8, wherein the annular groove has an inner diameter in a range from 0.1 millimeters (mm) to 3.0 mm.
10. 10. The article of claim 8, wherein a transition from a sidewall of the annular trench to a reticle contact surface of the reticle contact zone is filleted at a distance of 0.3 millimeters (mm) or less.
11. 11. The article of claim 1, wherein the wear reduction feature comprises a first region of the reticle contact region at which a thickness of the reticle contact is relatively less than a thickness of the reticle contact at a second region of the reticle contact surface.
12. 12. The article of claim 11, wherein the first region of the reticle contact overlaps a center of the reticle contact region.
13. 13. The article of claim 1, wherein the wear reducing feature comprises a plurality of protrusions from the reticle contact region, wherein at least one of the plurality of protrusions has an elongated cross-sectional shape.
14. 14. The article of claim 1, wherein the reticle contact surface has a radius R1, a transition between the sidewall of the wear reducing feature to the reticle contact surface has a radius R2, and R2 is less than 80% of R1.
15. 15. The article of claim 14, wherein the sidewall of the wear-reducing feature has a height of 0.2 mm or greater.
16. 16. The article of claim 1, further comprising a flexible mount configured to allow the reticle contacts to move relative to the cover of the reticle pod or the bottom plate of the reticle pod when the flexible mount is deformed.
17. 17. A reticle pod comprising at least one of a cover, a base plate, and the article of claim 1.
18. 18. The reticle pod of claim 17, further comprising a pod dome and a pod door.
19. 19. A reticle pod comprising a cover, a base plate, and a plurality of articles according to claim 1.
20. 20. The reticle pod of claim 19, further comprising a pod dome and a pod door.

Description

Contact for reducing wear in reticle pod Technical Field The present disclosure relates to reticle contacts for use in reticle containers, and reticle containers, such as reticle pods, that contain such reticle contacts. Background A reticle, such as a lithography reticle for Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, for example, may be held within a reticle container by contacts. Wear may occur at the interface between the contact and the reticle. Particulate material that can contaminate or damage the reticle can be created when wear affects the contact. When wear affects the reticle, at least a portion of the coating of the reticle may be damaged. Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure relates to reticle contacts for use in reticle containers, and reticle containers, such as reticle pods, that contain such reticle contacts. By reducing wear at the interface between the reticle container and the claimed reticle, the generation of particle contamination and/or damage to the surface of the reticle may be suppressed. In an embodiment, an article includes a reticle contact for a reticle pod. The reticle contact includes a reticle contact body configured to be received in a lid of the reticle pod or a floor of the reticle pod, and a reticle contact region at a distal end of the reticle contact body. The reticle contact region includes a wear reducing feature. In an embodiment, the wear reduction feature includes one or more elongated arcuate projections. In an embodiment, the one or more elongated arcuate protrusions surround the reticle contact region. In an embodiment, the one or more elongated arcuate projections include one or more rings, each of the one or more rings surrounding a center of the reticle contact region. In an embodiment, a maximum height of the reticle contact region is disposed on at least one of the one or more arcuate protrusions, and wherein a transition from a sidewall of the one or more arcuate protrusions to a reticle contact surface of the one or more arcuate protrusions is filleted at a distance of 0.3 millimeters (mm) or less. In an embodiment, the wear reduction feature includes at least one relief (relif) disposed in the reticle contact region. In an embodiment, the relief has a depth of at least 0.1 millimeters (mm). In an embodiment, the at least one relief comprises an annular groove. In an embodiment, the annular groove has an inner diameter in a range from 0.1 millimeters (mm) to 3.0 mm. In an embodiment, the transition from the sidewall of the annular trench to the reticle contact surface of the reticle contact zone is filleted at a distance of 0.3 millimeters (mm) or less. In an embodiment, the wear reduction feature includes a first region of the reticle contact region where a thickness of the reticle contact is relatively less than a thickness of the reticle contact at a second region of the reticle contact surface. In an embodiment, the first region of the reticle contact overlaps a center of the reticle contact region. In an embodiment, the wear reduction feature includes a plurality of protrusions from the reticle contact region, wherein at least one of the plurality of protrusions has an elongated cross-sectional shape. In an embodiment, the mask contact surface has a radius R1, a transition between the sidewall of the wear reduction feature to the mask contact surface has a radius R2, and R2 is less than 80% of R1. In an embodiment, the article further includes a flexible mount configured to allow the reticle contacts to move relative to the cover of the reticle pod or the bottom plate of the reticle pod when the flexible mount is deformed. In an embodiment, a reticle pod includes at least one of a cover, a base plate, and an article as described herein. In an embodiment, the reticle pod further comprises a pod dome and a pod door. In an embodiment, a reticle pod includes a cover, a base plate, and a plurality of articles as described herein. In an embodiment, some of the plurality of the articles are disposed on the cover and some of the plurality of the articles are disposed on the base plate. In an embodiment, the reticle pod further comprises a pod dome and a pod door. Drawings Fig. 1 shows a reticle container according to an embodiment. Fig. 2A shows a cross-sectional view of a reticle contact according to an embodiment. Fig. 2B shows a top view of the reticle contact of fig. 2A. Fig. 2C shows a close-up cross-sectional view of the reticle contact of fig. 2A. Fig. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of a reticle contact according to an embodiment. Fig. 3B shows a top view of the reticle contact of fig. 3A. Fig. 3C shows a cross-sectional view of the reticle contact of fig. 3A at a reticle contact surface. Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view at a reticle contact surface of a reticle contact according to an embodiment. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a reticle contact according to an embodiment. Fig. 6A shows a top view of a reticle contact according to