Air shower head of photolithography equipment for directing air towards a wafer stage

Claim 2

An air shower head for use in showering a wafer stage with air, said air shower head comprising: an annular upper frame defining a hole at the center thereof, and a cavity open at the bottom thereof, said annular upper frame comprising an inner circumferential side wall and an outer circumferential side wall that delimit said cavity, said circumferential inner side wall having a frusto-conical shape and sloping downwardly radially inwardly towards said annular bole so as to define a concavity in the top of the annular upper frame, the thickness of said air shower head becoming greater while moving radially outwardly from a radially innermost end of the inner circumferential side wall of said annular upper frame to a radially outermost end of said inner circumferential side wall; and an annular bottom member mechanically clamped in place at the bottom of said annular upper frame covering said cavity in the annular upper frame, said annular bottom member defining a plurality of pores extending therethrough, when said annular upper frame and said annular bottom member define a space within the air shower head open to said pores so that air introduced into said space under pressure is ejected out of the air shower head through said pores.

Claim 3

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 1 , wherein the annular bottom member is a fabric of woven yarn.

Claim 4

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of said inner and outer circumferential side walls of said annular upper frame has a U-shaped portion at the bottom thereof, the U-shaped portion opening in a direction towards the other of said inner and outer circumferential side walls, one circumferential side of said bottom member extending into and crimped by said U-shaped portion.

Claim 5

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 2 , wherein the air shower head comprises a discrete clamp comprising a clamp body having a shape corresponding to that of a peripheral portion of the bottom of one of said inner and outer circumferential side walls of said annular upper frame, one circumferential side of said bottom member extending between said clamp body and said peripheral portion and clamped by said clamp against the bottom of said one of the inner and outer circumferential side walls of said annular upper frame.

Claim 6

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 4 , wherein said peripheral portion is located outside of said cavity of the annular upper frame such that said one circumferential side of said bottom member extends along said peripheral portion of the bottom of said annular upper frame outside of said cavity.

Claim 7

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 4 , wherein said peripheral portion is located at the inside of the annular upper frame such that said one circumferential side of said bottom member extends along said peripheral portion of the bottom of said annular upper frame inside said cavity.

Claim 8

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 4 , wherein said peripheral portion is the bottommost surface of said one of the inner and outer circumferential side walls of the annular upper frame such that said one circumferential side of said annular bottom member extends along the bottommost surface of said one of the inner and outer circumferential side walls.

Claim 9

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 7 , wherein said one circumferential side of said annular bottom member is folded over on itself.

Claim 10

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 4 , wherein said clamp further comprises at least one mechanical fastener fixing the clamp body to said annular upper frame.

Claim 11

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 9 , wherein said mechanical fastener is a screw or a rivet.

Claim 12

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 1 , and further comprising at least one silicon member providing a seal between said annular bottom member and said annular upper frame.

Claim 13

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 1 , wherein the annular bottom member comprises a chemical-resistant metal.

Claim 14

An air shower head for a wafer stage according to claim 12 , wherein the chemical-resistant metal is gold or platinum.

Claim 15

Photolithography equipment for use in exposing a photoresist layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, the equipment comprising: a wafer stage on which the wafer is supported during exposure of the photoresist layer; an optical system comprising a lens disposed above said wafer stage; and an air shower bead interposed between said optical system and said wafer stage for use in showering the wafer stage with air to prevent foreign material in the area surrounding the wafer stage from contaminating the photoresist layer, said air shower head comprising an annular upper frame, and an annular bottom member, said annular upper frame defining a hole at the center thereof, and a cavity open at the bottom thereof, said annular upper frame comprising an inner circumferential side wall and an outer circumferential side wall that delimit said cavity, said inner circumferential side wall hang a frusto-conical shape and sloping downwardly radially inwardly towards said hole so as to define a concavity in the top of he annular upper frame, the thickness of said air shower head becoming greater while moving radially outwardly from a radially innermost end of the inner circumferential side wall of said annular upper frame to a radially outermost end of said inner circumferential side wall, and said annular bottom member being mechanically clamped in place at the bottom of said annular upper frame covering said cavity in the annular upper frame, said annular bottom member defining a plurality of pores extending therethrough, wherein said annular upper frame and said annular bottom member define a space within be air shower head open to said pores so that air introduced into said space under pressure is ejected out of the air shower head through said pores toward said wafer stage.

Claim 16

Photolithography equipment for use in exposing a photoresist layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, the equipment comprising: a wafer stage on which the wafer is supported during exposure of the photoresist layer; an optical system comprising a lens disposed above said wafer stage; and an air shower bead interposed between said optical system and said wafer stage for use in showering the wafer stage with air to prevent foreign material in the area surrounding the wafer stage from contaminating the photoresist layer, said air shower head comprising an annular upper frame, and an annular bottom member, said annular upper frame defining a hole at the center thereof, and a cavity open at the bottom thereof, said annular upper frame comprising an inner circumferential side wall and an outer circumferential side wall that delimit said cavity, said inner circumferential side wall hang a frusto-conical shape and sloping downwardly radially inwardly towards said hole so as to define a concavity in the top of he annular upper frame, the thickness of said air shower head becoming greater while moving radially outwardly from a radially innermost end of the inner circumferential side wall of said annular upper frame to a radially outermost end of said inner circumferential side wall, and said annular bottom member being mechanically clamped in place at the bottom of said annular upper frame covering said cavity in the annular upper frame, said annular bottom member defining a plurality of pores extending therethrough, wherein said annular upper frame and said annular bottom member define a space within be air shower head open to said pores so that air introduced into said space under pressure is ejected out of the air shower head through said pores toward said wafer stage.

Claim 17

Photolithography equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the annular bottom member of said air shower head is a fabric of woven yarn.

Claim 18

Photolithography equipment according to claim 15 , wherein at least one of said inner and outer circumferential side walls of said annular upper frame of the air shower head has a U-shaped portion at the bottom thereof, the U-shaped portion opening in a direction towards the other of said inner and outer circumferential side walls, one circumferential side of said annular bottom member extending into and crimped by said U-shaped portion.

Claim 19

Photolithography equipment according to claim 15 , wherein the air shower head comprises a discrete clamp comprising a clamp body having a shape corresponding to that of a peripheral portion of the bottom of one of said inner and outer circumferential side walls of said annular upper frame, one circumferential side of said annular bottom member extending between said clamp body and said peripheral portion and clamped by said clamp against the bottom of said one of the inner and outer circumferential side walls of said annular upper frame.

Claim 20

Photolithography equipment according to claim 17 , wherein said peripheral portion is located outside of said cavity of the annular upper frame such that said one circumferential side of said annular bottom member extends along said peripheral portion of the bottom of said annular upper frame outside of said cavity.

Claim 21

Photolithography equipment according to claim 17 , wherein said peripheral portion is located at the inside of the annular upper frame such that said one circumferential side of said annular bottom member extends along said peripheral portion of the bottom of said annular upper frame inside said cavity.

Claim 22

Photolithography equipment according to claim 17 , wherein said peripheral portion is the bottommost surface of said one of the inner and outer circumferential side walls of the annular upper frame such that said one circumferential side of said annular bottom member extends along the bottommost surface of said one of the inner and outer circumferential side walls.

Claim 23

Photolithography equipment according to claim 20 , wherein said one circumferential side of said annular bottom member is folded over on itself.

Claim 24

Photolithography equipment according to claim 17 , wherein said clamp further comprises at least one mechanical fastener fixing the clamp body to said annular upper frame.

Claim 25

Photolithography equipment according to claim 22 , wherein said mechanical fastener is a screw or a rivet.

Claim 26

Photolithography equipment according to claim 14 , wherein said air shower head further comprises at least one silicon member providing a seal between said annular bottom member and said annular upper frame.

Claim 27

Photolithography equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the annular bottom member of said air shower head comprises a chemical-resistant metal.

Claim 28

Photolithography equipment according to claim 25 , wherein the chemical-resistant metal is gold or platinum.