Device manufacturing-related apparatus, reticle, and device manufacturing method

Abstract

A gas purge space such as a pellicle space is purged with inert gas within a short time in a projection exposure apparatus using an ultraviolet ray source such as a fluorine excimer laser as a light source. The pellicle frame of a reticle ( 20 ) with a pellicle is constituted by porous pellicle frame pieces ( 30 a, 30 b ). Inert gas is supplied into a pellicle space ( 100 ) via the porous pellicle frame piece ( 30 a ). Inert gas is exhausted together with oxygen and the like in the pellicle space ( 100 ) via the porous pellicle frame piece ( 30 b ).

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A device manufacturing-related apparatus comprising: 
 a holding mechanism which holds a structure in which a gas purge space to be purged with inert gas is surrounded by a surrounding member; and    a gas control mechanism which forms a flow of inert gas flowing into the gas purge space and flowing out from the gas purge space, to purge the gas purge space with inert gas,    wherein the surrounding member has an inflow portion for allowing said gas control mechanism to supply inert gas into the gas purge space and an outflow portion for allowing said gas control mechanism to exhaust inert gas from the gas purge space,    at least one of the inflow portion and the outflow portion is formed from a porous material which inert gas permeates, and    said gas control mechanism forms the flow of inert gas in the gas purge space by generating between inner and outer spaces of the structure a pressure difference large enough to allow inert gas to permeate the porous material.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein both of the inflow portion and the outflow portion are formed from the porous material which inert gas permeates.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the surrounding member includes a pellicle frame which supports a pellicle film of a reticle with a pellicle, and    the inflow portion and the outflow portion are formed in the pellicle frame.    
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the inflow portion and the outflow portion are arranged at positions facing each other.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the structure has a manifold outside the inflow portion.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein an inner width of the manifold is substantially equal to an inner width of the pellicle frame.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the structure has a manifold outside the outflow portion.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein an inner width of the manifold is substantially equal to an inner width of the pellicle frame.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the structure has manifolds outside the inflow portion and the outflow portion.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein an inner width of each manifold is substantially equal to an inner width of the pellicle frame.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said gas control mechanism comprises 
 a gas supply portion which supplies inert gas into the gas purge space via the inflow portion, and    a gas exhaust portion which exhausts inert gas from the gas purge space via the outflow portion.    
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 said gas control mechanism comprises a gas supply portion which supplies inert gas into the gas purge space via the inflow portion, and    inert gas is supplied from the gas supply portion into the gas purge space via the inflow portion and directly exhausted outside the gas purge space via the outflow portion.    
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the device manufacturing-related apparatus further comprises an optical system which transmits exposure light for transferring a pattern onto a substrate, and    the structure holds said optical system so as to surround said optical system.    
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the device manufacturing-related apparatus is constituted as an exposure apparatus which transfers a pattern onto a substrate.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the device manufacturing-related apparatus is constituted as a purge apparatus which purges with inert gas an inner space of the reticle with the pellicle.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the device manufacturing-related apparatus is constituted as a reticle stocker which stocks the reticle with the pellicle.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the device manufacturing-related apparatus is constituted as a reticle inspection apparatus which inspects the reticle with the pellicle.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the device manufacturing-related apparatus is constituted as a reticle transfer box for transferring the reticle with the pellicle.  
     
     
         19 . A reticle with a pellicle, comprising: 
 a reticle;    a pellicle film; and    a pellicle frame which supports said pellicle film so as to form a space between said reticle and said pellicle film,    wherein said pellicle frame has an inflow portion for supplying inert gas into the space and an outflow portion for exhausting inert gas from the space, and    at least one of the inflow portion and the outflow portion is formed from a porous material which inert gas permeates.    
     
     
         20 . The reticle according to  claim 19 , wherein both of the inflow portion and the outflow portion are formed from the porous material.  
     
     
         21 . The reticle according to  claim 19 , wherein the inflow portion and the outflow portion are arranged at positions facing each other.  
     
     
         22 . The reticle according to  claim 19 , wherein the entire pellicle frame is formed from the porous material.  
     
     
         23 . A device manufacturing method comprising the step of manufacturing a device by using a device manufacturing-related apparatus defined in  claim 1 .  
     
     
         24 . A device manufacturing method of manufacturing a device through lithography, comprising the step of transferring a pattern onto a substrate by using a device manufacturing-related apparatus defined in  claim 14  which is constituted as the exposure apparatus.