Apparatus for removing haze in photo mask and method for removing haze in a photo mask

Abstract

An apparatus for removing haze in a photo mask includes sealed chamber having a bake module disposed therein to support a photo mask, a reactant gas feed line to feed a reactant gas into the chamber, and a discharge device to discharge impurities in the chamber to the outside.

1 . An apparatus for removing haze in a photo mask comprising:
 a chamber;   a bake module disposed in the chamber to support the photo mask;   a reactant gas feed line to feed a reactant gas into the chamber; and   a discharge device to discharge impurities in the chamber to the outside of the chamber.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the bake module comprises a heat generator to increase a temperature of the photo mask above a predetermined temperature. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a source of reactant gas communicating with the reactant gas feed line. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the reactant gas comprises chlorine (Cl 2 ) gas. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the discharge device comprises a pump communicating with the chamber and a discharge line connected to the pump. 
   
   
       6 . A method for removing haze in a photo mask comprising:
 loading a photo mask into a chamber;   increasing a temperature of the loaded photo mask above a predetermined temperature;   feeding a reactant gas into the chamber, thereby reacting the reactant gas and impurities present on the increased temperature photo mask to form a reaction product; and   discharging the reaction product of the reactant gas and the impurities to the outside of the chamber.   
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the impurities present on the photo mask are diffused into the photo mask and the increased temperature of the photo mask is sufficiently high to allow the impurities diffused into the photo mask to erupt from the photo mask. 
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the impurities comprise ammonia and the reactant gas comprises chlorine (Cl 2 ) gas. 
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 washing the photo mask with a cleaning process selected from the group consisting of an ultra-pure water cleaning and an ultra-pure ozone cleaning, thereby removing residual reactant gas remaining after the reaction product is formed.