Study on application of magnetic levitation utilizing HTS bulks to spin processors for photo mask production

摘要

Ultra-fine patterning of several ten nanometer pitch for semiconductor devices is required for higher integrations of circuit elements and, therefore, extremely high preciseness and quality are also required for patterning of microstructures on photo masks. A serious problem that causes the deterioration of pattern preciseness of photo mask is the deposition of micron or sub-micron particles, such as oil dusts, that generate from mechanical bearings of the spin processors in the grooves of the micro patterns. In this work, application of magnetic levitation utilizing high temperature superconducting (HTS) bulks to the spin processors for the photo mask production is proposed. To address this issue, a small size test spinner utilizing the magnetic levitation with the HTS bulks is developed to investigate its applicability to the spin processors for the photo mask production. The structure of the test spinner is presented and the results of levitation and rotation tests are reported in this paper. The test results show the basic compatibility of the magnetic levitation with the HTS bulks to the spin processor. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.