ABSTRACT

Vibration isolation legs, used in place of the rigid tool legs found on sensitive lithography and metrology tools and electron microscopes, can eliminate the need for the tool pedestals that are currently used to create "vibration-free" environments for these tools (or supplement pedestals in the case of extremely sensitive tools). Similarly, vibration isolation legs, used in place of rigid tool legs on vibration-source tools such as implanters and CMP tools, eliminate the need for the tool pedestals currently used to reduce the transmission of vibrations from these tools into the general fab floor. This development lowers the cost of tool ownership and the cost of relocating tools, while also reducing the level of vibration contamination in a fab.