PROTECTIVE APPARATUS, MASK, MASK FABRICATING METHOD AND CONVEYING APPARATUS, AND EXPOSURE APPARATUS

摘要

A protective apparatus that protects a predetermined area of the front surface of a mask substrate, provided with a pellicle frame that is disposed on at least a portion of the circumference of the predetermined area and bonded to the front surface of the mask substrate, and a pellicle that is mounted on the pellicle frame so as to cover an opening portion that is formed by the pellicle frame in a manner facing the predetermined area; in which the pellicle frame includes a first side portion and a second side portion, and a third side portion and a fourth side portion that are disposed at different positions along the predetermined area, and in relation to the normal direction of the front surface of the mask substrate, the rigidity of the first side portion and the second side portion is lower than the rigidity of the third side portion and the fourth side portion.