Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chih-Ping Yen

Heng-Hsin Liu

Chun-Lin Louis Chang

Yen-Shuo Su

Li-Jui Chen

Shang-Chieh Chien

Han-Lung Chang

Chieh Hsieh

Jui-Pin Wu

An apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors includes a power amplifier to power a laser, a catalyst disposed in the power amplifier, an inlet port, and an exhaust port. The inlet port introduces a mixing gas to an interior of the power amplifier during a cleaning operation so that the mixing gas contacts a surface of the catalyst having a build-up thereon. The mixing gas reacts with and removes the build-up by generating gaseous by-products. The exhaust port removes the gaseous by-products from the power amplifier.

Mitigating long-term energy decay of laser devices

An extreme ultra violet (EUV) lithography method includes receiving an EUV light by a scanner from an EUV light source, the EUV light passing through an intermediate focus disposed in the scanner and at a junction of the EUV light source and the scanner; directing the EUV light by the scanner to a reticle in the scanner; and deflecting nanoparticles from the EUV light source away from the reticle by generating a gas flow using a gas jet disposed entirely in the scanner and proximate to an interface of the scanner and the intermediate focus such that the gas jet does not block the EUV light.

Method and apparatus for mitigating contamination

In order to prevent observed long-term energy decay of power amplifiers and correspondingly increase the lifespan of COlasers employing them, a hydrogen-doped mixing gas is supplied from an external pipeline during operation or periodic maintenance in order to effectively remove solid contaminants that build-up over time on a surface of a catalyst disposed within the power amplifier.

Supersonic gas jets are provided near the immediate focus of a lithography apparatus in order to deflect tin debris generated by the lithography process away from a scanner side and towards a debris collection device. The gas jets can be positioned in a variety of useful orientations, with adjustable gas flow velocity and gas density in order to prevent up to nearly 100% of the tin debris from migrating to the reticle on the scanner side.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Chih-Ping Yen