Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Carl-zeiss-stiftung

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Frederik Bijkerk

Eric Louis

Andrey E Yakshin

Konstantin Nikolaevitch Koshelev

Givi Georgievitch Zukavishvili

Vladimir Vital'Evitch Ivanov

Evgenii Dmitreevitch Korop

Udo Dinger

Oliver Dier

Erwin Zoethout

Tim Tsarfati

Andrzej Bartnik

Muharrem Bayraktar

Henryk Fiedorowicz

Vadim Yevgenyevich Banine

Toralf Gruner

Hartmut Enkisch

Stefan Schulte

Kerstin Hild

Jan Willem Verhoeven

Gisela Von Blanckenhagen

Sebastian Oestreich

Marco Wedowski

Viacheslav Medvedev

Roman Klein

Frank Stietz

Cornelis Cornelia De Bruijn

Robbert W E Van De Kruijs

Cornelis C De Bruijn

Peter Cornelis G&ouml;rts

Ben Wylie-Van Eerd

Robbert Wilhelmus Elisabeth Van De Kruijs

Lambertus Gerhardus Albertus Michael Alink

Peter Cornelis Görts

Michael Gleeson

Alexey Kuznetzov

Dmitry Kuznetsov

Simone Weyler

Qiushi Huang

Meint Jelle De Boer

A mirror having a mirror substrate (), a reflection layer stack () reflecting electromagnetic radiation having an operating wavelength that is incident on the optical effective surface (), and at least one piezoelectric layer (), arranged between the substrate and the reflection layer stack and to which an electric field producing a locally variable deformation is applied. A first electrode arrangement () situated on the side of the piezoelectric layer faces the reflection layer stack, and a second electrode arrangement () is situated on the side of the piezoelectric layer facing the mirror substrate. Optionally, a bracing layer () is provided, which limits sinking of the piezoelectric layer () into the mirror substrate () when an electric field is applied, in comparison with an analogous construction lacking the bracing layer, thereby increasing the piezoelectric layer's effective deflection.

Mirror, in particular for a microlithographic projection exposure system

For a working wavelength in the range from 1 nm to 12 nm, a reflective optical element has, on a substrate, a multilayer system that includes at least two alternating materials having a different real part of the refractive index at the working wavelength. The multilayer system includes a first alternating material from the group formed from thorium, uranium, barium, nitrides thereof, carbides thereof, borides thereof, lanthanum carbide, lanthanum nitride, lanthanum boride, and a second alternating material from the group formed from carbon, boron, boron carbide, or lanthanum as first alternating material and carbon or boron as second alternating material. It has, on the side of the multilayer system remote from the substrate, a protective layer system including a nitride, an oxide and/or a platinum metal.

Reflective optical element

An EUV mirror () has a mirror element which forms a mirror surface of the mirror. The mirror element has a substrate () and a multilayer arrangement () applied on the substrate and having a reflective effect with respect to radiation from the extreme ultraviolet range (EUV). The multilayer arrangement has a multiplicity of layer pairs having alternate layers composed of a high refractive index layer material and a low refractive index layer material, has an active layer () arranged between a radiation entrance surface and the substrate and consisting of a piezoelectrically active layer material, the layer thickness (z) of which active layer can be altered by the action of an electric field, and has an electrode arrangement to generate the electric field acting on the active layer.

EUV-mirror, optical system with EUV-mirror and associated operating method

A method aleviating blistering, cracking and chipping in topmost layers of a multilayer system exposed to reactive hydrogen, when producing a reflective optical element () having a maximum reflectivity at an operating wavelength of 5 nm to 20 nm. A multilayer system () composed of 30-60 stacks () is applied to a substrate (). Each stack has a layer () of thickness dcomposed of a high refractive index material and a layer () of thickness dcomposed of a low refractive index material. The thickness ratio is d/(d+d)=&#x393;. Two to five further stacks () are applied to the multilayer system. at least one further stack having a layer () of thickness dcomposed of a high refractive index material and a layer () of thickness dcomposed of a low refractive index material, wherein the thickness ratio is d/(d+d)=&#x393; and wherein &#x393;&#x2260;&#x393;.

Method for producing a reflective optical element for EUV-lithography

An EUV mirror arrangement () has a multiplicity of mirror elements () which are arranged alongside one another and jointly form a mirror surface of the mirror arrangement. Each mirror element has a substrate () and a multilayer arrangement () applied on the substrate and having a reflective effect with respect to radiation from the extreme ultraviolet range (EUV), said multilayer arrangement comprising a multiplicity of layer pairs () having alternate layers composed of a high refractive index layer material and a low refractive index layer material. The multilayer arrangement has an active layer () arranged between a radiation entrance surface and the substrate and consisting of a piezoelectrically active layer material, the layer thickness (z) of which active layer can be altered by the action of an electric field. For each active layer provision is made of an electrode arrangement for generating an electric field acting on the active layer.

EUV-mirror arrangement, optical system with EUV-mirror arrangement and associated operating method

A reflective optical element e.g. for use in EUV lithography, configured for an operating wavelength in the range from 5 nm to 12 nm, includes a multilayer system with respective layers of at least two alternating materials having differing real parts of the refractive index at the operating wavelength. The material having the lower real part of the refractive index is a nitride or a carbide. 'Alternatively, the material having the lower real part of the refractive index is thorium, uranium or barium and the material having the higher real part of the refractive index is boron or boron carbide.

Reflective optical element and method of manufacturing the same

A reflective optical element e.g. for use in EUV lithography, configured for an operating wavelength in the soft X-ray or extreme ultraviolet wavelength range, includes a multilayer system () with respective layers of at least two alternating materials () having differing real parts of the refractive index at the operating wavelength. Preferably, at least at an interface from the material () having the higher real part of the refractive index to the material () having the lower real part of the refractive index, a further layer () of a nitride or a carbide of the material () having the lower real part is arranged. Particularly preferably the material () having the lower real part of the refractive index is lanthanum or thorium. Preferably, the layers () of at least one material are applied in a plasma-based process for manufacturing a reflective optical element as described.

A radiation source includes an anode and a cathode for creating a discharge in a vapor in a space between anode and cathode and to form a plasma of a working vapor so as to generate electromagnetic radiation. The cathode defines a hollow cavity in communication with the discharge region through an aperture that has a substantially annular configuration around a central axis of said radiation source so as to initiate said discharge. A driver vapor is supplied to the cathode cavity and the working vapor is supplied in a region around the central axis in between anode and cathode.

Radiation source, lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, and device manufactured thereby

A multilayer system and its production. Multilayer systems, such as those used as mirrors in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range, suffer contamination or oxidation during storage in air and in long-time operation, i.e. when exposed to EUV radiation in a vacuum environment with certain partial pressures of water or oxygen, which causes a serious reduction in reflectivity. The multilayer system according to the invention will have a long life with constantly high reflectivity. Their reflectivity can be enhanced by barrier layers. The multilayer systems according to the invention have protective layers comprising iridium. The multilayer systems according to the invention are produced by direct, ion-beam-supported growth of the respective layer. The multilayer systems according to the invention are not only resistant to contamination and oxidation, but can also be cleaned if necessary, without losing reflectivity. Because of their long life with constantly high reflectivity, they are particularly suitable for use in semiconductor lithography in the soft X-ray range or extreme ultraviolet wavelength range.

Multilayer system with protecting layer system and production method

In order to reduce contamination of optical elements which comprise a multilayer system on a substrate, it is proposed that the layer material and/or the layer thickness of at least one layer of the multilayer system are/is selected such that the standing wave which forms during reflection of the irradiated operating wavelength, forms a node of the electrical field intensity (node condition) in the area of the free interface of the multilayer system. Furthermore, a method for determining a design of a multilayer system, as well as a manufacturing process and a lithography apparatus are described.

Optical element and method for its manufacture as well as lithography apparatus and method for manufacturing a semiconductor device

Multilayer systems, such as those used as mirrors in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range, suffer contamination or oxidation during storage in air and in long-time operation, i.e. when exposed to EUV radiation in a vacuum environment with certain partial pressures of water or oxygen, which causes a serious reduction in reflectivity. The multilayer system according to the invention will have a long life with constantly high reflectivity. The multilayer systems according to the invention have protective layers made from ruthenium, aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, molybdenum carbide, carbon, titanium nitride or titanium dioxide. The multilayer systems according to the invention are produced by direct, ion-beam-supported growth of the protective layer or, except in the case of ruthenium, by mixing aluminium or titanium with oxygen or nitrogen at atomic level, with ion-beam support, to product an outermost protective layer with ion-beam support. The multilayer systems according to the invention are not only resistant to contamination and oxidation, but can also be cleaned if necessary, without losing reflectivity. Because of their long life with constantly high reflectivity, they are particularly suitable for use in semiconductor lithography in the soft X-ray range or extreme ultraviolet wavelength range.

Method for the production of multi-layer systems

A radiation source of a radiation system of a lithographic projection apparatus includes a primary jet nozzle constructed and arranged to eject a primary gas or liquid in a first direction; a supply for the primary gas or liquid which is to be brought into an excited energy state when ejected from the primary nozzle and is to emit ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation when falling back to a lower energy state; an exciting mechanism such as a laser for bringing the primary gas or liquid into the excited energy state; a secondary jet nozzle constructed and arranged to eject a secondary gas or liquid in the first direction and positioned aside, possibly enclosing, the primary jet nozzle ; and a supply for the secondary gas or liquid.

Radiation source for extreme ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for use in lithographic projection apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Bosch en Duin, Netherlands

Frederik Bijkerk