Cymer, Inc.

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Oleh V Khodykin

Igor Vladimirovich Fomenkov

Alexander Bykanov

Alexander Igorevich Ershov

Norbert R Bowering

William N Partlo

Rodney D Simmons

Richard M Ness

Norbert Bowering

I Roger Oliver

Jerzy R Hoffman

Stephan T Melnychuk

R Kyle Webb

Oscar Hemberg

Timothy S Dyer

Curtis L Rettig

J Martin Algots

David C Brandt

Bjorn A M Hansson

Gerry M Blumenstock

R Mark Johnson

Georgiy Olegovich Vaschenko

John Viatella

William F Marx

William N Partio

John Walker

Alexander N Bykanov

A method is disclosed for in-situ monitoring of an EUV mirror to determine a degree of optical degradation. The method may comprise the steps/acts of irradiating at least a portion of the mirror with light having a wavelength outside the EUV spectrum, measuring at least a portion of the light after the light has reflected from the mirror, and using the measurement and a pre-determined relationship between mirror degradation and light reflectivity to estimate a degree of multi-layer mirror degradation. Also disclosed is a method for preparing a near-normal incidence, EUV mirror which may comprise the steps/acts of providing a metallic substrate, diamond turning a surface of the substrate, depositing at least one intermediate material overlying the surface using a physical vapor deposition technique, and depositing a multi-layer mirror coating overlying the intermediate material.

EUV light source components and methods for producing, using and refurbishing same

An apparatus and method is disclosed which includes or employs an EUV light source comprising a laser device outputting a laser beam, a beam delivery system directing the laser beam to an irradiation site, and a material for interaction with the laser beam at the irradiation site to create an EUV light emitting plasma for use in processing substrates.

LPP EUV light source drive laser system

A device is disclosed which may comprise a system generating a plasma at a plasma site, the plasma producing EUV radiation and ions exiting the plasma. The device may also include an optic, e.g., a multi-layer mirror, distanced from the site by a distance, d, and a flowing gas disposed between the plasma and optic, the gas establishing a gas pressure sufficient to operate over the distance, d, to reduce ion energy below a pre-selected value before the ions reach the optic. In one embodiment, the gas may comprise hydrogen and in a particular embodiment, the gas may comprise greater than 50 percent hydrogen by volume.

Laser produced plasma EUV light source

An apparatus and method is disclosed which may comprise a laser produced plasma EUV system which may comprise a drive laser producing a drive laser beam; a drive laser beam first path having a first axis; a drive laser redirecting mechanism transferring the drive laser beam from the first path to a second path, the second path having a second axis; an EUV collector optical element having a centrally located aperture; and a focusing mirror in the second path and positioned within the aperture and focusing the drive laser beam onto a plasma initiation site located along the second axis. The apparatus and method may comprise the drive laser beam is produced by a drive laser having a wavelength such that focusing on an EUV target droplet of less than about 100 &#x3bc;m at an effective plasma producing energy is not practical in the constraints of the geometries involved utilizing a focusing lens. The drive laser may comprise a COlaser. The drive laser redirecting mechanism may comprise a mirror.

Devices are disclosed herein which may comprise an EUV reflective optic having a surface of revolution that defines a rotation axis and a circular periphery. The optic may be positioned to incline the axis at a nonzero angle relative to a horizontal plane, and to establish a vertical projection of the periphery in the horizontal plane with the periphery projection bounding a region in the horizontal plane. The device may further comprise a system delivering target material, the system having a target material release point that is located in the horizontal plane and outside the region, bounded by the periphery projection and a system generating a laser beam for irradiating the target material to generate an EUV emission.

Systems and methods for target material delivery in a laser produced plasma EUV light source

Systems and methods are disclosed for reducing the influence of plasma generated debris on internal components of an EUV light source. In one aspect, an EUV metrology monitor is provided which may have a heater to heat an internal multi-layer filtering mirror to a temperature sufficient to remove deposited debris from the mirror. In another aspect, a device is disclosed for removing plasma generated debris from an EUV light source collector mirror having a different debris deposition rate at different zones on the collector mirror. In a particular aspect, an EUV collector mirror system may comprise a source of hydrogen to combine with Li debris to create LiH on a collector surface; and a sputtering system to sputter LiH from the collector surface. In another aspect, an apparatus for etching debris from a surface of a EUV light source collector mirror with a controlled plasma etch rate is disclosed.

Systems and methods for reducing the influence of plasma-generated debris on the internal components of an EUV light source

The present invention provides a reliable, high-repetition rate, production line compatible high energy photon source. A very hot plasma containing an active material is produced in vacuum chamber. The active material is an atomic element having an emission line within a desired extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range. A pulse power source comprising a charging capacitor and a magnetic compression circuit comprising a pulse transformer, provides electrical pulses having sufficient energy and electrical potential sufficient to produce the EUV light at an intermediate focus at rates in excess of 5 Watts. In preferred embodiments designed by Applicants in-band, EUV light energy at the intermediate focus is 45 Watts extendable to 105.8 Watts.

Extreme ultraviolet light source

An EUV light generation system and method is disclosed that may comprise a droplet generator producing plasma source material target droplets traveling toward the vicinity of a plasma source material target irradiation site; a drive laser; a drive laser focusing optical element having a first range of operating center wavelengths; a droplet detection radiation source having a second range of operating center wavelengths; a drive laser steering element comprising a material that is highly reflective within at least some part of the first range of wavelengths and highly transmissive within at least some part of the second range of center wavelengths; a droplet detection radiation aiming mechanism directing the droplet detection radiation through the drive laser steering element and the lens to focus at a selected droplet detection position intermediate the droplet generator and the irradiation site.

LPP EUV plasma source material target delivery system

An LPP EUV light source is disclosed having an optic positioned in the plasma chamber for reflecting EUV light generated therein and a laser input window. For this aspect, the EUV light source may be configured to expose the optic to a gaseous etchant pressure for optic cleaning while the window is exposed to a lower gaseous etchant pressure to avoid window coating deterioration. In another aspect, an EUV light source may comprise a target material positionable along a beam path to participate in a first interaction with light on the beam path; an optical amplifier; and at least one optic directing photons scattered from the first interaction into the optical amplifier to produce a laser beam on the beam path for a subsequent interaction with the target material to produce an EUV light emitting plasma.

Drive laser delivery systems for EUV light source

An apparatus and method is disclosed which may comprise a laser produced plasma EUV system which may comprise a drive laser producing a drive laser beam; a drive laser beam first path having a first axis; a drive laser redirecting mechanism transferring the drive laser beam from the first path to a second path, the second path having a second axis; an EUV collector optical element having a centrally located aperture; and a focusing mirror in the second path and positioned within the aperture and focusing the drive laser beam onto a plasma initiation site located along the second axis. The apparatus and method may comprise the drive laser beam is produced by a drive laser having a wavelength such that focusing on an EUV target droplet of less than about 100 &#x3bc;m at an effective plasma producing energy if not practical in the constraints of the geometries involved utilizing a focusing lens. The drive laser may comprise a COlaser. The drive laser redirecting mechanism may comprise a mirror.

An EUV light source is disclosed which may comprise at least one optical element having a surface, such as a multi-layer collector mirror; a laser source generating a laser beam; and a source material irradiated by the laser beam to form a plasma and emit EUV light. In one aspect, the source material may consist essentially of a tin compound and may generate tin debris by plasma formation which deposits on the optical element and, in addition, the tin compound may include an element that is effective in etching deposited tin from the optical element surface. Tin compounds may include SnBr, SnBrand SnH. In another aspect, an EUV light source may comprise a molten source material irradiated by a laser beam to form a plasma and emit EUV light, the source material comprising tin and at least one other metal, for example tin with Gallium and/or Indium.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Oleh V Khodykin