The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 14, 2021
Filed:
Jan. 06, 2020
Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh, Oberkochen, DE;
Fred Roozeboom, Eindhoven, NL;
Dirk Heinrich Ehm, Beckingen, DE;
Andrea Illiberi, Leuven, BE;
Moritz Becker, Aalen, DE;
Edwin Te Sligte, Waarte, NL;
Yves Lodewijk Maria Creijghton, Delft, NL;
CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH, Oberkochen, DE;
Abstract
A method for at least partially removing a contamination layer () from an optical surface () of an optical element () that reflects EUV radiation includes: performing an atomic layer etching process for at least partially removing the contamination layer () from the optical surface (), which, in turn, includes: exposing the contamination layer () to a surface-modifying reactant () in a surface modification step, and exposing the contamination layer () to a material-detaching reactant () in a material detachment step. The optical element () is typically taken, before the atomic layer etching process is performed, from an optical arrangement, in particular from an EUV lithography system, in which the optical surface () of the optical element () is exposed to EUV radiation (), during which the contamination layer () is formed.