Capillary Discharge Extreme UV Lamp Sources for EUV Micrography and other related Applications

Capillary discharge extreme ultraviolet lamp sources for EUV microlithography and other applications. The invention covers operating conditions for a pulsed capillary discharge lamp for EUVL and other applications such as resist exposure tools, microscopy, interferometry, metrology, biology and pathology. Techniques and processes are described to mitigate against capillary bore erosion, pressure pulse generation, and debris formation in capillary discharge-powered lamps operating in the EUV. Additional materials are described for constructing capillary discharge devices fore EUVL and related applications. Further, lamp designs and configurations are described for lamps using gasses and metal vapors as the radiating species

Debris Blocker/ Collector and Emission Enhancer for Discharge Sources

An angular pumped and emitting capillary(APEC) discharge light source having a blocking electrode installed on the axis of the capillary just beyond the end of the capillary bore. Thus, the emitting region occurs in an angular fashion between the end of the capillary and the blocking electrode. The blocking electrode prevents debris generated within the capillary from being expelled onto collecting optics for the discharge source. A second version shapes the blocking electrode into a trap so that emitted debris will be collected within the trap. Alternatively, the trap can be a collector separate and apart from the electrodes of the light source. The capillary bore and electrode configuration allow for emissions to be enhanced by placing the electrode in front of the outlet to the capillary bore. A still another version has a discharge source without a capillary bore where gas flows through a first electrode to a space in front of a second electrode to generate a discharge therebetwee

Discharge Lamp Sources Apparatus and Methods. (CA)

Capillary discharge extreme ultraviolet lamp sources for EUV microlithography and other applications. The invention covers operating conditions for a pulsed capillary discharge lamp for EUVL and other applications such as resist exposure tools, microscopy, interferometry, metrology, biology and pathology. Techniques and processes are described to mitigate against capillary bore erosion, pressure pulse generation, and debris formation in capillary discharge-powered lamps operating in the EUV. Additional materials are described for constructing capillary discharge devices fore EUVL and related applications. Further, lamp designs and configurations are described for lamps using gasses and metal vapors as the radiating species

High-Power Plasma Discharge Source At 13.5 Nm And 11.4 Nm For Euv Lithography

An intense pulsed capillary discharge source operating at 13.5 nm and 11.4 nm, suitable for use in conjunction with Mo:Si or Mo:Be coated optics, has produced an average power of approximately 1.4 W within a 0.3 nm emission bandwidth from the end of the capillary when operated at a repetition rate of 100 Hz. The source is comprised of a small capillary discharge tube filled with xenon gas at low pressure to which electrodes are attached at each end. When a voltage is applied across the tube, an electrical current is generated for short periods within the capillary that produces highly ionized xenon ions radiating in the EUV. Issues associated with plasma bore erosion are currently being addressed from the standpoint of developing such a source for operation at repetition rates of greater than 1 kHz

Characterization Of A Laser Plasma Water Droplet Euv Source

We have configured a new type of target for laser plasma x-ray generation. This target consists of an in-vacuum flowing stream of liquid water droplets. We have successfully produced plasmas using this target, and have measured its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission spectrum. Bright lines from Li-like and He-like oxygen dominate in the plasma radiation in this region. Most importantly, not target debris related effects were observed for this type of target. A nearby Mo/Si multilayer EUV mirror suffered no reflectivity reduction at 13 nm after exposure to 105 laser shots on target. This observation constitutes a major breakthrough in the utilization of laser plasma radiation for practical applications, in particular, for EUV projection lithography of advanced microelectronic circuits. The simplicity and versatility of a continuously-fed target with naturally smooth surface and no associated debris problems meshes strongly with the critical engineering required for envisioned production line EUV projection lithography installations. Additionally, through the use of water based solutions as targets, it should be possible to tailor the EUV emission spectrum to match the source requirements for other potential applications, such as the x-ray microscopy

X-Ray Flash Microprobing Of Structural Dynamics In Exploding Crystals

We describe a new technique for investigating transient structural changes in solid materials involving short pulses of hard x-rays emitted by laser produced plasmas. Using a subpicosecond terawatt scale laser system, this technique promises to be simple and broadly applicable to both single-crystal and polycrystalline samples of thickness up to millimeters and mean atomic number up to approximately 30. Spatial resolutions of order 10 μm should be possible. Of particular interest are the so-called energetic materials, chemical high explosives, whose initiation and reaction dynamics in relation to physical microstructure are poorly known

Nonlinear optics with focused x-ray lasers

We have investigated the possibility of focusing x-ray lasers with the use of multilayered mirrors or zone plates. The results indicate that x-ray intensities as high as 10{sup 14} W/cm{sup 2} can be achieved by focusing saturated Ne-like x-ray lasers. These intensities should be adequate for studying nonlinear optical phenomena. 9 refs., 2 figs

Short wavelength nickel-like x-ray laser development

Ni-like x-ray lasers have been produced at wavelengths near to, and below the carbon K edge (43.76-{Angstrom}). Recent work has concentrated on the development of the Ni-like Ta amplifier at 44.83-{Angstrom}. Amplification occurs in a laser produced plasma created by irradiating a thin foil of Ta with two beams of the Nova laser. Up to 8 gainlengths have been demonstrated so far, with a gain coefficient of 3.2 cm{sup {minus}1} and a gain duration of 250 psec. The wavelength of 44.83-{Angstrom} is close to optimal for holographic imaging of live cells. It remains to optimize the coherent output power of the amplifier to use it as a source for future x-ray holography experiments. 19 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs