EUV-Induced Plasma: A Peculiar Phenomenon of a Modern Lithographic Technology

Beckers, JL Jozef; Ven, Tijn van de; Horst, Ruud van der; Astakhov, Dmitry; Banine, VY Vadim

doi:10.3390/app9142827

Cited by 45 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. and occur frequently in a wide variety of mature industrial processes and research niches such as semiconductor manufacturing [3,4], nuclear fusion [5], and (functional) materials embedding nanoparticles [6][7][8]. The non-equilibrium between electron and heavy species temperatures provides a key advantage for low-temperature plasmas over conventional alternatives, resulting in (permanently and) negatively charged surfaces of, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-situ measurement of dust charge density in nanodusty plasma

Staps

Donders

Platier

et al. 2021

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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A dust grain immersed in a low-pressure gas discharge obtains a permanent negative surface charge due to the high mobility of electrons compared to that of ions. This charge essentially governs all fundamental processes in dusty and complex plasmas involving dust grains, neutrals, (an)ions and electrons and—consequently—virtually all industrial applications of these types of plasmas are affected and steered by it. In this work, we have measured the surface charge by application of laser-induced electron detachment from nanosized dust grains in concert with microwave cavity resonance spectroscopy and laser light extinction. The main result is that the electron release is governed by photodetachment rather than by thermionic emission, and that recharging of the dust grains occurs on timescales that are well in agreement with the orbital-motion-limited (OML) theory. The total surface charge density residing on the dust grains inside the laser volume follows from the saturation of the photodetachment signal, which was used in combination with dust density values derived from extinction measurements to estimate the mean dust charge. The negative dust charge on the 140 nm (average) diameter dust grains in this work is obtained to be in the range of 273 – 2519 elementary charges, of which the lower bound matches well with analytical predictions using the OML theory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-situ measurement of dust charge density in nanodusty plasma

Staps

Donders

Platier

et al. 2021

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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“…With the introduction of EUV lithography [22] -using 13.5 nm photons -in the semiconductor industry, the understanding and development of such multilayer structures and the overall and long-term performance of such optical systems have received a boost over the last decades. Inside these lithographic machines, optical multilayer components are not only exposed to high fluxes of EUV radiation, but also to a peculiar type of plasma which is induced by photo-ionization of the low pressure background gas inside these machines [23], [24]. The impact of this overall plasma+photon atmosphere on the multilayer structures used can be both disadvantages (e.g.…”

Section: Mirror Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mirrors for Space Telescopes: Degradation Issues

Garoli¹,

Marcos²,

Larruquert³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Mirrors are a subset of optical components essential for the success of current and future space missions. Most of the telescopes for space programs ranging from Earth Observation to Astrophysics and covering the whole electromagnetic spectrum from X-rays to Far-Infrared are based on reflective optics. Mirrors operate in diverse and harsh environments that range from Low-Earth Orbit, to interplanetary orbits and the deep space. The operational life of space observatories spans from minutes (sounding rockets) to decades (large observatories), and the performance of the mirrors within the mission lifetime is susceptible to degrade, which results in a drop of the instrument throughput, which in turn affects the scientific return. Therefore, the knowledge of potential degradation mechanisms, how they affect mirror performance, and how to prevent them is of paramount importance to ensure the long-term success of space telescopes. In this review we report an overview on current mirror technology for space missions with a focus on the importance of degradation and radiation resistance of the coating materials. A special attention will be given to degradation effects on mirrors for the far and extreme UV as in these ranges the degradation is enhanced by the strong absorption of most contaminants.

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“…In the past 25 years, main focus has been on the interactions of EUV and plasma with the mirror surfaces facing the EUV and EUV plasma. 5 However, for molecular and particle contamination control, the interaction of plasma with the construction and functional materials close to the beam must be optimized.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EUV-induced hydrogen plasma: pulsed mode operation and confinement in scanner

Kerkhof

Yakunin

Astakhov

et al. 2021

J. Micro/Nanopattern. Mats. Metro.

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In recent years, EUV lithography scanner systems have entered high-volume manufacturing for state-of-the-art integrated circuits, with critical dimensions down to 10 nm. This technology uses 13.5-nm EUV radiation, which is shaped and transmitted through a near-vacuum H 2 background gas. This gas is excited into a low-density H 2 plasma by the EUV radiation, as generated in pulsed mode operation by the laser-produced plasma in the EUV source. Thus, in the confinement created by the walls and mirrors within the scanner system, a reductive plasma environment is created that must be understood in detail to maximize mirror transmission over the lifetime and to minimize molecular and particle contamination in the scanner. In addition to the irradiated mirrors, reticle, and wafer, the plasma and radical load to the surrounding construction materials also must be considered. We provide an overview of the EUV-induced plasma in the scanner context. Special attention is given to the plasma parameters in a confined geometry, such as that found in the scanner area near the reticle. It is shown that plasma confinement and resulting contributions from secondary electron emission delay the formation of the plasma sheath and thereby reduce the peak ion energies to below the sputtering threshold for mirrors and construction materials. Furthermore, for a confined pulsed plasma with a pulse period shorter than the decay time of the plasma, the plasma consists of a quasi-steady-state cold background plasma and periodic transient peaks in ion energy and ion flux. In terms of modeling, this means that no assumptions can be made on the electron distribution functions and a (Monte-Carlo) particle-in-cell (PIC) model is needed. We present an extension of the PIC model approach to complex three-dimensional geometries and to multiple pulses using a hybrid PIC-diffusion approach. Also, the translation of these specific plasma parameters to off-line setups and the aspects that must be included to make a meaningful translation from off-line laboratory EUV setups to the scanner plasma are discussed. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

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EUV-Induced Plasma: A Peculiar Phenomenon of a Modern Lithographic Technology

Cited by 45 publications

References 94 publications

In-situ measurement of dust charge density in nanodusty plasma

In-situ measurement of dust charge density in nanodusty plasma

Mirrors for Space Telescopes: Degradation Issues

EUV-induced hydrogen plasma: pulsed mode operation and confinement in scanner

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