High brightness electrodeless Z-Pinch EUV source for mask inspection tools

Horne, Stephen F.; Partlow, M.; Gustafson, Deborah; Besen, M.; Smith, Douglas L.; Blackborow, Paul A.

doi:10.1117/12.916476

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…It is advantageous in terms of spatial stability because the plasma position fluctuation of LDP source is much smaller in comparison with the whole plasma size. On the other hand, since brightness of LDP source is higher than that of Xe-based DPP source, LDP source is suitable to fulfill the requirements for inspection purposes [8]. The debris mitigation system to supply clean EUV light is also one of the features of our LDP system.…”

Section: Feature Of Ushio's Ldp Sourcementioning

confidence: 99%

High-brightness LDP source for EUVL mask inspection

Furuya

Aoki²,

Teramoto³

et al. 2022

International Conference on Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography 2022

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The Laser-assisted Discharge-produced Plasma (LDP) EUV source has been developed as a light source for actinic mask inspection and is currently deployed in the field. As the EUVL process is used more in the mass-production process, the requirement for EUV source for mask inspection is required more. LDP source enables the generation of high brightness with relatively large EUV plasma to fulfill these requirements. Ushio LDP source has overcome various issues specialized from LDP source and realized high reliability 24/7 based operation with high brightness maintained. In this paper, we address the followings: (1) LDP source configuration and its monitoring system, (2) Features of LDP source for inspection purposes, (3) Recent availability in the field, (4) Improvement of source stability and cleanliness, and (5) Roadmap of source availability.

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Section: Feature Of Ushio's Ldp Sourcementioning

confidence: 99%

High-brightness LDP source for EUVL mask inspection

Furuya

Aoki²,

Teramoto³

et al. 2022

International Conference on Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography 2022

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“…We have modeled using the EQ-10 plasma as a target for a pulsed laser. 21 By optimizing EQ-10 for high plasma density at lower electron temperature, a very spatially and temporally stable, pre-ionized target can be created. By bringing the laser to a 20 to 50 micron spot we estimate a brightness of order 100 W∕mm 2 ∕sr could be achieved, depending on laser power and the ultimate size of the region heated by the laser focus.…”

Section: Scaling To Higher Brightnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme-ultraviolet light source development to enable pre-production mask inspection

Partlow

Besen

Blackborow

et al. 2012

J. Micro/Nanolith. MEMS MOEMS

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As extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography moves into preproduction, the requirement for commercially available mask metrology tools becomes more urgent. A key to developing a successful tool is a reliable, high-brightness EUV light source. The Energetiq EQ-10 is a commercially available EUV light source, with an installed base of over 15 sources in the field. The source relies on an electrodeless Z-pinch™ to produce greater than 10 Watts∕2π of 13.5 nm 2% bandwidth light. In order to meet brightness and stability requirements of mask metrology tools, we have investigated modifications to the original design of the EQ-10. The result of these modifications has roughly doubled the source output power, and has achieved brightness greater than 8 Watts∕mm 2 ∕sr, without sacrificing the spatial and pulse-to-pulse stability of the original design. This level of performance is sufficient for initial mask blank and imaging inspection tools.

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