Extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus, target control method, and electronic device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11287744-B2
Application number	US-202117369794-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2021
Priority date	Feb 12, 2019
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus is an apparatus to generate extreme ultraviolet light by irradiating a target with laser light, and may include a target supply unit configured to output the target, an actuator configured to shift a trajectory of the target, a first trajectory sensor configured to detect the trajectory of the target in a first direction, a second trajectory sensor configured to detect the trajectory of the target in a second direction being different from the first direction, and a control unit configured to perform trajectory control including controlling the actuator to cause the second trajectory sensor to be capable of detecting the trajectory of the target when the trajectory of the target has been detected by the first trajectory sensor and has not been detected by the second trajectory sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus configured to generate extreme ultraviolet light by irradiating a target with laser light, comprising:
a target supply unit configured to output the target;
an actuator configured to shift a trajectory of the target;
a first trajectory sensor configured to detect the trajectory of the target in a first direction;
a second trajectory sensor configured to detect the trajectory of the target in a second direction being different from the first direction; and
a control unit configured to perform trajectory control including controlling the actuator to cause the second trajectory sensor to be capable of detecting the trajectory of the target when the trajectory of the target has been detected by the first trajectory sensor and has not been detected by the second trajectory sensor, wherein,
when the first trajectory sensor has detected the trajectory of the target and the second trajectory sensor has not detected the trajectory of the target, the trajectory control includes controlling the actuator so that the trajectory of the target detected by the first trajectory sensor approaches a target position, and thereafter, controlling the actuator so that the second trajectory sensor becomes capable of detecting the trajectory of the target.

2. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the actuator shifts the trajectory of the target by moving the target supply unit.

3. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
an illumination device configured to illuminate the target, wherein
each of the first trajectory sensor and the second trajectory sensor includes an imaging device.

4. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit controls the target supply unit to stop outputting the target when the trajectory of the target is detected by neither the first trajectory sensor nor the second trajectory sensor.

5. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
when the trajectory of the target is detected by both the first trajectory sensor and the second trajectory sensor, the control unit controls the actuator so that the trajectory of the target detected by the first trajectory sensor and the trajectory of the target detected by the second trajectory sensor approach corresponding target positions respectively.

6. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
when the second trajectory sensor remains incapable of detecting the trajectory of the target even with the trajectory control performed, the control unit controls the target supply unit to stop outputting the target.

7. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
when the first trajectory sensor has detected the trajectory of the target and the second trajectory sensor has not detected the trajectory of the target, the trajectory control includes controlling the actuator, based on the detection result of the first trajectory sensor, so that the second trajectory sensor becomes capable of detecting the trajectory of the target.

8. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the trajectory control includes fifth processing, when the first trajectory sensor has detected the trajectory of the target and the second trajectory sensor has not detected the trajectory of the target, to control the actuator so that the trajectory of the target is shifted to a fifth position distanced by a fifth distance from a predetermined position in a third direction being different from the second direction and to determine whether the second trajectory sensor becomes capable of detecting the trajectory of the target; sixth processing, when the second trajectory sensor remains incapable of detecting the trajectory of the target even with the fifth processing, to determine change of signal intensity of the first trajectory sensor under the control of the actuator with the fifth processing; and seventh processing, when the signal intensity of the first trajectory sensor is determined to be increased in the sixth processing, to control the actuator so that the trajectory of the target is shifted to a sixth position distanced by a sixth distance being larger than the fifth distance from the predetermined position in the third direction and to determine whether the second trajectory sensor becomes capable of detecting the trajectory of the target, and when the signal intensity of the first trajectory sensor is determined to be decreased in the sixth processing, to control the actuator so that the trajectory of the target is shifted to a seventh position distanced by a seventh distance from the predetermined position in a fourth direction substantially opposite to the third direction and to determine whether the second trajectory sensor becomes capable of detecting the trajectory of the target.

9. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the fifth processing includes determining whether the first trajectory sensor is capable of detecting the trajectory of the target after the actuator is controlled, and the seventh processing includes determining whether the first trajectory sensor is capable of detecting the trajectory of the target after the actuator is controlled.

10. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the trajectory control further includes, when the second trajectory sensor remains incapable of detecting the trajectory of the target even with the seventh processing, eighth processing, when the signal intensity of the first trajectory sensor is determined to be increased with the sixth processing, to control the actuator so that the trajectory of the target is shifted to an eighth position distanced by an eighth distance being larger than the sixth distance from the predetermined position in the third direction and to determine whether the second trajectory sensor becomes capable of detecting the trajectory of the target, and when the signal intensity of the first trajectory sensor is determined to be decreased with the sixth processing, to control the actuator so that the trajectory of the target is shifted to a ninth position distanced by a ninth distance being larger than the seventh distance from the predetermined position in the fourth direction and to determine whether the second trajectory sensor becomes capable of detecting the trajectory of the target.

11. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
each of the fifth distance and the seventh distance is equal to or less than the half of a dimension of a detection range of the second trajectory sensor along the third direction.

12. The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
each of the fifth distance and the seventh distance is 300 μm or more and 1500 μm or less.

13. An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus configured to generate extreme ultraviolet light by irradiating a target with laser light, comprising:
a target supply unit configured to output the target;
an actuator configured to shift a trajectory of the target;
a first trajectory sensor configured to detect the trajectory of the target in a first direction;
a second trajectory sensor configured to detect the trajectory of the target in a second direction being different from the first direction; and
a control unit configured to perform trajectory control including controllin

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Abe Toru

Classifications

• H05G2/0027 Primary

  Arrangements for controlling the supply; Arrangements for measurements · CPC title

• G03F7/70025 Primary

  by lasers · CPC title

• G03F7/70058

  Mask illumination systems · CPC title

• G03F7/20

  Exposure; Apparatus therefor (photographic printing apparatus for making copies G03B27/00) · CPC title