Guiding device and associated system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11822252-B2
Application number	US-202117155951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2021
Priority date	Jan 6, 2017
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

An extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV) source, including: a vessel having an inner vessel wall and an intermediate focus (IF) region; an EUV collector disposed inside the vessel, the EUV collector including a reflective surface configured to reflect EUV radiation toward the intermediate focus region, the reflective surface configured to directionally face the IF region of the vessel; a showerhead disposed along at least a portion of the inner vessel wall, the showerhead including a plurality of nozzles configured to introduce gas into the vessel; and one or more exhausts configured to remove gas introduced into the vessel, the one or more exhausts being oriented along at least a portion of the inner vessel wall so that the gas is caused to flow away from the EUV collector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radiation source comprising:
a chamber comprising an inner wall and a material target region;
a radiation collector arranged in the chamber, the radiation collector configured to collect radiation emitted at the material target region and to direct the collected radiation as a beam of the collected radiation to an intermediate focus region;
a debris mitigation system comprising:
a first gas supply system configured to direct a first gas flow from the intermediate focus region towards the material target region or a plasma formation region, the first gas supply system comprising one or more openings arranged to direct the first gas flow in a direction substantially opposite to a propagation direction of the radiation beam, and
a second gas supply system comprising one or more openings arranged to direct a second gas flow in a direction substantially perpendicular or tilted under an angle to the propagation direction of the first gas flow such that the first and second gas flows interact and such that the second gas flow confines at least part of the first gas flow to a region between the one or more openings and the intermediate focus region;

an exhaust configured to remove gas supplied by the debris mitigation system from the chamber, wherein the one or more openings arranged to direct the second gas flow are located between the intermediate focus region and the exhaust and wherein an opening of the exhaust is located between the intermediate focus region and the material target or plasma formation region.

2. The radiation source according to claim 1 , wherein the second gas supply system comprises a pair of counter gas flow jets.

3. The radiation source according to claim 1 , wherein the first gas flow and the second gas flow interact via their momentum exchange such that a substantially unidirectional gas flow field is established towards the exhaust.

4. The radiation source according to claim 1 , wherein an opening of the one or more openings of the second gas supply system is arranged in proximity of the intermediate focus region and is located between the intermediate focus region and the material target region.

5. The radiation source according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second gas supply systems are arranged such that, in close vicinity of an interception point of the first and second gas flows, a speed of the first gas flow is substantially equal to the speed of the second gas flow.

6. The radiation source according to claim 1 , further comprising a flow splitter in the chamber, the flow splitter arranged such that the first gas flow is directed around the flow splitter.

7. The radiation source according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust is disposed along the inner wall at an azimuthally asymmetric position and configured to exhaust gas from the chamber.

8. The radiation source according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation is extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation.

9. A radiation system comprising:
a laser; and
the radiation source according to claim 1 .

10. A lithographic system comprising a lithographic apparatus arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, and the radiation source according to claim 1 arranged to provide at least some of the radiation to the lithographic apparatus.

11. A radiation source comprising:
a chamber comprising an inner wall and a material target region;
a radiation collector arranged in the chamber, the radiation collector configured to collect radiation emitted at the material target region and to direct the collected radiation as a beam of the collected radiation to an intermediate focus region;
a debris mitigation system comprising:
a first gas supply system configured to direct a first gas flow from the intermediate focus region towards the material target region or a plasma formation region, the first gas supply system comprising one or more openings arranged to direct the first gas flow in a direction substantially opposite to a propagation direction of the radiation beam, and
a second gas supply system comprising one or more openings arranged to direct a second gas flow in a direction substantially perpendicular or tilted under an angle to the propagation direction of the first gas flow such that the first and second gas flows interact;

an exhaust configured to remove gas supplied by the debris mitigation system from the chamber, wherein the one or more openings arranged to direct the second gas flow are located between the intermediate focus region and the exhaust and wherein an opening of the exhaust is located between the intermediate focus region and the material target or plasma formation region; and
a showerhead disposed along at least a portion of the inner wall, the showerhead including a plurality of nozzles configured to introduce gas into the chamber, the showerhead having at least one inlet configured to supply the gas into the showerhead, wherein at least one nozzle is located between the opening of the exhaust and the material target or plasma formation region.

12. A method comprising:
collecting, using a collector, radiation emitted at a material target region in a chamber of a radiation source and directing the collected radiation as a beam of the collected radiation to an intermediate focus region in the radiation source;
directing a first gas flow from the intermediate focus region towards the material target region or a plasma formation region in the chamber of the radiation source, using one or more openings arranged to direct the first gas flow in a direction substantially opposite to a propagation direction of the radiation beam in the chamber;
directing a second gas flow in a direction substantially perpendicular or tilted under an angle to a propagation direction of the first gas flow using one or more openings such that the first and second gas flows interact and the second gas flow confines at least part of the first gas flow to a region between the one or more openings and the intermediate focus region; and
removing from the chamber, via an exhaust, gas supplied into the chamber by the first and/or second gas flows, wherein the one or more openings arranged to direct the second gas flow are located between the intermediate focus region and the exhaust and wherein an opening of the exhaust is located between the intermediate focus region and the material target or plasma formation region.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the second gas flow involves a pair of counter gas flow jets.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first gas flow and the second gas flow interact via their momentum exchange such that a substantially unidirectional gas flow field is established towards the exhaust.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein an opening of the one or more openings of the second gas supply system is arranged in proximity of the intermediate focus region and is located between the intermediate focus region and the material target region.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein, in close vicinity of an interception point of the first and second gas flows, a speed of the first gas flow is substantially equal to the speed of the second gas flow.

17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first gas flow is directed around a flow splitter in the chamber.

18. The method according to claim 12 , comprising:
introducing gas into the chamber using a showerhead disposed along at least a portion of an inner wall of the chamber, the showerhead including a plurality of nozzles

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Labetski Dzmitry
• Berendsen Christianus Wilhelmus Johannes
• Duarte Rodreigues Nunes Rui Miguel
• Ershov Alexander Igorevich
• Feenstra Kornelis Frits
• Fomenkov Igor Vladimirovich
• Hummler Klaus Martin
• Johnkadaksham Arun
• Kraushaar Matthias
• LaForge Andrew David
• Langlois Marc Guy
• Loginov Maksim
• Ma Yue
• Mojab Seyedmohammad
• Nadir Kerim
• Shatalov Alexander
• Stewart John Tom
• Tegenbosch Henricus Gerardus
• Xia Chunguang

Classifications

• H05G2/0023

  Constructional details of the ejection system · CPC title

• H05G2/0092 Primary

  Housing of the apparatus for producing X-rays; Environment inside the housing · CPC title

• G03F7/70033 Primary

  by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources · CPC title

• G03F7/70916

  Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps · CPC title

• H05G2/003

  the plasma being generated from a material in a liquid or gas state · CPC title