Extreme ultraviolet light generation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9980360-B2
Application number	US-201615284805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2016
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) generation system is configured to improve conversion efficiency of energy of a laser system to EUV energy by improving the efficiency of plasma generation. The EUV generation system includes a target generation unit configured to output a target toward a plasma generation region in a chamber. The laser system is configured to generate a first pre-pulse laser beam, a second pre-pulse laser beam, and a main pulse laser beam so that the target is irradiated with the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam in this order. In addition, the EUV generation system includes a controller configured to control the laser system so that a fluence of the second pre-pulse laser beam is equal to or higher than 1 J/cm 2 and equal to or lower than a fluence of the main pulse laser beam.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An extreme ultraviolet light generation system comprising:
a chamber;
a target generation unit configured to output a target toward a plasma generation region in the chamber; and
a laser system including
a first pre-pulse laser apparatus configured to generate a first pre-pulse laser beam with which the target is irradiated,
a second pre-pulse laser apparatus configured to generate a second pre-pulse laser beam after the first pre-pulse laser beam is generated, the second pre-pulse laser beam having a pulse duration longer than a pulse duration of the first pre-pulse laser beam, and
a main pulse laser apparatus configured to generate a main pulse laser beam after the second pre-pulse laser beam is generated.

2. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the first pre-pulse laser beam has a pulse duration of a picosecond order.

3. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a fluence of 1.0 J/cm 2 or higher.

4. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a fluence of 1.5 J/cm 2 or higher.

5. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a fluence equal to or lower than a fluence of the main pulse laser beam.

6. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a light intensity per unit area of 0.4×10 8 W/cm 2 or higher.

7. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a light intensity per unit area of 3.0×10 8 W/cm 2 or higher.

8. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the main pulse laser beam has a fluence of 100 J/cm 2 or higher and 200 J/cm 2 or lower.

9. An extreme ultraviolet light generation system comprising:
a chamber;
a target generation unit configured to output a target toward a plasma generation region in the chamber; and
a laser system including
a first pre-pulse laser apparatus configured to generate a first pre-pulse laser beam with which the target is irradiated,
a second pre-pulse laser apparatus configured to generate a second pre-pulse laser beam after the first pre-pulse laser beam is generated, the second pre-pulse laser beam having a pulse duration longer than a pulse duration of the first pre-pulse laser beam, and
a main pulse laser apparatus configured to generate a main pulse laser beam after the second pre-pulse laser beam is generated, the main pulse laser beam having a pulse duration longer than the pulse duration of the second pre-pulse laser beam.

10. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 9 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the first pre-pulse laser beam has a pulse duration of a picosecond order.

11. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 9 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a fluence of 1.0 J/cm 2 or higher.

12. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 9 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a fluence of 1.5 J/cm 2 or higher.

13. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 9 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a fluence equal to or lower than a fluence of the main pulse laser beam.

14. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 9 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a light intensity per unit area of 0.4×10 8 W/cm 2 or higher.

15. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 9 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the second pre-pulse laser beam has a light intensity per unit area of 3.0×10 8 W/cm 2 or higher.

16. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 9 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the main pulse laser beam has a fluence of 100 J/cm 2 or higher and 200 J/cm 2 or lower.

17. An extreme ultraviolet light generation system comprising:
a chamber;
a target generation unit configured to output a target toward a plasma generation region in the chamber; and
a laser system including
a solid laser apparatus configured to generate a first pre-pulse laser beam with which the target is irradiated, and
a CO 2 laser apparatus configured to generate a second pre-pulse laser beam after the first pre-pulse laser beam is generated and generate a main pulse laser beam after the second pre-pulse laser beam is generated, the second pre-pulse laser beam having a pulse duration longer than a pulse duration of the first pre-pulse laser beam.

18. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 17 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam, the main pulse laser beam having a pulse duration longer than the pulse duration of the second pre-pulse laser beam.

19. The extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to claim 17 , wherein the laser system is configured to generate the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam so that the first pre-pulse laser beam has a pulse duration of a picosecond order.

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Yanagida Tatsuya
• Wakabayashi Osamu

Classifications

• H01S3/102

  by controlling the active medium, e.g. by controlling the processes or apparatus for excitation (H01S3/13 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03F7/70991

  Connection with other apparatus, e.g. multiple exposure stations, particular arrangement of exposure apparatus and pre-exposure and/or post-exposure apparatus; Shared apparatus, e.g. having shared radiation source, shared mask or workpiece stage, shared base-plate; Utilities, e.g. cable, pipe or wireless arrangements for data, power, fluids or vacuum · CPC title

• G03F7/70033

  by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources · CPC title

• H01S3/2308

  Amplifier arrangements, e.g. MOPA · CPC title

• H01S3/1115

  using intracavity saturable absorbers · CPC title