Techniques are disclosed for protecting a lithographic mask and its lithographic pattern during the lifecycle of the mask. This is accomplished by deposited an extremely uniform and geometrically conformal protective coating on the mask that provides it mechanical and electrostatic protection. The coating envelopes or surrounds the pattern on the mask thereby providing it protection during the various operations in the lifecycle of the mask, including cleanings, repairs, inspections, etc. The conformal coating is deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD) which is preferably a plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD) or preferably still a continuous-flow PEALD. The instant conformal coating protects various types of lithographic masks including projection or contact photomasks or extreme ultra-violet (EUV) masks. While improving the yield, the conformal coating, that may eventually be sacrificial, protects the underlying mask and its lithographic pattern from mechanical or other forms of damage.

Provided are: a support frame for pellicle that has both low dust generation property and high light resistance, and further has an ion elution amount which is reduced to the utmost limit to an extent that haze is not generated even when a short wavelength laser is used for exposure light source, a pellicle using the support frame for pellicle, and a method for efficiently manufacturing the support frame for pellicle, support frame for pellicle which comprises a frame member comprising aluminum or aluminum alloy and an inorganic coating layer formed on the surface of the frame member, wherein the main chain of the inorganic coating layer is constituted by a —Si—O—Si—O— bond. An anodized film is preferably formed between the frame member and the inorganic coating layer.

The present disclosure relates to an extreme ultraviolet lithography, EUVL, device comprising: a reticle comprising a lithographic pattern to be imaged on a target wafer; a light-transmissive pellicle membrane mounted in front of, and parallel to, the reticle, wherein the pellicle membrane scatters transmitted light along a scattering axis; and an extreme ultraviolet, EUV, illumination system configured to illuminate the reticle through the pellicle membrane, wherein an illumination distribution provided by the EUV illumination system is asymmetric as seen in a source-pupil plane of the EUV illumination system; wherein light reflected by the reticle and then transmitted through the pellicle membrane comprises a non-scattered fraction and a scattered fraction formed by light scattered by the pellicle membrane; the EUVL device further comprising: an imaging system having an acceptance cone configured to capture a portion of the light reflected by the reticle and then transmitted through the pellicle membrane.

An optical element (1) includes: a substrate (2); applied to the substrate (2), a multilayer system (3) which reflects EUV radiation (4); and also applied to the multilayer system (3), a protective layer system (5) which comprises a first layer (5a), a second layer (5b) and a third, in particular topmost layer (5c), where the first layer (5a) is disposed closer to the multilayer system (3) than the second layer (5b), and where the second layer (5b) is disposed closer to the multilayer system (3) than the third layer (5c). The second layer (5b) and the third layer (5c) and also preferably the first layer (5a) each have a thickness (d.sub.2, d.sub.3, d.sub.1) of between 0.5 nm and 5.0 nm. A related EUV lithography system having at least one such optical element is also described.

Provided are an optical device capable of effectively preventing contamination and a method for preventing contamination of the same. An optical device according to an embodiment includes a light source that generates light containing EUV (Extreme UltraViolet) light or VUV (Vacuum UltraViolet) light, a chamber in which an object to be irradiated with the light is placed, an optical element placed inside the chamber to guide the light, an introduction unit that introduces hydrogen or helium into the chamber, a power supply that applies a negative voltage to the optical element in the chamber, an ammeter that measures an ion current flowing through the optical element, and a control unit that adjusts the amount of the hydrogen or the helium introduced according to a measurement result of the ammeter.

A pellicle suitable for use with a patterning device for a lithographic apparatus. The pellicle comprising at least one breakage region which is configured to preferentially break, during normal use in a lithographic apparatus, prior to breakage of remaining regions of the pellicle. At least one breakage region comprises a region of the pellicle which has a reduced thickness when compared to surrounding regions of the pellicle.

In some general aspects, a surface of a structure within a chamber of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source is cleaned using a method. The method includes generating a plasma state of a material that is present at a location adjacent to a non-electrically conductive body that is within the chamber. The generation of the plasma state of the material includes electromagnetically inducing an electric current at the location adjacent the non-electrically conductive body to thereby transform the material that is adjacent the non-electrically conductive body from a first state into the plasma state. The plasma state of the material includes plasma particles, at least some of which are free radicals of the material. The method also includes enabling the plasma particles to pass over the structure surface to remove debris from the structure surface without removing the structure from the chamber of the EUV light source.

A pellicle removal tool including a stage that holds a photomask and an associated pellicle, two or more arms positioned around the stage and configured to engage pellicle side wells of the pellicle, and two or more actuators each configured to adjust at least a vertical position of a corresponding one of the two or more arms so as to apply a lifting force to the pellicle for removal of the pellicle from the photomask.

A method of fabricating a pellicle structure includes forming a metal layer on a temporary substrate, forming a membrane on the metal layer, exposing a bottom surface of the metal layer by separating the temporary substrate from the metal layer, and exposing a bottom surface of the membrane by etching the exposed bottom surface of the metal layer.

A filtration formed nanostructure pellicle film is disclosed. The filtration formed nanostructure pellicle film includes a plurality of carbon nanofibers that are intersected randomly to form an interconnected network structure in a planar orientation. The interconnected structure allows for a high minimum EUV transmission rate of at least 92%, with a thickness ranging from a lower limit of 3 nm to an upper limit of 100 nm, to allow for effective EUV lithography processing.