Disclosed is component for a radiation source, said radiation source being operable to generate radiation from a fuel, said component having a surface comprising a plurality of first regions that have a high wettability by said fuel, separated by second regions which have a low wettability by said fuel. Said component may comprise a screening element for a droplet generator or contamination trap, for example.

The present disclosure describes a lithography apparatus comprising a photoresist coating unit configured to perform one or more coating processes on a substrate. The lithography apparatus further comprises a detection unit configured to determine a contamination level of a contaminant from the one or more coating processes adheres on a sidewall of the lithography apparatus. The lithography apparatus further comprises a controller unit configured to adjust one or more operations of the lithography apparatus based on a comparison between the contamination level and a baseline cleanliness requirement of the lithography apparatus.

In situ dynamic protection of an optical element surface against degradation includes disposing the optical element in an interior of an optical assembly for the FUV/VUV wavelength range and supplying at least one volatile fluorine-containing compound (A, B) to the interior for dynamic deposition of a fluorine-containing protective layer on the surface. The protective layer (7) is deposited on the surface layer by layer via a molecular layer deposition process. The compound includes a fluorine-containing reactant (A) supplied to the interior in a pulsed manner. A further reactant (B) is supplied to the interior also in a pulsed manner. An associated optical assembly includes an interior in which a surface is disposed, and at least one metering apparatus (123) that supplies a reactant to the interior. The metering apparatus provides a pulsed supply of the compound as a reactant (A, B) for layer by layer molecular layer deposition.

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photolithography system cleans debris from an EUV reticle. The system includes a cleaning electrode configured to be positioned adjacent the EUV reticle. The system includes a voltage source that helps draw debris from the EUV reticle toward the cleaning electrode by applying a voltage of alternating polarity to the cleaning electrode.

A target debris collection device for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source apparatus, includes a baffle body extending within an EUV vessel between a collector and an outlet port of the EUV vessel to allow EUV light reflected from the collector to pass through an internal transmissive region thereof, a discharge plate provided in a first end portion of the baffle body adjacent to the collector to collect the target material debris on an inner surface of the baffle body, a guide structure to guide the target material debris collected in the discharge plate to a collection tank, and a first heating member provided in the guide structure to prevent the target material debris from being solidified.

A control system includes a plurality of pressure sensors, each to detect a pressure in a respective dynamic gas lock (DGL) nozzle control region of a plurality of DGL nozzle control regions. Each DGL nozzle control region includes one or more DGL nozzles. The control system includes a plurality of mass flow controllers (MFCs). Each MFC of the plurality of MFCs is to control a flow velocity in a respective DGL nozzle control region of the plurality of DGL nozzle control regions. The control system includes a controller to selectively cause one or more MFCs of the plurality of MFCs to adjust flow velocities in one or more DGL nozzle control regions of the plurality of DGL nozzle control regions based on pressures detected by the plurality of pressure sensors in DGL nozzle control regions of the plurality of DGL nozzle control regions.

Embodiments of a photomask removal apparatus for removing photoresist off of a photomask are provided herein. In some embodiments, a nozzle head for removing photoresist off of a photomask includes: a nozzle portion having a first side and an opposing second side and a flow path extending from the first side to the second side, wherein the flow path includes an orifice disposed between the first side and the second side and a nozzle that extends from the orifice to a nozzle exit on the second side, and wherein the flow path in the nozzle increases in width at an angle from the orifice to the second side; and a vacuum portion coupled to the nozzle portion, wherein the vacuum portion includes a first side and an opposing second side that faces the nozzle exit, wherein the vacuum portion includes a vacuum port extending from the second side.

A positioning method for particles on a reticle includes: data of positions passed by a target reticle within a preset period of time is determined according to path data of the target reticle that includes particle information of the target reticle at each scan moment; position information of the target reticle when particles are present on a surface of the target reticle is determined according to the data of positions, to obtain target position data of the target reticle; reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scan moments is determined according to the target position data, and a particle source position of the particles on the surface of the target reticle is determined from the reticle position data according to position priorities; and a particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset period of time is generated according to the particle source position.

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) collector inspection apparatus and method capable of precisely inspecting a contamination state of an EUV collector and EUV reflectance in accordance with the contamination state are provided. The EUV collector inspection apparatus includes a light source arranged in front of an EUV collector to be inspected and configured to output light in a visible light (VIS) band from UV rays, an optical device configured to output narrowband light from the light, and a camera configured to perform imaging from an UV band to a VIS band. An image by wavelength of the EUV collector is obtained by using the optical device and the camera and a contamination state of the EUV collector is inspected.

Supersonic gas jets are provided near the immediate focus of a lithography apparatus in order to deflect tin debris generated by the lithography process away from a scanner side and towards a debris collection device. The gas jets can be positioned in a variety of useful orientations, with adjustable gas flow velocity and gas density in order to prevent up to nearly 100% of the tin debris from migrating to the reticle on the scanner side.