Patent classifications
G03F7/70033
EUV GENERATOR, EUV LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME, AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE USING THE SAME
An extreme ultraviolet light generator includes a collector including a first focus and a second focus, a droplet feeder configured to provide a source droplet toward the first focus of the collector, a laser generator configured to irradiate a laser toward the first focus of the collector, an airflow controller between the first focus and the second focus of the collector, the airflow controller having a ring shape, and the airflow controller including at least one slit, and a first part and a second part hinged to each other, and a control gas feeder configured to provide a control gas towards the at least one slit of the airflow controller.
SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL AND METHODS OF OPERATION
Some implementations described herein include operating components in a lithography system at variable speeds to reduce, minimize, and/or prevent particle generation due to rubbing of or collision between contact parts of the components. In some implementations, a component in a path of transfer of a semiconductor substrate in the lithography system is operated at a relatively high movement speed through a first portion of an actuation operation, and is operated at a reduced movement speed (e.g., a movement speed that is less than the high movement speed) through a second portion of the actuation operation in which contact parts of the component are to interact. The reduced movement speed reduces the likelihood of particle generation and/or release from the contact parts when the contact parts interact, while the high movement speed provides a high semiconductor substrate throughput in the lithography system.
SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL AND METHODS OF OPERATION
Some implementations described herein provide a dual-feedback control system for laser beam targeting in a lithography system such as an EUV lithography system. In addition to using feedback from a high-frequency quad-cell sensor to adjust a target position of the pre-pulse laser beam based on a first portion of a phase of a wavefront of the pre-pulse laser beam, the dual-feedback control system uses feedback from a low-frequency camera sensor to adjust the target position of the pre-pulse laser beam based on a second portion of the phase of the wavefront.
LASER AMPLIFICATION DEVICE AND EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT GENERATION APPARATUS
A laser amplification device includes a laser oscillator that includes a first laser active medium including a mixed gas containing carbon dioxide gas and emits pulsed laser light with the full width at half maximum of between 15 ns to 200 ns, and a laser amplifier that includes a second laser active medium including a mixed gas containing carbon dioxide gas through which the pulsed laser light emitted from the laser oscillator passes to be shortened to pulsed laser light with the full width at half maximum of between 5 ns and 30 ns to be output.
STORAGE AND DRAINAGE MECHANISM, LIGHT SOURCE APPARATUS, AND STORAGE AND DRAINAGE METHOD
A storage and drainage mechanism includes a storage vessel, a drainage section, and a temperature controller. The storage vessel stores a stored material containing metal of plasma raw material at a temperature at which the stored material is in a liquid-phase state. The drainage section includes a drain pipe including an inlet through which the stored material flows in, and an outlet through which the stored material drains away, the drain pipe being communicated with an interior of the storage vessel, and a temperature control element that adjusts a temperature of the drain pipe. The temperature controller controls the temperature control element to switch the temperature of the drain pipe in a manner that the stored material in the drain pipe is in either a liquid-phase state or a solid-phase state.
METHOD FOR OPERATING AN EUV LITHOGRAPHTY APPARATUS, AND EUV LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS
A method for operating an EUV lithography apparatus (1) with at least one vacuum housing (27) for at least one reflective optical element (12) includes operating the EUV lithography apparatus in an exposure operating mode (B), in which EUV radiation (5) is radiated into the vacuum housing, wherein a reducing plasma is generated at a surface (12a) of the reflective optical element in response to an interaction of the EUV radiation with a residual gas present in the vacuum housing. After an exposure pause, in which no EUV radiation is radiated into the vacuum housing, and before renewed operation of the EUV lithography apparatus in the exposure operating mode (B), the EUV lithography apparatus is operated in a recovery operating mode, in which oxidized contaminants at the surface of the reflective optical element are reduced in order to recover a transmission of the EUV lithography apparatus before the exposure pause.
Wafer stage and method thereof
A method includes moving a wafer stage to a first station on a table body of a lithography chamber; placing a wafer on a top surface of the wafer stage; emitting a first laser beam from a first laser emitter toward a first beam splitter on a first sidewall of the wafer stage, wherein a first portion of the first laser beam is reflected by the first beam splitter to form a first reflected laser beam, and a second portion of the first laser beam transmits through the first beam splitter to form a first transmitted laser beam; calculating a position of the wafer stage on a first axis based on the first reflected laser beam; after calculating the position of the wafer, moving the wafer stage to a second station on the table body; and performing a lithography process to the wafer.
COLLECTOR FLOW RING
Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided for a collector flow ring (CFR) housing configured to mitigate an accumulation of fuel debris in an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation system. An example CFR housing can include a plurality of showerhead flow channel outlets configured to output a plurality of first gaseous fluid flows over a plurality of portions of a plasma-facing surface of the CFR housing. The example CFR housing can further include a gutter purge flow channel outlet configured to output a second gaseous fluid flow over a fuel debris-receiving surface of the CFR housing. The example CFR housing can further include a shroud mounting structure configured to support a shroud assembly, a cooling flow channel configured to transport a fluid, and a plurality of optical metrology ports configured to receive a plurality of optical metrology tubes.
Laser interference fringe control for higher EUV light source and EUV throughput
A method for generating an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation includes simultaneously irradiating two or more target droplets with laser light in an EUV radiation source apparatus to produce EUV radiation and collecting and directing the EUV radiation produced from the two or more target droplet by an imaging mirror.
CHAMBER DEVICE, TARGET GENERATION METHOD, AND EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT GENERATION SYSTEM
A chamber device may include a chamber, and a target generation device assembled into the chamber and configured to supply a target material into the chamber, the target generation device including a tank configured to store the target material, a temperature variable device configured to vary temperature of the target material in the tank, and a nozzle section in which a nozzle hole configured to output the target material in a liquid form is formed, and the chamber device may further include a gas nozzle having an inlet port facing the nozzle section and configured to introduce gas into the chamber, a gas supply source configured to supply gas containing hydrogen to the gas nozzle to supply the gas containing the hydrogen to at least periphery of the nozzle section, and a moisture remover configured to remove moisture at least in the periphery of the nozzle section in the chamber.