System and method for rejuvenating an imaging sensor degraded by exposure to extreme ultraviolet or deep ultraviolet light

A system comprising:

• an imaging system including an imaging sensor, the imaging system including an optical pathway between the imaging sensor and a sample stage, wherein the imaging system is configured to image one or more samples disposed on the sample stage with at least one of extreme ultraviolet light or deep ultraviolet light;
• a rejuvenation illumination system including one or more illumination sources configured to selectably illuminate a portion of the imaging sensor of the imaging system with illumination for at least partially reversing degradation of the imaging sensor caused by exposure of the imaging sensor to the at least one of extreme ultraviolet light or deep ultraviolet light from the imaging system, wherein the rejuvenation illumination system includes an optical pathway between the one or more illumination sources of the rejuvenation system and the imaging sensor, the optical pathway of the rejuvenation illumination system is aligned off-axis relative to the optical pathway of the imaging system,
• wherein the one or more illumination sources of the rejuvenation illumination system are configured to generate illumination of at least one wavelength range different from extreme ultraviolet light and deep ultraviolet light from the imaging system;
• and
• a temperature sensor disposed on a portion of the imaging sensor;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled to the rejuvenation illumination system and the temperature sensor disposed one the portion of the imaging sensor, wherein the controller is configured to direct the rejuvenation illumination system to illuminate the imaging sensor for one or more illumination cycles during a non-imaging state of the imaging sensor in response to one or more signals from the temperature sensor.