Electrode for a discharge chamber
AssigneeCymer, Inc.
InventorLeyla Ramin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A discharge chamber for a deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source includes a housing; and a first electrode and a second electrode in the housing, the first electrode and the second electrode being separated from each other to form a discharge region between the first electrode and the second electrode, the discharge region being configured to receive a gain medium including at least one noble gas and a halogen gas. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a metal alloy including more than 33% and less than 50% zinc by weight.
Claims23
A discharge chamber for a deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source, the discharge chamber comprising:
- a housing;
- and
- an anode and a cathode in the housing, the anode and the cathode being separated from each other to form a discharge region between the anode and the cathode, the discharge region being configured to receive a gain medium comprising at least one noble gas and a halogen gas, wherein
- the anode consists only of a single anode bulk material and the cathode consists only of a single cathode bulk material, and
- the anode bulk material comprises a metal alloy comprising 35% to 50% zinc by weight.
A deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source comprising:
- a master oscillator comprising a master oscillator anode and a master oscillator cathode, the master oscillator anode and the master oscillator cathode being separated from each other to form a master oscillator discharge region, the master oscillator discharge region configured to receive a gain medium comprising a noble gas and a halogen gas,
- wherein the master oscillator anode consists only of a single anode bulk material and the master oscillator cathode consists only of a single cathode bulk material,
- wherein the anode bulk material comprises a metal alloy comprising 35% to 50% zinc by weight;
- and
- a power amplifier on a beam path, wherein, in operational use, the master oscillator produces a seed light beam that propagates on the beam path and is amplified by the power amplifier.
A discharge chamber for a deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source, the discharge chamber comprising:
- a discharge region containing a gain medium comprising a halogen gas;
- an anode comprising a substrate consisting solely of a single bulk material comprising a metal alloy comprising 33% to 50% zinc by weight;
- and a surface on one side of the substrate and positioned to face a cathode and the discharge region;
- and
- a layer of protective material on the surface of the anode, the layer of protective material formed from a reaction between zinc in the metal alloy and the halogen gas.
An anode configured for use in an excimer laser source, the anode comprising a substrate consisting only of a single anode bulk material comprising a metal alloy comprising 35% to 50% zinc by weight, and a layer of protective material on a surface of the substrate, the layer of protective material formed from a reaction between zinc in the metal alloy and a halogen gas in a region adjacent the anode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.