Electrode for a discharge chamber
AssigneeCymer, Inc.
InventorLeyla Ramin
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims20
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.
An anode for a deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source, the 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, wherein
- in operational use, the surface is positioned to face a cathode and a discharge region having a gain medium comprising a halogen gas,
- the metal component in the surface reacts with the halogen gas to form a layer of protective material on the surface, and
- the layer of protective material covers the entire surface after at least thirty billion occurrences of an electrical discharge between the anode and the cathode.
An anode configured for use in an excimer laser source, the anode consisting only of a single anode bulk material comprising a metal alloy comprising 35% to 50% zinc by weight.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.