Laser system for source material conditioning in an euv light source
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsIgor Vladimirovich Fomenkov, Yezheng Tao, Robert Jay Rafac
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Abstract
Disclosed is an apparatus and a method in which multiple, e.g., two or more pulses from a single laser source are applied to source material prior to application of a main ionizing pulse in which the multiple pulses are generated by a common laser source. The first pulse is directed towards the source material when the source material is at a first position and the second pulse is directed towards the source material when the source material is at a second position.
Claims35
Apparatus comprising:
- a radiation source configured to generate a first pulse and a second pulse along a single axis for conditioning source material;
- and
- an optical element arranged to receive the first pulse and the second pulse and configured to deliver the first pulse to a quantity of source material at a first time and to deliver the second pulse to the quantity of source material at a second time.
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Apparatus comprising:
- a radiation source configured to generate a first pulse at a first time and a second pulse at a second time along a single axis for conditioning source material;
- and
- an optical element arranged to receive the first pulse and the second pulse and configured to deliver the first pulse along a first optical path to a quantity of source material at a first time and to deliver the second pulse along a second optical path to the quantity of source material at a second time.
A method of applying multiple pulses to a quantity of source material, the method comprising the steps of:
- using a radiation source to generate a first pulse along a first path;
- directing the first pulse to irradiate the quantity of source material when the quantity of source material is at a first position;
- using the radiation source to generate a second pulse along the first path;
- and
- directing the second pulse to irradiate the quantity of source material when the quantity of source material is at a second position.
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A method of applying multiple pulses to a quantity of source material, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) using a radiation source to generate a pulse along a first path;
- (b) directing the pulse to irradiate the quantity of source material, the source material being in motion and so traversing a number of positions;
- and
- (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) to irradiate the source material at a predetermined number of the positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.