# US 7,612,353 B2 · Lithographic apparatus, contaminant trap, and device manufacturing method

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- Number: US 7,612,353 B2
- Document ID: US7612353B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/481,252
- Filed: 2006-07-06
- Published: 2007-01-25
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2005-07-06
- Assignees: ASML Netherlands B.V.
- Inventors: Leonid Aizikovitch Sjmaenok; Vadim Yevgenyevich Banine; Josephus Jacobus Smits; Lambertus Adrianus Van Den Wildenberg; Alexander Alexandrovitch Schmidt; Arnoud Cornelis Wassink; Eric Louis Willem Verpalen; Antonius Johannes Van De Pas; Paul Peter Anna Antonius Brom
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612353B2

## CPC

- G03F 7/70166: {Capillary or channel elements, e.g. nested extreme ultraviolet [EUV] mirrors or shells, optical fibers or light guides}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- G03F 7/70908: {Hygiene, e.g. preventing apparatus pollution, mitigating effect of pollution or removing pollutants from apparatus}
- G03F 7/70916: {Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps}
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

A lithographic apparatus includes a radiation system including a radiation source for the production of a radiation beam, and a contaminant trap arranged in a path of the radiation beam. The contaminant trap includes a plurality of foils or plates defining channels that are arranged substantially parallel to the direction of propagation of said radiation beam. The foils or plates can be oriented substantially radially with respect to an optical axis of the radiation beam. The contaminant trap can be provided with a gas injector which is configured to inject gas at least at two different positions directly into at least one of the channels of the contaminant trap.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A lithographic apparatus comprising:
a radiation system including a radiation source for the production of a radiation beam;
a contaminant trap arranged in a path of the radiation beam, the contaminant trap comprising a plurality of foils or plates defining channels arranged substantially parallel to the direction of propagation of said radiation beam; and
a gas injector configured to directly inject gas at least at two different positions into at least one of the channels of the contaminant trap.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas injector comprises a plurality of groups of spaced-apart outflow openings, and
wherein each group of spaced-apart outflow openings is associated with one of said channels to supply gas to that channel.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gas injector includes a plurality of substantially concentric gas supply rings, or substantially concentric gas supply ring sections, and
wherein each of the rings or rings sections comprises different gas outflow openings associated with different channels.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gas supply rings or the ring sections are connected to each other by one or more connecting parts, wherein the connecting parts are provided with one or more gas supply lines to supply gas to the gas supply rings or to the ring sections.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gas supply system includes at least two separate groups of substantially concentric gas supply ring sections, said groups together form substantially closed rings.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the gas supply system further includes one or more connecting parts which connect the ring sections of each group of substantially concentric gas supply ring sections to each other.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas injector is configured to supply gas into at least one of the channels of the contaminant trap under gas flow choke conditions.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the gas injector includes at least one gas supply tube having a wall which includes a plurality of gas outflow openings, and
wherein a length of each gas outflow opening is larger than a cross-section or diameter of that gas outflow opening.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1, further including a gas supply to supply gas to the gas injector, wherein the gas injector and the gas supply are configured to achieve:
∫
x
⁢
⁢
1
x
⁢
⁢
2
⁢
p
⁡
(
x
)
⁢
ⅆ
x
>
1
⁢
(
Pa
·
m
)
,
during use, and
wherein p(x) is the pressure at location x in the channel, x1 is the position of the entrance of the channel and x2 is the position of a gas outflow opening in the channel.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A lithographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
at least a first gas source configured to be connected to the gas injector to supply at least a first gas thereto, wherein the first gas is argon, and
at least one gas supplier configured to inject at least a second gas into a location near a butt-end of the contaminant trap, to catch, divert and/or decelerate the first gas flowing out of that butt-end, wherein the second gas is helium.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a group of main foils or plates defines the channels, and
wherein one or more additional foils or plates are installed between the main foils in at least one of the channels.

### Claim 12

A lithographic apparatus comprising:
a radiation system including a radiation source for the production of a radiation beam; and
a contaminant trap arranged in a path of the radiation beam, the contaminant trap comprising a plurality of foils or plates defining channels to substantially transmit said radiation beam, each foil or plate being provided with at least a first section and a second section, the first and second sections of a foil or plate extending in different directions with respect to each other and adjoining each other along an intermediate line, wherein a virtual extension of the intermediate line intersects a center of the radiation source.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first and second sections of a foil or plate are oriented an angle of less than 180° with each other.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the angle is less than or equal to about 170°.

### Claim 15

A lithographic apparatus comprising:
a radiation system including a radiation source for the production of a radiation beam;
a contaminant trap arranged in a path of the radiation beam, the contaminant trap comprising a plurality of foils or plates defining channels to substantially transmit said radiation beam; and
a gas injector configured to directly inject gas at one or more positions into at least one of the channels of the contaminant trap, the gas injector being provided with one or more gas supply tubes extending through the foils or plates,
wherein the contaminant trap is provided with one or more heat shields configured to shield the one or more gas supply tubes substantially from the radiation beam.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the gas supply tubes are gas supply rings or ring sections.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein each heat shield is formed from heat shield segments extending from the foils or plates, and wherein heat shield segments of neighbouring foils or plates overlap each other when viewed in a radiation propagation direction of the radiation beam.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the heat shield segments bend out of the foils or plates.

### Claim 19

A device manufacturing method comprising:
projecting a patterned beam of radiation onto a substrate; and
injecting gas directly into at least at two different positions of at least one channel of a foil or plate of a contaminant trap.