Systems and methods for target material delivery protection in a laser produced plasma EUV light source
AssigneeCymer, Inc.
InventorsIgor V. Fomenkov, William N. Partlo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device is disclosed herein which may comprise a chamber, a source providing a stream of target material droplets delivering target material to an irradiation region in the chamber along a path between a target material release point and the irradiation region, a gas flow in the chamber, at least a portion of the gas flowing in a direction toward the droplet stream, a system producing a laser beam irradiating droplets at the irradiation region to generate a plasma producing EUV radiation, and a shroud positioned along a portion of said stream, said shroud having a first shroud portion shielding droplets from said flow and an opposed open portion.
Claims21
A device comprising:
- a chamber;
- a source providing a stream of target material delivering target material to an irradiation region in the chamber along a path between a target material release point and the irradiation region;
- a gas flow in the chamber, at least a portion of the gas flowing in a direction toward the stream;
- a system producing a laser beam irradiating target material at the irradiation region to generate a plasma producing EUV radiation;
- and
- a shroud positioned along a portion of said stream, said shroud having a first shroud portion shielding the stream from said flow and an opposed open portion.
A device comprising:
- a chamber;
- a source providing a stream of target material droplets delivering target material to an irradiation region in the chamber along a path between the irradiation region and a target material release point;
- a gas flow in the chamber;
- a laser producing a beam irradiating droplets at the irradiation region to generate a plasma producing EUV radiation;
- and
- a shroud positioned along a portion of said stream, said shroud partially enveloping said stream in a plane normal to said path to increase droplet positional stability.
A method comprising the steps of:
- providing a stream of target material droplets delivering target material to an irradiation region in a chamber along a path between a target material release point and the irradiation region;
- flowing a gas in a direction toward the droplet stream;
- irradiating droplets with a laser beam at the irradiation region to generate a plasma producing EUV radiation;
- and
- positioning a shroud along a portion of said stream, said shroud having a first shroud portion shielding droplets from said flow and an opposed open portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.