Collector in an extreme ultraviolet lithography system with optimal air curtain protection
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChia-Ching Huang, Tsung-Yu Chen, Chia-Hao Hsu, Shinn-Sheng Yu, Chia-Chen Chen
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system. The EUV lithography system includes a collector having a coating surface designed to collect and reflect EUV radiation; a gas supply module; and a gas pipeline integrated with the collector and connected to the gas supply module. The gas pipeline includes inward and outward entrances into the collector. The inward and outward entrances are configured and operable to form a gas curtain on the coating surface of the collector.
Claims20
An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system, comprising:
- a collector having a coating surface designed to collect and reflect EUV radiation;
- a gas supply module;
- and
- a gas pipeline integrated with the collector and connected to the gas supply module, wherein the gas pipeline includes inward and outward entrances into the collector, wherein the inward and outward entrances are configured to completely surround a center of the collector and operable to form a gas flow pattern inside the collector by a combination of gas flows from the inward and outward entrances, wherein the inward entrance has a first opening facing a first direction that is configured to expel gas into the collector and the outward entrance has a second opening facing a second direction that is configured to expel gas into the collector, the second direction being opposite from the first direction.
An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system, comprising:
- a collector, a first surface of the collector being designed to collect and reflect EUV radiation;
- a gas supply module;
- a gas pipeline integrated with the collector and connected to the gas supply module, wherein the gas pipeline includes inward and outward openings surrounding all sides of a center of the collector, wherein the gas supply module and the inward and outward openings of the gas pipeline are configured and operable to form a continuous gas stream above the first surface;
- a ring frame integrated with the collector, wherein the gas pipeline is embedded in the ring frame;
- and
- a window that is transparent to a laser and configured in the ring frame.
An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system, comprising:
- a target droplet generator designed to generate target droplets;
- a laser that is operable to heat the target droplets thereby producing EUV radiation;
- a collector, a first surface of the collector being designed to collect and reflect the EUV radiation;
- a solid cover integrated with the collector and configured to have a gap between the solid cover and an edge of the collector;
- a gas pipeline having inward and outward entrances into and surrounding a center of the collector;
- a gas supply module connected to the gas pipeline and the gap, wherein the inward and outward entrances of the gas pipeline and the gap are configured and operable to form a continuous gas stream inside the collector by a combination of gas flows from at least the inward and outward entrances;
- a ring frame integrated with the collector, wherein the gas pipeline is embedded in the ring frame;
- and
- a window through which the laser reaches into the collector and is configured in the ring frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.