A laser-produced plasma source based on thin-film Gd targets for next-generation extreme ultraviolet lithography

We have studied laser-produced plasma based on mass-limited thin-film Gd targets for beyond the current extreme ultraviolet(EUV)light source of 13.5 nm wavelength based on tin.The influences of the laser intensity on the emission spectra centered around 6.7 nm from thin-film Gd targets were first investigated.It is found that the conversion efficiency of the produced plasma is saturated when the laser intensity goes beyond 2×10^(11)W cm^(-2).We have systematically compared the emission spectra of the laser-produced plasma with the changes in the thicknesses of the thin-film Gd targets.It is proved that a minimum-mass target with a thickness of 400 nm is sufficient to provide the maximum conversion efficiency,which also implies that this thickness is the ablation depth for the targets.These findings should be helpful in the exploration of next-generation EUV sources,as the thin-film Gd targets will reduce the debris during the plasma generation process compared with the bulk targets.

Study of plasma parameters of coaxial plasma source using triple Langmuir probe and Faraday cup diagnostics

Coaxial plasma guns are a type of plasma source that produces plasma which propagates radially and axially controlled by the shape of the ground electrode, which has attracted much interest in several applications. In this work, a 120° opening angle of CPG nozzle is used as a plasma gun configuration that operates at the energy of 150 J. The ionization of polyethylene insulator between the electrodes of the gun produces a cloud of hydrogen and carbon plasma.The triple Langmuir probe and Faraday cup are used to measure plasma density and plasma temperature. These methods are used to measure the on-axis and off-axis plasma divergence of the coaxial plasma gun. The peak values of ion densities measured at a distance of 25 mm on-axis from the plasma gun are(1.6±0.5)×10^(19)m^(-3)and(2.8±0.6)×10^(19)m^(-3)for hydrogen and carbon plasma respectively and the peak temperature is 3.02±0.5 eV. The mean propagation velocity of plasma is calculated using the transit times of plasma at different distances from the plasma gun and is found to be 4.54±0.25 cm/μs and 1.81±0.18 cm/μs for hydrogen and carbon plasma respectively. The Debye radius is obtained from the measured experimental data that satisfies the thin sheath approximation. The shot-to-shot stability of plasma parameters facilitates the use of plasma guns in laboratory experiments. These types of plasma sources can be used in many applications like plasma opening switches, plasma devices, and as plasma sources.

Laser-produced plasma helium-like titanium Kα x-ray source and its application to Rayleigh-Taylor instability study

Several experiments are performed on the ShenGuang-Ⅱ laser facility to investigate an x-ray source and test radiography concepts. X-ray lines emitted from laser-produced plasmas are the most practical means of generating these high intensity sources. By using a time-integrated space-resolved keV spectroscope and pinhole camera, potential helium-like titanium Kα x-ray backlighting （radiography） line source is studied as a function of laser wavelength, ratio of pre-pulse intensity to main pulse intensity, and laser intensity （from 7.25 to ～ 11.3 × 10^15 W/cm2）. One-dimensional radiography using a grid consisting of 5 #m Au wires on 16 μm period and the pinhole-assisted point projection is tested. The measurements show that the size of the helium-like titanium Ka source from a simple foil target is larger than 100 ~m, and relative x-ray line emission conversion efficiency ~x from the incident laser light energy to helium- like titanium K-shell spectrum increases significantly with pre-pulse intensity increasing, increases rapidly with laser wavelength decreasing, and increases moderately with main laser intensity increasing. It is also found that a gold gird foils can reach an imaging resolution better than 5-μm featured with high contrast. It is further demonstrated that the pinhole-assisted point projection at such a level will be a novel two-dimensional imaging diagnostic technique for inertial confinement fusion experiments.

Experimental investigation of laser-produced-plasma EUV source based on liquid target

A laser-produced plasma(LPP) source was built using liquid as target and a Nd:YAG laser as the irradiation laser, and the LPP source's radiation with ethanol and acetone target respectively was measured by an AXUV100 silicon photodiode combined with a McPHERSON model 247 grazing incidence monochromator of the resolution Δλ≤0.075 nm and the wavelength scanning interval 0.5 nm. Both ethanol and acetone target LPP source had EUV emission at 11～20 nm wavelength. The comparison between the spectra of the two kinds of target materials shows that all the two kinds of target source's spectra are the result of oxygen ions' transitions under current source's parameters, but the spectrum intensity from different target sources is different. The spectra intensity from the ethanol target is higher than that from the acetone target. In addition, the target liquid is forced into the vacuum chamber by the background pressure supported by the connected external high pressure gas, and the influence of the background pressure on the source's intensity is investigated.

Experiment of soft X-ray lithography using a repetitively laser-produced plasma source

The soft X-ray lithography using a repetitively laser-produced plasma(LPP)source isone of the key techniques and methods for making microdevices and microstructures ofsubmicron and submicron levels in the world.But we have not found relevant reportsdomestically.

Study of the 6.x nm short wavelength radiation spectra of laser-produced erbium plasmas for BEUV lithography

Beyond extreme ultraviolet(BEUV)radiation with a wavelength of 6.x nm for lithography is responsible for reducing the source wavelength to enable continued miniaturization of semiconductor devices.In this work,the Required BEUV light at 6.x nm wavelength was generated in dense and hot Nd:YAG laser-produced Er plasmas.The spectral contributions from the 4p–4d and 4d–4f transitions of singly,doubly and triply excited states of Er XXIV–Er XXXII in the BEUV band were calculated using Cowan and the Flexible Atomic Code.It was also found that the radiative transitions between multiply excited states dominate the narrow wavelength window around 6.x nm.Under the assumption of collisional radiative equilibrium of the laser-produced Er plasmas,the relative ion abundance in the experiment was inferred.Using the Boltzmann quantum state energy level distribution and Gram–Charlier fitting function of unresolved transition arrays(UTAs),the synthetic spectrum around 6.x nm was finally obtained and compared with the experimental spectrum.The spatio-temporal distributions of electron density and electron temperature were calculated based on radiation hydrodynamic simulation in order to identify the contributions of various ionic states to the UTAs arising from the Er plasmas near 6.x nm.

Modeling of magnetized collisional plasma sheath with nonextensive electron distribution and ionization source

The properties of an atmospheric-pressure collisional plasma sheath with nonextensively distributed electrons and hypothetical ionization source terms are studied in this work. The Bohm criterion for the magnetized plasma is extended in the presence of an ion–neutral collisional force and ionization source. The effects of electron nonextensive distribution, ionization frequency, ion–neutral collision, magnetic field angle and ion temperature on the Bohm criterion of the plasma sheath are numerically analyzed. The fluid equations are solved numerically in the plasma–wall transition region using a modified Bohm criterion as the boundary condition. The plasma sheath properties such as charged particle density, floating sheath potential and thickness are thoroughly investigated under different kinds of ion source terms, contributions of collisions, and magnetic fields. The results show that the effect of the ion source term on the properties of atmosphericpressure collisional plasma sheath is significant. As the ionization frequency increases, the Mach number of the Bohm criterion decreases and the range of possible values narrows. When the ion source is considered, the space charge density increases, the sheath potential drops more rapidly,and the sheath thickness becomes narrower. In addition, ion–neutral collision, magnetic field angle and ion temperature also significantly affect the sheath potential profile and sheath thickness.

Phase Imaging Using Laser-produced X-ray Sources

A possible novel application of hard x-ray emitted during laser-plasma interaction was discussed. We established an Optical Transform Function to study the joint effect of the spectral distribution and temporal profile of the laser-produced x-ray on x-ray phase imaging. Though the laser-produced x-ray pulse duration is short and incoherent, the analysis confirms that the current x-ray phase imaging theory still holds for laser-produced x-ray phase imaging.

Finite element analysis of keyhole plasma arc welding based on an adaptive heat source mode

An adaptive heat source mode is proposed to account for the keyhole effect and the characteristics of volumetric distribution along the direction of the workpiece thickness. Finite element analysis of the temperature field in keyhole plasma arc welding is conducted and the weld geometry is obtained. The predicted results are in agreement with the measured ones.

Diagnosis of Hydrogen Plasma in a Miniature Penning Ion Source by Double Probes

Parameters of hydrogen plasma in a miniature Penning discharge ion source, including the electron temperature and the electron density, were measured by using double probes. The results indicate that the electron density increases and the electron temperature decreases with the increase in gas pressure and the discharge current. The electron temperature is about 5 - 9 eV and the electron density is 6.0× 10^13 ～ 1.2 × 10^14 m^-3 while the discharge current is in a range of 50 - 120 μA.

Development of Powerful RF Plasma Sources for Present and Future NBI Systems

This paper deals with the topic of RF plasma sources and their application inhigh-power neutral beam heating systems for nuclear fusion devices. RF sources represent aninteresting alternative to the conventional arc discharge sources. Due to the absence of hotfilaments they exhibit an inherent simplicity both in mechanical and electrical aspects andconsequently offer advantages in terms of cost savings, gain in availability and reliability andreduced maintenance. This renders the RF plasma source attractive for any long pulse (> 10 sec) NBIsystem and in particular for the ITER NBI system. The latter, however, requires that the RF plasmasource is also capable of delivering negative rather than positive hydrogen ions. In the first partof the paper the types, characteristics and operation experience of RF plasma sources for positiveions in operation are described. The second part is devoted to the development for ITER NBI: thebasic requirements, physics and technology issues and the present status are discussed.

Experimental Study of a Minitype Atmospheric Non-equilibrium Plasma Source

A mini-type of plasma source was studied experimentally. The results showed that the plasma density, which was generated by an atmospheric non-equilibrium plasma source, rises with the increase in driving electric-field and the momentum of gas particles. For a driving electricfield of 56 kV/cm and a gas particles＇ momentum of 10^9 × 10^-22 g·m/s, the ion density can exceed 10^10/cm^3 while the effective volume of the plasma source is only 2.5 cm^2. This study may help develop a method to generate a minitype plasma source with low energy consumption but high ion concentration. This source can be used in chemical industry, environmental engineering and military applications.

Oxide Coated Cathode Plasma Source of Linear Magnetized Plasma Device

Plasma source is the most important part of the laboratory plasma platform for fundamental plasma experimental research. Barium oxide coated cathode plasma source is well recognized as an effective technique due to its high electron emission current. An indirectly heated oxide coated cathode plasma source has been constructed on a linear magnetized plasma device. The electron emission current density can reach 2 A/cm2 to 6 A/cm2 in pulsed mode within pulse length 5-20 ms. A 10 cm diameter, 2 m long plasma column with density 10is m-3 to 1019 m3 and electron temperature Te --~ 3-7 eV is produced. The spatial uniformity of the emission ability is less than 4% and the discharge reproducibility is better than 97%. With a wide range of the plasma parameters, this kind of plasma source provides great flexibility for many basic plasma investigations. The detail of construction and initial characterization of oxide coated cathode are described in this paper.

Interaction between plasma and electromagnetic field in ion source of 10 cm ECR ion thruster

Through diagnosing the plasma density and calculating the intensity of microwave electric field,four 10 cm electron cyclotron resonance(ECR)ion sources with different magnetic field structures are studied to reveal the inside interaction between the plasma,magnetic field and microwave electric field.From the diagnosing result it can be found that the plasma density distribution is controlled by the plasma generation and electron loss volumes associated with the magnetic field and microwave power level.Based on the cold plasma hypothesis and diagnosing result,the microwave electric field intensity distribution in the plasma is calculated.The result shows that the plasma will significantly change the distribution of the microwave electric field intensity to form a bow shape.From the boundary region of the shape to the center,the electric field intensity varies from higher to lower and the diagnosed density inversely changes.If the bow and its inside lower electric field intensity region are close to the screen grid,the performance of ion beam extracting will be better.The study can provide useful information for the creating of 10 cm ECR ion source and understanding its mechanism.

Linear Plasma Sources for Large Area Film Deposition:A Brief Review

By utilization of different excitation power sources, linear plasma sources can be differentiated into DC, RF, VHF, microwave and dual frequency types. Through installing several linear plasma sources in parallel or adopting the so-called roll-to-roll （air-to-air） process, scale uniform linear plasma sources were realized and successfully applied to the deposition of large area uniform dielectric thin films, Furthermore, the magnetic field system can effectively reduce the recombination losses on the wall of the vacuum chamber and enhance the plasma density. Linear plasma sources with approximately one square meter deposition area with the plasma density of 1011 cm 3 have been developed, some of which have been used for the deposition of dielectric layers and large area plasma etching.

Analysis of extreme ultraviolet spectral profiles of laser-produced Cr plasmas

Radiation from laser-produced plasmas was examined as a potential wavelength calibration source for spectrographs in the extreme ultraviolet(EUV) region.Specifically, the EUV emission of chromium(Cr) plasmas was acquired via spatiotemporally resolved emission spectroscopy.With the aid of Cowan and flexible atomic code(FAC) structure calculations,and a comparative analysis with the simulated spectra, emission peaks in the 6.5–15.0 nm range were identified as 3 p–4 d, 5 d and 3 p–4 s transition lines from Cr5+–Cr10+ions.A normalized Boltzmann distribution among the excited states and a steady-state collisional-radiative model were assumed for the spectral simulations, and used to estimate the electron temperature and density in the plasma.The results indicate that several relatively isolated emission lines of highly charged ions would be useful for EUV wavelength calibration.

Spectral and ion emission features of laser-produced Sn and SnO2 plasmas

We have made a detailed comparison of the atomic and ionic debris, as well as the emission features of Sn and SnO2 plasmas under identical experimental conditions. Planar slabs of pure metal Sn and ceramic SnO2 are irradiated with 1.06 μm, 8 ns Nd：YAG laser pulses. Fast photography employing an intensified charge coupled device （ICCD）, optical emission spectroscopy （OES）, and optical time of flight emission spectroscopy are used as diagnostic tools. Our results show that the Sn plasma provides a higher extreme ultraviolet （EUV） conversion efficiency （CE） than the SnO2 plasma. However, the kinetic energies of Sn ions are relatively low compared with those of SnO2. OES studies show that the Sn plasma parameters （electron temperature and density） are lower compared to those of the SnO2 plasma. Furthermore, we also give the effects of the vacuum degree and the laser pulse energy on the plasma parameters.

Plasma density measurement and downstream etching of silicon and silicon oxide in Ar/NF3 mixture remote plasma source

In this study,plasma density measurements were performed near the plume region of the remote plasma source (RPS) in Ar/NF3 gas mixtures using a microwave cutoff probe.The measured plasma density is in the range of 1010-1011 cm-3 in the discharge conditions with RPS powers of 2-4 kW and gas pressures of 0.87-4 Torr.The plasma density decreased with increasing gas pressures and RPS powers under various Ar/NF3 mixing ratios.This decrease in the plasma density measured at the fixed measurement position (plume region) can be understood by the reduction of the electron energy relaxation length with increases in the gas pressures and mixing ratio of NF3/(Ar/NF3).We also performed downstream etching of silicon and silicon oxide films in this system.The etch rate of the silicon films significantly increases while the silicon oxide is slightly etched with the gas pressures and powers.It was also found that the etch rate strongly depends on the wafer position on the processing chamber electrode,and that the etch selectivity reached 96-131 in the discharge conditions of RF powers (3730-4180 W) and gas pressures (3.6-4 Torr).

A Fokker-Planck Code for Laser-Produced Plasmas

A Fokker-Planck code is developed based upon Epperlein＇s scheme to investigate laser-produced plasmas in relevance to inertial confinement fusion. The equations are integrated implicitly by time-splitting method. Three test problems are simulated to show the versatility of the code. The results are in good agreement with the existing simulations.

Development of plasma sources for Dipole Research EXperiment(DREX)

Dipole Research EXperiment（DREX） is a new terrella device as part of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility（SPERF） for laboratory studies of space physics relevant to the inner magnetospheric plasmas. Adequate plasma sources are very important for DREX to achieve its scientific goals. According to different research requirements, there are two density regimes for DREX. The low density regime will be achieved by an electron cyclotron resonance（ECR） system for the ‘whistler/chorus＇ wave investigation, while the high density regime will be achieved by biased cold cathode discharge for the desired ‘Alfvén＇ wave study. The parameters of ‘whistler/chorus＇ waves and ‘Alfvén＇ waves are determined by the scaling law between space and laboratory plasmas in the current device. In this paper, the initial design of these two plasma sources for DREX is described. Focus is placed on the chosen frequency and operation mode of the ECR system which will produce relatively low density ‘artificial radiation belt＇ plasmas and the seed electrons, followed by the design of biased cold cathode discharge to generate plasma with high density.