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 ...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.展开更多
Extreme ultraviolet lithography(EUVL)has been demonstrated to meet the industrial requirements of new-generation semiconductor fabrication.The development of high-power EUV sources is a long-term critical challenge to...Extreme ultraviolet lithography(EUVL)has been demonstrated to meet the industrial requirements of new-generation semiconductor fabrication.The development of high-power EUV sources is a long-term critical challenge to the implementation of EUVL in high-volume manufacturing(HVM),together with other technologies such as photoresist and mask.Historically,both theoretical studies and experiments have clearly indicated that the CO 2 laser-produced plasma(LPP)system is a promising solution for EUVL source,able to realize high conversion efficiency(CE)and output power.Currently,ASML’s NXE:3400B EUV scanner configuring CO_(2) LPP source sys-tem has been installed and operated at chipmaker customers.Mean-while,other research teams have made different progresses in the development of LPP EUV sources.However,in their technologies,some critical areas need to be further improved to meet the requirements of 5 nm node and below.Critically needed improvements include higher laser power,stable droplet generation system and longer collector life-time.In this paper,we describe the performance characteristics of the laser system,droplet generator and mirror collector for different EUV sources,and also the new development results.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.61427812,61805118,12104216 and 12241403)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China(Nos.BK20192006,BK20180056 and BK20200307)。
文摘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.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2019YFB1704600).
文摘Extreme ultraviolet lithography(EUVL)has been demonstrated to meet the industrial requirements of new-generation semiconductor fabrication.The development of high-power EUV sources is a long-term critical challenge to the implementation of EUVL in high-volume manufacturing(HVM),together with other technologies such as photoresist and mask.Historically,both theoretical studies and experiments have clearly indicated that the CO 2 laser-produced plasma(LPP)system is a promising solution for EUVL source,able to realize high conversion efficiency(CE)and output power.Currently,ASML’s NXE:3400B EUV scanner configuring CO_(2) LPP source sys-tem has been installed and operated at chipmaker customers.Mean-while,other research teams have made different progresses in the development of LPP EUV sources.However,in their technologies,some critical areas need to be further improved to meet the requirements of 5 nm node and below.Critically needed improvements include higher laser power,stable droplet generation system and longer collector life-time.In this paper,we describe the performance characteristics of the laser system,droplet generator and mirror collector for different EUV sources,and also the new development results.
