Abstract
After a long period of relatively low interest, science related to effects in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum range experienced an explosive boom of publications in the last decades. A new application of EUV in lithography was the reason for such a growth. Naturally, an intensive development in such area produces a snowball effect of relatively uncharted phenomena. EUV-induced plasma is one of those. While being produced in the volume of a rarefied gas, it has a direct impact onto optical surfaces and construction materials of lithography machines, and thus has not only scientific peculiarity, but it is also of major interest for the technological application. The current article provides an overview of the existing knowledge regarding EUV-induced plasma characteristics. It describes common, as well as distinguishing, features of it in comparison with other plasmas and discusses its interaction with solid materials. This article will also identify the gaps in the existing knowledge and it will propose ways to bridge them.
Highlights
Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV)-Induced Plasma and Its Relation to PhotolithographyPhotolithography is one of the key steps in the production process of semiconductor structures, i.e., computer chips, on the nanoscale
Everywhere, such photons travel through the background gas, neutral gas particles are photo-ionized, and plasma is created. These so-called EUV-induced plasmas are highly transient in time and they initially contain highly energetic electrons (76 eV) that thermalize on time scales of
It should be noted that— measurements have been conducted in other gases, such as argon as well [11]—only EUV-induced plasmas in H2 background gas are discussed in detail in this work
Summary
Photolithography is one of the key steps in the production process of semiconductor structures, i.e., computer chips, on the nanoscale In these systems, a pattern on a so-called reticle is imaged in a repetitive way on each single microchip by an optical system, which decreases the image on a spatial scale by a factor of 4. EUV light operate in 1–10 Pa hydrogen background gas [3] Everywhere, such photons travel through the background gas, neutral gas particles are photo-ionized, and plasma is created. These so-called EUV-induced plasmas are highly transient in time and they initially contain highly energetic electrons (76 eV) that thermalize on time scales of.
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