High-intensity sources of incoherent UV and VUV excimer radiation for low-temperature materials processing

Abstract

The principles and properties of ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation generated by decaying excimer complexes are discussed. Excimer lamps offer high-intensity narrow-band radiation at various UV and VUV wavelengths and reach high efficiencies. They can provide high photon fluxes over extended areas. The use of excimers offers several advantages: excimers can be extremely efficient energy converters transforming electron kinetic energy into UV radiation. No self-absorption is observed in excimer systems. In most cases, excimer forming gas mixtures exhibit one dominant narrow emission band. Excimer systems can be pumped at extremely high power densities before saturation effects start to limit the spontaneous emission. Thus, extremely bright UV and VUV sources can be built. Different types of excimer lamps can be fabricated utilising, repetitively pulsed high power discharges, microwave discharges and dielectric-barrier discharges (silent discharges). For large-scale industrial applications dielectric-barrier discharges using fairly simple discharge configurations currently represent the most mature excimer lamp technology. Recent applications of excimer lamps include photo-deposition of large area or patterned thin metal films, of high- and low-dielectric constant insulating layers, photo-assisted low-temperature oxidation of Si, SiGe and Ge, UV curing, polymer etching and microstructuring of polymer surfaces. Applications investigated so far clearly demonstrate that low cost, high power excimer lamp systems can provide an interesting alternative to excimer lasers for industrial large-scale low-temperature materials processing.