Abstract
The most critical enabler of actinic patterned mask inspection technology/capability has been the EUV source. In this paper, we discuss the performance and reliability improvements achieved for the LDP EUV Source (Laser-assisted Discharge Produced Plasma EUV Source) used in Intel actinic patterned-mask inspection systems. These improvements encompass several critical aspects such as EUV emission conversion efficiency, source lifetime and debris mitigation effectiveness. Optimization of the parameters that influence LDP discharge has enabled improvement to these performance indicators. Duration of continuous operation of the source has been extended by novel modification of the electrode design as well as other changes. Ion induced damage to the optical components such as downstream mirrors was mitigated by development of an effective debris mitigation approach. These improvements have significantly increased the duration of uninterrupted operation, EUV brightness level, as well as improvements in plasma stability.
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