High-performance next-generation EUV lithography light source

EUVL solution for HVM at the 22 nm node requires a high power long-term EUV source operation with hundreds of watts at the intermediate focus output. EUV mask blank and mask defects inspections require at-wavelength tools with high brightness. Theoretical analysis with a 2-D radiation MHD code Z* has been performed to address key issues in EUV plasma sources with radiation transfer. The study shows that self-absorption defines the limiting brightness of a single EUV source, which cannot meet the requirements of the HVM tool with high efficiency and is not sufficient for critical metrology applications, given the limiting etendue of the optics. It is shown that the required irradiance can be achieved by spatial multiplexing, using multiple small sources. We present here details of the study, as well as experimental results from a novel EUV light source with an intrinsic photon collector demonstrating high brightness, the i-SoCoMo concept, where an impulse micro discharge plasma source is integrated to a photon collector based on an active plasma structure. The small physical size and low etendue properties of the i-SoCoMo unit allows a large number of such sources to be put together in one physical package and be operated in a multiplexed fashion to meet necessary power requirements.