New dimensions of micromachining with 157-nm laser light

Fluorine (F2) lasers emit at 157 nm, the shortest commercially available laser wavelength. Innovations such as NovaTubeTM technology have resulted in powerful, highly reliable and cost effective F2 lasers. This paper will discuss the most recent F2 laser developments, resulting in repetition rates up to 1000 Hz and pulse energies in excess of 25 mJ. The industry now considers F2 lasers to be the next step (after ArF at 193 nm) in key technologies such as lithography and micromachining.