Vyacheslav Medvedev

Infrared diffractive filtering for extreme ultraviolet multilayer Bragg reflectors

We report on the development of a hybrid mirror realized by integrating an EUV-reflecting multilayer coating with a lamellar grating substrate. This hybrid mirror acts as an efficient Bragg reflector for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation at a given wavelength while simultaneously providing spectral-selective suppression of the specular reflectance for unwanted longer-wavelength radiation due to the grating phase-shift resonance. The test structures, designed to suppress infrared (IR) radiation, were fabricated by masked deposition of a Si grating substrate followed by coating of the grating with a Mo/Si multilayer. To give the proof of principle, we developed such a hybrid mirror for the specific case of reflecting 13.5 nm radiation while suppressing 10 μm light, resulting in 61% reflectance at the wavelength of 13.5 nm together with the 70 × suppression rate of the specular reflection at the wavelength of 10 μm, but the considered filtering principle can be used for a variety of applications that are based on utilization of broadband radiation sources.

High brightness EUV sources based on laser plasma at using droplet liquid metal target

We present the study of a source of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation based on laser plasma generated due to the interaction of radiation from a nanosecond Nd : YAG laser with a liquidmetal droplet target consisting of a low-temperature eutectic indium–tin alloy. The generator of droplets is constructed using a commercial nozzle and operates on the principle of forced capillary jet decomposition. Long-term spatial stability of the centre-of-mass position of the droplet with the root-mean-square deviation of ~0.5 μm is demonstrated. The use of a low-temperature working substance instead of pure tin increases the reliability and lifetime of the droplet generator. For the time- and space-averaged power density of laser radiation on the droplet target 4 × 1011 W cm-2 and the diameter of radiating plasma ~80 μm, the mean efficiency of conversion of laser energy into the energy of EUV radiation at 13.5 ± 0.135 nm equal to 2.3% (2π sr)-1 is achieved. Using the doublepulse method, we have modelled the repetitively pulsed regime of the source operation and demonstrated the possibility of its stable functioning with the repetition rate up to 8 kHz for the droplet generation repetition rate of more than 32 kHz, which will allow the source brightness to be as large as ~0.96 kW (mm2 sr)-1.

Cavitation and spallation in liquid metal droplets produced by subpicosecond pulsed laser radiation

The deformation and fragmentation of liquid metal microdroplets by intense subpicosecond Ti:sapphire laser pulses is experimentally studied with stroboscopic shadow photography. The experiments are performed at a peak intensity of 10^{14}W/cm^{2} at the targets surface, which produces shock waves with pressures in the Mbar range. As a result of such a strong impact, the droplet is transformed into a complex-shaped hollow structure that undergoes asymmetrical expansion and eventually fragments. The hollow structure of the expanding target is explained by the effects of cavitation and spallation that follow the propagation of the laser-induced shock wave.

Stable droplet generator for a high brightness laser produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source

We present the results of the low-melting liquid metal droplets generation based on excited Rayleigh jet breakup. We discuss on the operation of the industrial and in-house designed and manufactured dispensing devices for the droplets generation. Droplet diameter can be varied in the range of 30-90 μm. The working frequency of the droplets, velocity, and the operating temperature were in the ranges of 20-150 kHz, 4-15 m/s, and up to 250 °C, respectively. The standard deviations for the droplet center of mass position both their diameter σ < 1 μm at the distance of 45 mm from the nozzle. Stable operation in the long-term (over 1.5 h) was demonstrated for a wide range of the droplet parameters: diameters, frequencies, and velocities. Physical factors affecting the stability of the generator operation have been identified. The technique for droplet synchronization, allowing using the droplet as a target for laser produced plasma, has been created; in particular, the generator has been successfully used in a high brightness extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source. The operation with frequency up to 8 kHz was demonstrated as a result of the experimental simulation, which can provide an average brightness of the EUV source up to ∼1.2 kW/mm2 sr.

Suppression of long wavelength reflection from extreme-UV multilayer optics

Plasma based radiation sources optimized to emit 13.5 nm Extreme UV radiation also produce a significant amount of light at longer wavelengths. This so called out-of-band (OoB) radiation is detrimental for the imaging capabilities of an EUV lithographic imaging system, particularly the deep ultraviolet (DUV) and ultraviolet (UV) parts of the light (λ=100-400 nm). To suppress these wavelengths while maintaining the high efficiency of the mirror for EUV light, several methods have been developed, including phase-shift gratings (PsG) and anti-reflection layers (SPE layer). PsG’s use the diffraction properties of a quarter-wavelength high multilayer grating to filter out the DUV/UV light, while the SPE layer works as an anti-reflection coating. Both methods have achieved a suppression factor of 10 - 30 around the target wavelength. To achieve a full band suppression effect, a new scheme based on surface pyramid structures was developed. An average suppression ofmore than 10 times can be achieved with a relative EUV efficiency of 89% (compared to standard multilayer (ML)) in theory. Different methods were discussed and their results are presented.

Droplet-based, high-brightness extreme ultraviolet laser plasma source for metrology

We report on the development of a high brightness source of extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV) with a working wavelength of 13.5 nm. The source is based on a laser-produced plasma driven by pulsed radiation of a Nd:YAG laser system. Liquid droplets of Sn-In eutectic alloy were used as the source fuel. The droplets were created by a droplet generator operating in the jet break-up regime. The EUV emission properties of the plasma, including the emission spectrum, time profile, and conversion efficiency of laser radiation into useful 13.5 nm photons, have been characterized. Using the shadowgraphy technique, we demonstrated the production of corpuscular debris by the plasma source and the influence of the plasma on the neighboring droplet targets. The high-frequency laser operation was simulated by usage of the dual pulse regime. Based on the experimental results, we discuss the physical phenomena that could affect the source operation at high repetition rates. Finally, we estimate that an average source br...

Debris free high brightness light source based on LPP for actinic EUV microscopy and metrology applications

The progress of EUVL and the introduction of HVM scanners demands advanced actinic metrology especially for the EUV mask supply chain. For stand alone field use reliable metrology sources for EUV inband emission around 13.5 nm are critically needed. For nanometer resolution the effective “inband brightness” is extremely important. Laser produced EUV sources (LPP) are cost effective with efficient energy use thus providing a reliable approach for real-life industrial applications. However, apart from the Cymer/ASML LPP scanner source no such source is available. One reason is that realizing a reliable tin droplet target is beyond the technical and financial scope of a metrology source. In this paper, we propose a path to make industrial laser produced plasma based EUV sources reliable and with easy renewable targets a reality.