EUV generation using a droplet of a suspension including tin as a target of a high-efficiency LPP source for high volume production

摘要

Technologies for materializing our cotton-cake like tin target scheme are being developed. With the scheme, we expect to achieve 4% conversion efficiency into 2π sr supported by our experimental data. In order to implement EUVL, EUV power exceeding 100 W is considered to be required to be sent to an illumination box. Large collection solid angle and high conversion efficiency are the mandatory requirements for a source for EUVL. A route to the goal is not yet clear. With our scheme, we can expect EUV exceeding 100 W at the entrance of an illuminator is obtained with a 15 kW YAG laser. Difficulties we encountered when we tried plasma production by shooting droplets of a SnO_2 suspension were preparation of a long life SnO_2 suspension and stable droplet generation with the suspension. In these few years our technologies are highly improved, and we are now able to supply the suspension for several hours without stop, and concentration of a suspension is now increased to as high as 40 wt%. EUV intensity dependence on concentration was studied by shooting a jet of a suspension. We found the EUV intensity saturated at around several at %, which corresponds to several tens wt%, and the EUV intensity comparable to that from a Sn plate was observed. By introducing active synchronization of laser pulses with droplets, we can now shoot droplets running at 10 kHz with a 10 Hz YAG laser with no miss shot. We are now ready to challenge formation of cotton-cake like tin target to demonstrate a very high CE.