Inductively coupled plasma light source with switching power supply

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating light includes a chamber having a high voltage region, a low voltage region, and a plasma generation region defining a plasma confinement region. A magnetic core is arranged around the chamber for generating a plasma within the plasma confinement region. The switching power supply system includes a DC power supply and a switching resonant charging circuit that collectively generate a plurality of voltage pulses at an output to apply a plurality of current pulses to a power transfer portion around a magnetic core to establish at least one plasma loop around the magnetic core to constrain the plasma within a plasma confinement region, and thus, the magnetically confined Z-pinch plasma is formed. Light generated by the Z-pinch plasma propagates outward through a port in the light source.

Description

[0001] The section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described in this application in any way. Background Art

[0002] Many commercial and academic applications require high-brightness light in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region of the spectrum. For example, many industrial applications require EUV light, including metrology, accelerated testing, photoresist, defect inspection, and microscopy. Other applications of EUV light include microscopy, spectroscopy, aerial imaging, and blank mask inspection. These and other applications require EUV light sources with high reliability, small size, low fixed cost, low operating cost, and low complexity, which are important sources of extreme ultraviolet photons.

[0003] Known switching power supplies limit the performance and usefulness of these high brightness light sources in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region of the spectrum because they use magnetic switches, which are well known in the art to have many performance disadvantages, including that they are relatively slow and bulky. New switching power supplies are needed to improve the performance of these high brightness EUV light sources. Summary of the invention

[0004] The method and apparatus for generating light include a chamber having a high voltage region, a low voltage region, and a plasma generation region defining a plasma confinement region. A gas supply port is positioned near the plasma confinement region, and a vacuum pump port is positioned near the plasma confinement region. A magnetic core is positioned around a portion of the chamber and is configured to generate plasma in the plasma generation region, the plasma converging in the plasma confinement region.

[0005] The switching power supply is electrically connected between the high voltage region and the low voltage region of the chamber and includes a DC power supply and a switching resonant charging circuit, which together generate a plurality of voltage pulses at an output terminal, thereby causing a plurality of current pulses to be applied to a power delivery portion around the magnetic core, thereby establishing at least one plasma ring around the magnetic core, thereby confining the plasma in the plasma confinement region, thereby forming a magnetically confined Z-pinch plasma. In some configurations, the low voltage region is electrically connected to a ground potential.

[0006] The switching power supply includes a charging switch and a discharging switch, which may be solid-state switches, including, for example, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors, bimetallic oxide semiconductor field effect transistors, insulated gate bipolar transistors, or similar high voltage semiconductor switches. The switching resonant charging circuit includes at least one inductor and at least one capacitor, configured to cause the at least one inductor to increase the voltage across the at least one capacitor during operation. The switching resonant charging circuit may be configured to increase the DC voltage generated by the DC power supply to less than or equal to twice the DC voltage generated by the DC power supply. The switching resonant charging circuit may be configured to provide sufficient charging current at the output of the switching power supply to maintain the plasma between voltage pulses. A flux excluder may be positioned near the magnetic core so that at least one plasma ring flows between the flux excluder and the magnetic core during operation.

[0007] A port is located near the plasma generation region to allow light generated by the Z-pinch plasma to propagate out of the light source. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] According to preferred and exemplary embodiments, the present teachings together with their further advantages will be described in more detail in the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the drawings described below are for illustration purposes only. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; emphasis is generally placed on illustrating the principles of the teachings. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the applicant's teachings in any way.

[0009] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a known plasma chamber for producing Z-pinch UV light is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 An ultraviolet light source including a solid-state pulsed power supply and a power delivery portion according to the present teachings is shown.

[0011] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of a solid-state pulsed power and delivery system for an ultraviolet light source in accordance with the present teachings is shown.

[0012] Figure 3B A perspective view of a single-board solid-state switch subsystem in accordance with the present teachings is shown.

[0013] Figure 3C An example of a solid-state switching subsystem including a six-plate power supply in a radial parallel configuration is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 A graph showing current in and voltage across a charging capacitor in a solid-state switching subsystem in a power supply according to the present teachings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] This teaching will now be described in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Although this teaching has been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, this teaching is not intended to be limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this teaching encompasses various alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Those of ordinary skill in the art may be exposed to the content of this teaching, and they will recognize that additional implementations, modifications and embodiments and other fields of use are within the scope of the present disclosure described herein.

[0016] References in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the teachings. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0017] Should be understood that, as long as this teaching is still feasible, the various steps of the method of this teaching can be performed in any order and / or simultaneously.In addition, should be understood that, as long as this teaching is still feasible, the device and method of this teaching can include any number or all described embodiments.

[0018] Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources play an important role in many optical metrology and exposure applications. It is desirable for these light sources to be configured to accommodate a variety of use cases. One challenge is to produce high-power and high-brightness EUV light in a configuration that is flexible enough to allow integration with a variety of applications and also exhibit high stability and high reliability.

[0019] Extreme ultraviolet radiation is referred to by those skilled in the art in a variety of ways. Some persons skilled in the art sometimes refer to extreme ultraviolet radiation as high-energy ultraviolet radiation, which may be abbreviated as XUV. Extreme ultraviolet radiation generally refers to the portion of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum with a nominal wavelength range from 124 nm to 10 nm. There is some overlap between extreme ultraviolet radiation and what is considered to be the spectrum. One EUV wavelength of particular interest is 13.5 nm, as this wavelength is commonly used in lithography. According to the present teachings, extreme ultraviolet radiation sources are not limited to producing EUV radiation. As is known in the art, plasmas can be used to produce photons over a wide spectral range. For example, plasmas produced according to the present teachings can also be used to produce soft X-ray photons (SXR). This includes, for example, photons with wavelengths less than 10 nm.

[0020] So-called Z-pinch plasmas, where the current is conducted in an axial direction, have proven to be very efficient in producing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) light. However, most known light sources use electrodes to direct the high discharge current into the plasma. These electrodes are usually in contact with the high temperature plasma and may melt and generate a lot of debris, which is very undesirable because it significantly shortens the lifetime of the light source.

[0021] Electrodeless approaches to EUV generation are highly desirable and could meet significant market demand. For example, such sources are available from Energetiq, a Hamamatsu company based in Wilmington, Massachusetts. These sources are based on Z-pinch plasmas but avoid the use of electrodes entirely by inductively coupling current into the plasma. In these EUV sources, the plasma is magnetically confined away from the walls of the source, minimizing heat load and debris generation and providing excellent open-loop spatial stability and stable, repeatable power output. One challenge with known Z-pinch sources is that their performance, especially brightness, is limited by their power supply systems because they use highly non-ideal magnetic switches that are neither flexible nor easily scalable.

[0022] The EUV light sources described in the present teachings have versatility and can support a variety of high-brightness applications. In particular, the EUV light sources described in the present teachings improve upon known Z-pinch designs because they can be optimized to achieve peak power and / or peak brightness based on the user's specific application requirements. In addition, the EUV light sources described in the present teachings have a more compact physical structure and more flexible component layout.

[0023] Figure 1 A known plasma chamber 100 for producing Z-pinch UV light is shown. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 676,712, entitled "Inductively Coupled Plasma Light Source," owned by the present assignee. The entire contents of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 676,712 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0024] The chamber 100 includes an interface 102 for introducing a feed gas 104 into the chamber 100. A pump 106 is used to pump a chamber region 108 to a desired operating pressure and / or control gas flow in the chamber 100 via a butterfly valve 107 or other flow control device. A port 110 is used to transmit EUV radiation 112 generated by the EUV plasma.

[0025] In various systems, port 110 is configured to allow user connection to an application system (not shown) such that EUV radiation can be transmitted directly through port 110. Plasma generation region 114 defines a plasma confinement region 116. Plasma confinement region 116 is formed by magnetic induction when current provided by pulse formation and power delivery system 118 interacts actively and passively with magnetic cores 120, 121. High voltage region 122 is connected to plasma generation region 114. The outer surface of low voltage region 124 is connected to a low voltage potential, such as ground 126 in some embodiments. Figure 1As shown. A pulse power supply 119 using a magnetic switch is electrically connected to the power delivery system 118. The chamber 100 also includes a region 128 located between the inner and outer magnetic cores 121 and 120, in which the current carried by the inductively coupled plasma flows. During Z-pinch plasma operation of the known chamber 100, the supply gas in the plasma generation region 114 is compressed by the electrical pulse generated by the pulse power supply 119, and then the gas expands again after the pulse ends.

[0026] Figure 2 An ultraviolet light source 200 according to the present teachings is shown, which includes a solid-state pulse power supply 250 and a power delivery section 252. The light source 200 is an inductively coupled design that provides high reliability and stability by magnetically confining the plasma in a plasma confinement region 238 that creates a Z-pinch, so that the plasma confinement region 238 is away from the components of the chamber 204. A flux repeller 206 is used to enhance the confinement of the magnetic flux in the power delivery section, thereby reducing inductance. During operation, one or more plasma rings flow through the flux repeller region 206 and the plasma generation region 202 to form a plasma ring around the inner magnetic core 208. These plasma rings do not produce significant EUV light by themselves.

[0027] Target gas 210 enters chamber 204 through port 212. In some embodiments, the target gas is xenon. Pump 214 is used to pump chamber region 216 to a desired operating pressure. A valve, such as butterfly valve 215, is used to control the pressure in chamber region 216. Transparent port 218 is used to transmit EUV radiation, i.e., EUV light 220 generated by the plasma. Port 218 may be connected to Figure 1 Any of the various ports described in relation to port 110 .

[0028] The solid-state pulse power supply (PPS) 250 is used to transmit current to the low voltage region of the power delivery portion 252 to generate plasma. In one embodiment, the low voltage region is grounded. However, it should be understood that the low voltage region is not necessarily at ground potential. The solid-state pulse power supply 250 is connected to the power delivery portion 252 at a high voltage side 268 and a low voltage side 270. In some configurations, the diameter of the plasma confinement region 238 is smaller than the diameter of the high voltage region electrically connected to the high voltage side 268. The pulse power supply system 250 includes a DC power supply 254 that provides a DC voltage (V DC). The resonant charging subsystem 256 is connected to the output of the DC power source 254 through the charging switch 258 and the inductor 260. The resonant charging subsystem 256 is configured to approximately double the voltage provided by the DC power source 254 at the capacitor 266. Through the inductive energy storage of the inductor 260, the voltage provided by the DC power source 254 can be effectively doubled at the capacitor 266. In other words, the resonant charging subsystem 256 and the capacitor 266 form a resonant charging circuit.

[0029] The solid-state pulse power supply 250 further includes a solid-state switch subsystem 262, which includes a discharge switch 264 and at least one capacitor 266 for generating the current required to form the plasma. The capacitor is typically a plurality of capacitors, such as Figure 3B shown. Figure 3A A schematic diagram of a solid-state pulsed power and transmission system 300 for an ultraviolet light source according to the present teachings is shown. The system 300 includes a resonant charging subsystem 302, a solid-state switch subsystem 304, and a transmission line system 306 coupling the resonant charging subsystem 302 and the solid-state switch subsystem 304. The resonant charging subsystem 302 includes a DC power supply 308, for example, a 1 kV power supply in one specific embodiment, generating a high voltage in the range of about 500 V to 1 kV. In other embodiments, the DC power supply 308 can operate in the range of several kilovolts. The DC power supply 308 provides a DC voltage to a charging switch 310. In many embodiments, the charging switch 310 includes a high-power solid-state switch for switching the output voltage of the DC power supply 308. In recent years, high-power solid-state device technology has made great progress in performance. For example, heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), silicon carbide metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (SiCFETs), and bipolar metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (BiMOSFETs) are examples of robust high-power, fast-switching solid-state switches suitable for the present teachings. BiMOSFET devices are particularly useful because they combine the advantages of MOSFET devices and IGBT devices to achieve V ce (the voltage difference between the collector and emitter) and V f BiMOSFET devices also have the advantage of low conduction losses, making them particularly suitable for high frequency and / or high power density applications.

[0030] When the charging switch 310 is closed, the voltage generated by the DC power source 308 is applied to the inductor 312, which is used to store energy for the pulse. The inductor 312 can be one or more series coupled inductors to provide a larger inductance value. For example, in some systems, the total inductance value of the inductor 312 can be in the range of 1-10 microhenries or even higher.

[0031] Diodes D1 314 and D2 316 prevent current reversal through the charging switch 310 and provide charging current for pre-ionized plasma, thereby maintaining the plasma ring. The resonant charging subsystem 302 is configured to approximately double the voltage provided by the DC power supply at the capacitor 318. It should be noted that the resonant charging subsystem 302, the transmission line 306, and the capacitor 318 together form a resonant charging circuit.

[0032] The transmission line system 306 couples the voltage generated by the resonant charging subsystem 302 to the solid-state switch subsystem 304. The solid-state switch subsystem 304 includes a capacitor 318 and a solid-state discharge switch 320. In many embodiments, the capacitor 318 is a capacitor bank composed of multiple parallel capacitors to provide a high total capacitance value at a relatively low inductance. For example, in one embodiment, the total capacitance value of the capacitor 318 is about 3,000 nF. In the embodiment described, the pre-pulse current peak is about 380 amperes and the half-sine wave charging time is in the range of 15-20 microseconds.

[0033] In the schematic diagram of the solid-state pulse power and transmission system 300, the power transmission section 252 ( Figure 2 ) as the primary 324 of the transformer 322, and the plasma as the secondary 326 of the transformer 322. The current pulses generated by the solid-state switching subsystem 304 are applied to the primary 324 of the transformer 322 through the power delivery section 252. The plasma itself is modeled as the secondary 326 of the transformer 322, having an inductive element 328 and a resistive element 330.

[0034] The pulsed operation of the solid state pulse power and delivery system 300 is achieved through two solid state switches, namely a charging switch 310 in the resonant charging subsystem 302 and a discharging switch 320 in the solid state switch subsystem 304. The charging switch 310 in the resonant charging subsystem 302 applies a high voltage pulse to a capacitor 318 or capacitor bank in the solid state switch subsystem 304. When the charging switch 310 is closed, current flows through the resonant charging subsystem 302 and charges the capacitor 318. Diodes D1 314 and D2 316 are configured to ensure the desired flow direction of current and are arranged to provide charging current for pre-ionized plasma to maintain the plasma ring between pulses. The charging voltage includes a maximum charging voltage that can be expressed by the following formula.

[0035]

[0036] The pre-pulse current is given by:

[0037]

[0038] Pre-ionization is very important because Z-pinch operation requires maintaining a plasma annulus, as continued ionized gas is necessary for its proper operation. When the voltage on capacitor 318 reaches a maximum value, discharge switch 320 is closed.

[0039] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3A , the resulting discharge causes the capacitor 318 to drive current through the high voltage side 268 and the low voltage side 270 of the power delivery section 252. As a result, the inner magnetic core 208 couples the current pulse to the plasma ring, resulting in a large current pulse in the plasma, which passes through the flux exclusion region 206 and the plasma confinement region 202 and forms a ring around the inner magnetic core 208. In some embodiments, at least three inductively coupled plasma rings converge to form a magnetically confined Z-pinch in the plasma confinement region 202. The plasma confinement region 202 generates and emits almost 100% of the EUV radiation generated by the plasma. As a result, the light source 200 produces high quality EUV light 236 in a well-defined and stable pinch plasma confinement region 202. It is worth noting that the light source 200 is a highly compact light source compared to other known light sources that generate stable pinch plasmas. These characteristics are due to the solid-state switching power supply system in the present teachings.

[0040] Another feature of the present teachings is that the pulse forming and power delivery portion 300 of the solid state pulse power system can be constructed using power supply components on multiple circuit boards, thereby allowing the power supply to be configured in a relatively small area compared to known switching power supply technologies.

[0041] Figure 3B A perspective view of a single board solid state switch subsystem 350 according to the present teachings is shown. The solid state switch subsystem 350 includes a bank of capacitors 320 configured in parallel to present a relatively large capacitance value. For example, such a solid state switch subsystem 350, in one embodiment suitable for commercial products, includes 24 capacitors 320 on a single circuit board with a total capacitance of approximately 528 nF. In this embodiment, the solid state switches 322 are BiMOSFET switches that are integrated on the single board subsystem 350 and are configured with diodes to protect components 310, 314, 316, 320, and 322 from reverse voltage effects. As shown in FIG. Figure 3A As shown, the subsystem 350 also includes a connector 352 for coupling the solid-state switch subsystem 350 to the charging cable 306 (which is coupled to the charging subsystem 302). In addition, a fiber optic coupler 354 is shown for coupling an optical fiber from the controller to the solid-state switch subsystem 350 for high-speed triggering of the switch 322.

[0042] Figure 3CAn example of a solid-state switch subsystem 370 is shown, which includes a six-board power supply configured in radial parallel, each board including, for example, 24 capacitors 320, with a total capacitance of approximately 3000 nF, as shown in FIG. Figure 3B In other embodiments, each circuit board may include any number of capacitors 320, with a total capacitance range of up to several microfarads. Figure 3A , 3B and 3C, capacitor 320 is charged by the resonant charging subsystem.

[0043] The radial configuration of the solid-state switch subsystem 370 has efficient thermal management capabilities. In some configurations, a cooling ring 372 is arranged around the circumference of the solid-state switch subsystem 370, and a cooling fluid (such as water) is introduced through a fluid inlet 374 and a fluid outlet 376 to provide temperature control.

[0044] The radial configuration of the solid-state switch subsystem 370 is also extremely compact. To make the entire pulse power supply more compact, a fiber optic cable can be coupled to a fiber optic coupler 354 for triggering the discharge switch 322 at the peak voltage, such as Figure 3B The switch 322 is triggered as described in .

[0045] Figure 4 A charging capacitor current and voltage curve 400 is shown for a solid-state switch subsystem in a power supply according to the present teachings. Curve 402 shows the voltage (in volts) across the charging capacitor in the solid-state switch subsystem as a function of time (in microseconds). Curve 404 shows the current (in kiloamperes) in the charging capacitor as a function of time (in microseconds). These curves 400 show that when the elapsed time reaches about 20 microseconds, a large voltage pulse is formed, which is on the order of about 1.3 kV, corresponding to a peak current pulse of about 6.8 kA.

[0046] An important feature of the present teachings is that since the solid-state charging switch 310 and the solid-state discharging switch 320 do not operate at magnetic saturation as in known power supplies for generating Z-pinch inductively coupled plasmas, they can be conveniently located inside the power supply unit. This enables the designer to place the switch device next to the capacitor 320 on the switch board, which can minimize inductance. This is largely (at least in part) due to the small size of the FET switch device itself, especially when compared to magnetic switches. The design of the coupled magnetic core circuit in the known system is difficult to implement in a commercial product due to the limitations of structural simplicity and space requirements.

[0047] There are many advantages to the pulse forming and power delivery portion of the solid-state pulse power system according to the present teachings. One advantage is that by using the pulse power system to drive and confine the plasma, the plasma light source 200 ( Figure 2 ) does not require the use of electrodes used in known systems to introduce discharge current into the plasma.

[0048] Another advantage of the solid-state pulse power system of the present teachings is that, through the described inductive energy storage and voltage multiplication resonant charging methods, the system can achieve higher frequency operation compared to the prior art systems. For example, when solid-state switching devices are used as switches 310 and 320, operating frequencies in the 10KHz range can be easily achieved, and even higher frequency operations can be achieved. In addition, when solid-state switching devices are used, a wide range of pulse energies can be obtained. For example, in commercial equipment, the pulse energy can reach the range of several joules. Therefore, with higher operating frequencies and higher pulse energies, light sources using the solid-state pulse power system of the present teachings can achieve higher brightness.

[0049] Another advantage of the solid-state pulsed power system of the present teaching is that the power supply can generate a controllable number of charging current pulses, which can be used to generate a pre-ionization current sufficient to achieve the desired Z-pinch conditions. The pre-ionization pulse conditions of the solid-state pulsed power system are highly adjustable and suitable for pulsed operation modes of various requirements. Appropriate pre-ionization pulses are much smaller than the pulses used primarily to generate plasma. Typically, the maximum current of the pre-pulse is below kiloamperes, while the maximum current range of the main pulse is 5-10 kiloamperes. However, these power systems can generate highly adjustable pulses, thereby achieving flexible operation modes.

[0050] Thus, the power supply of the present teachings has the characteristic of generating pulses with highly adjustable dwell time. The so-called dwell time refers to the delay time after the charging time and before the main capacitor is discharged. One measure of the charging time is the time that the switch 310 in the resonant charging subsystem 302 is closed. In a specific embodiment, the dwell time can be controlled from less than 1 microsecond to more than 50 microseconds to provide more ideal and diverse operating conditions.

[0051] As described herein, preionization is necessary to achieve good Z-pinch plasma generation conditions. Furthermore, preionization according to the present teachings is achieved by generating a pre-pulse generated from a current leak for charging, wherein the amplitude of the pre-pulse is much smaller than the main pulse for generating the Z-pinch plasma. The dwell time, which is approximately the time interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse, is selected to provide the desired Z-pinch conditions.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many ways to generate ultraviolet light according to the present teachings. These methods generally introduce a feed gas into the plasma chamber 204 ( Figure 2) in the plasma confinement region 202. Some methods also introduce feed gas or second gas into ports arranged at one or more different locations. Relative to the low voltage region 270, a high voltage pulse is applied to the high voltage region 268 connected to the plasma confinement region 202 in the chamber 204.

[0053] A series of voltage pulses generated by the solid-state pulse power supply 300 is applied to at least one capacitor 318 across the power delivery section 304, which surrounds the inner magnetic core 208, which is located around the plasma confinement region 202. The series of voltage pulses charges the at least one capacitor 318 until a maximum voltage value is reached, and then the solid-state discharge switch 320 is closed, causing the at least one capacitor to discharge, thereby causing the inner magnetic core 208 to couple current pulses to the plasma confinement region 202, thereby forming a plasma ring and maintaining pre-ionization by the charging current as described above, ensuring that the plasma is maintained between voltage pulses. The generated plasma emits ultraviolet light, which is transmitted through the transparent port 218 located near the plasma confinement region 202.

[0054] It should be appreciated that the solid-state switched pulse power system for driving current pulses of the present teachings has many performance advantages. The system has greater flexibility than conventional magnetic switching systems, which are limited by eddy current and hysteresis losses in the magnetic switch core region. Importantly, the frequency of current pulses of the system can be significantly increased compared to known systems using magnetic switching power supplies. In addition, the energy of a single pulse of the system can also be significantly increased compared to known systems using magnetic switching power supplies. The result of these improvements is an increase in the amount of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation generated and more flexible operation.

[0055] Equivalent solution ( Equivalents )

[0056] Although the applicant's teachings are described in conjunction with various embodiments, the applicant's teachings are not limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present teachings cover various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that can be understood by those skilled in the art without departing from its spirit and scope.

Claims

1. A light source, comprising: a) a chamber having a high voltage region, a low voltage region and a plasma generation region, the plasma generation region defining a plasma confinement region; b) a magnetic core disposed around a portion of the chamber and configured to generate plasma in the plasma generation region and to focus the plasma in the plasma confinement region; c) a switching power supply having an output terminal electrically connected between the high voltage region and the low voltage region of the chamber, the switching power supply comprising a DC power supply and a switching resonant charging circuit, the two together generating a plurality of voltage pulses at the output terminal, thereby applying a plurality of current pulses to a power transmission portion around the magnetic core, so as to establish at least one plasma ring around the magnetic core, confine the plasma within the plasma confinement region, thereby forming a magnetically confined Z-pinch plasma; as well as d) a port disposed near the plasma generation region to allow light generated by the Z-pinch plasma to propagate away from the light source.

2. The light source according to claim 1, wherein The switching power supply includes a charging switch and a discharging switch.

3. The light source according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the charging switch and the discharging switch is a solid-state switch.

4. The light source according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the charge switch and the discharge switch includes a field effect transistor (FET).

5. The light source according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the charge switch and the discharge switch includes a bipolar metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (BiMOSFET) device.

6. The light source according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the charge switch and the discharge switch includes an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

7. The light source according to claim 1, wherein The switching resonant charging circuit is configured to provide sufficient charging current at the output of the switching power supply to maintain at least one of the plasma rings between generating the voltage pulses.

8. The light source according to claim 1, wherein Also included is a flux repeller disposed near the magnetic core, such that at least one plasma ring flows between the flux repeller and the magnetic core during operation.

9. The light source according to claim 1, wherein: The low voltage region is electrically connected to a ground potential.

10. The light source according to claim 1, wherein The switching resonant charging circuit is configured to boost a DC voltage generated by the DC power source.

11. The light source according to claim 1, wherein The switching resonant charging circuit is configured to increase a DC voltage generated by the DC power source to less than or equal to twice the generated DC voltage.

12. The light source according to claim 1, wherein The switched resonant charging circuit includes at least one inductor and at least one capacitor configured such that the at least one inductor increases a voltage across the at least one capacitor during operation.

13. The light source according to claim 1, wherein The switched resonant charging circuit includes a capacitor bank comprising a plurality of parallel capacitors.

14. The light source according to claim 1, wherein Also included is a gas supply port disposed adjacent the plasma confinement region.

15. The light source according to claim 1, wherein Also included is a vacuum pump port disposed adjacent the plasma confinement region.

16. A method of generating an inductively coupled Z-pinch plasma, comprising: a) configuring a chamber, wherein the chamber has a high voltage region and a low voltage region, and defines a plasma confinement region within the plasma generation region; b) surrounding a portion of the chamber with a magnetic core, the magnetic core configured to focus plasma within the plasma confinement region; c) generating direct current (DC) voltage; d) generating a plurality of voltage pulses from the generated DC voltage using resonant charging and discharging of solid state switches; as well as e) applying the generated multiple voltage pulses across the high voltage region and the low voltage region of the chamber, thereby applying multiple current pulses to the power transmission portion around the magnetic core, so that at least one plasma ring is established around the magnetic core, and the plasma is confined in the plasma confinement region, thereby forming a magnetically confined Z-pinch plasma.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Also included is electrically connecting the low voltage region to ground.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The switching resonant charging circuit boosts a DC voltage generated by a DC power source.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The switching resonant charging circuit increases a DC voltage generated by a DC power source to a value less than or equal to twice the generated DC voltage.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Also included is applying a current to the power delivery portion around the magnetic core between generated voltage pulses to maintain the at least one plasma ring.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The current applied to the power delivery portion around the magnetic core between generated voltage pulses to maintain the at least one plasma ring is applied at times between voltage pulses.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Also included is increasing confinement of the magnetic flux within the plasma confinement region using a flux repeller disposed proximate the magnetic core.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Also included is providing a feed gas proximate the plasma confinement region.

24. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Also included is gas pumping near the plasma confinement region.

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