Protective devices for vacuum sealing

Abstract

The apparatus includes a vacuum sealing device that chemically reacts with a target material in the environment and is fixed between a first fixture and a second fixture, and a protective device that does not chemically react with the target material and is positioned between the environment and the vacuum sealing device. When the apparatus is in a first operating mode, the protective device defines one or more test paths between the environment and the vacuum sealing device, and the one or more test paths include one or more through paths within the protective device. When the apparatus is in a second operating mode, the protective device blocks the passage of the target material from the environment to the vacuum sealing device.

Claims

1. A vacuum sealing device that chemically reacts with a target material in the environment, the vacuum sealing device being fixed between a first mounting fixture and a second mounting fixture, A protective device that does not chemically react with the target material, and is positioned between the environment and the vacuum sealing device, A device equipped with, The protective device defines a test path between the environment and the vacuum sealing device when the environment is at a test temperature in which the target material does not migrate, and the test path includes one or more through paths within the protective device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum sealing device comprises a soft metal or a polyimide plastic.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum sealing device and the protective device each have a closed-circuit geometry, and the protective device is located inside the vacuum sealing device and closer to the environment.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional geometry of the protective device taken along the radial direction includes at least one of a rectangular region and at least one triangular projection extending from the central region.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective device comprises an elastomer or a polyimide-based plastic.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the through-path includes a through-hole extending through the protective device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the through-hole includes a conduit extending through the protective device along an angle offset from the radial direction or along a curved path through the protective device.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the test path is reduced or eliminated when the environment is at a temperature greater than or equal to the melting temperature of the target material.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reduced cross-sectional area is small enough to block the passage of the target material between the environment and the vacuum sealing device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the environment is at the test temperature, the cross-section of the test path between the environment and the vacuum sealing device is large enough to allow the test material to pass from the environment to the vacuum sealing device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the test material includes helium gas.

12. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source, A chamber defining the interior into which the target material is provided, At least one sealing device having fluid communication with the interior, configured to seal a first fitting and a second fitting, thereby defining an internal environment for the target material, Equipped with, The sealing device is A vacuum sealing device that chemically reacts with the target material in the internal environment, and is fixed between the first and second mounting fixtures, A protective device that does not chemically react with the target material, and is positioned between the internal environment and the vacuum sealing device, Equipped with, The protective device defines a test path between the internal environment and the vacuum sealing device when the protective device is at a test temperature in which the target material does not migrate, and the test path includes one or more through-paths within the protective device, and is an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source.

13. The vacuum sealing device comprises a soft metal, as described in claim 12, for the EUV light source.

14. The EUV light source according to claim 12, wherein the vacuum sealing device and the protective device each have a closed-circuit geometry, and the protective device is positioned radially inward of the vacuum sealing device.

15. The EUV light source according to claim 14, wherein the cross-sectional geometry of the protective device taken along the radial direction includes at least one triangular projection extending from a central region.

16. The protective device comprises an elastomer or a polyimide-based plastic, as described in claim 12.

17. The EUV light source according to claim 12, wherein the through-path within the protective device includes a through-hole extending through the protective device along a curved path.

18. The EUV light source according to claim 12, wherein the sealing device is positioned within a target material generator or a target material capture system.

19. The EUV light source according to claim 12, further comprising a clamp adapted to press the first and second mounting fixtures together to form the vacuum seal in the vacuum sealing device between the first and second mounting fixtures.

20. The EUV light source according to claim 12, wherein the sealing device is positioned between the inside of the chamber and the target material capture device.

21. When the internal environment is at a temperature greater than or equal to the melting temperature of the target material, the cross-sectional area of ​​the test path is reduced, and the reduced cross-sectional area is small enough to block the passage of the target material between the internal environment and the vacuum sealing device. The EUV light source according to claim 12, wherein when the internal environment is at a test temperature below the melting temperature of the target material, the cross-section of the test path between the internal environment and the vacuum sealing device is large enough to allow the test material to pass from the environment to the vacuum sealing device.

22. The apparatus is operated in a first operating mode in which a protective device adjacent to the environment defines one or more test paths through the protective device between the environment and the vacuum sealing device, wherein the vacuum sealing device is positioned between a first fixture and a second fixture defining the environment. The apparatus is operated in a second operating mode in which the protective device blocks the passage of the target material from the environment to the vacuum sealing device, Methods that include...

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