Apparatus and method for extending the life of a target material delivery system - Patents.com

Abstract

To increase system availability.SOLUTION: Disclosed is a system for generating EUV radiation in which current flowing through target material in an orifice 320 of a nozzle in a droplet generator is controlled by providing alternate lower impedance paths for the current and / or by limiting a high frequency component of a drive signal applied to the droplet generator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 752,116, filed October 29, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for generating extreme ultraviolet ("EUV") radiation from a plasma produced by electrical discharge or laser ablation of a target material within a vessel. In such applications, optical elements are used to collect and direct the radiation for use in, for example, semiconductor photolithography and inspection. [Background technology]

[0003]

[0003] Extreme ultraviolet radiation, for example, electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths of about 50 nm or less (sometimes called soft x-rays), including radiation with a wavelength of about 13.5 nm, can be used in photolithography processes to produce very small features in substrates such as silicon wafers.

[0004]

[0004] A method for generating EUV radiation includes converting a target material into a plasma state. The target material preferably includes at least one element, such as xenon, lithium, or tin, that has one or more emission lines in the EUV portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The target material may be solid, liquid, or gaseous. One technique involves generating a stream of droplets of the target material and irradiating at least some of the droplets with one or more pulses of laser radiation. Such radiation sources generate EUV radiation by coupling laser energy into a target material having at least one EUV-emitting element, creating a highly ionized plasma with an electron temperature of tens of eV.

[0005] One technique for producing droplets involves melting a target material, such as tin, and then forcing it under high pressure through a relatively small diameter orifice (such as an orifice having a diameter of about 0.5 μm to about 30 μm), producing a stream of droplets with droplet velocities in the range of about 30 m / s to about 150 m / s. Under most conditions, instabilities in the stream exiting the orifice cause the stream to break up into droplets in a process called Rayleigh breakup. These droplets may have variable velocities and may combine and coalesce into larger droplets.

[0006]

[0006] In the EUV production processes considered here, it is desirable to control the breakup / coalescence process. For example, to synchronize droplets with the optical pulses of a drive laser, repetitive disturbances with amplitudes exceeding those of random noise can be added to a continuous stream. Droplets can be synchronized with the laser pulses by adding disturbances at the same frequency (or at higher harmonics) as the repetition rate of the pulsed laser. For example, disturbances can be added to the stream by coupling an electrically actuatable element (such as a piezoelectric material) to the stream and driving the electrically actuatable element with a periodic waveform. In some embodiments, the electrically actuatable element expands and contracts in diameter (on the order of nanometers). This dimensional change is mechanically coupled to a cavity-defining structure, such as a tube or capillary, which experiences corresponding contraction and expansion in diameter. A column of target material (e.g., molten tin) within the cavity also expands and contracts in diameter (and length), thereby inducing velocity perturbations in the stream at the nozzle exit.

[0007]

[0007] As used herein, the term "electrically actuatable element" and its derivatives mean a material or structure that undergoes a dimensional change when subjected to a voltage, an electric field, a magnetic field, or a combination thereof, including, but not limited to, piezoelectric materials, electrostrictive materials, and magnetostrictive materials. Apparatus and methods for controlling droplet streams by using electrically actuatable elements are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0014668A1, published January 15, 2009, entitled "Laser Produced Plasma EUV Light Source Having a Droplet Stream Produced Using a Modulated Disturbance Wave," and U.S. Patent No. 8,513,629, published August 20, 2013, entitled "Droplet Generator with Actuator Induced Nozzle Cleaning," both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0008] Thus, the task of a droplet generator is to place droplets of appropriate size at the primary focal point where they will be used to generate EUV light. The droplets must arrive at the primary focal point within certain spatial and temporal stability criteria, i.e., with positions and timing that are reproducible within acceptable limits. The droplets must also arrive at a given frequency and velocity. Furthermore, the droplets must be fully coalesced, meaning that they must be monodisperse (uniformly sized) and arrive at a given drive frequency. For example, the droplet stream should be free of on-axis "satellite" droplets, i.e., smaller droplets of target material that fail to coalesce into the main droplet. Meeting these criteria is complicated by the fact that droplet generator performance changes over time. For example, if droplet generator performance changes, the droplet generator may produce droplets that are not fully coalesced by the time they reach the primary focal point. Eventually, droplet generator performance deteriorates to the point where the droplet generator must be taken offline for maintenance or replacement.

[0009] Another failure mode of such droplet generators is the gradual drift of the droplet flow angle. Such drift can cause instability in the operation of the EUV radiation source and, in some cases, result in droplet loss when the angle becomes too large and the droplets begin to strike the droplet generator's exit aperture. Such drift is likely to be unidirectional and can grow until the droplet generator driving the system runs out of range to correct the droplet position or until the droplets strike the exit aperture. This droplet loss can lead to droplet generator replacement, impacting overall system availability.

[0010]

[0010] Therefore, there is a need to extend the life of such droplet generators to improve system availability. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The following presents a summary of one or more embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of those embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements of all embodiments, nor is it intended to limit the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0012]

[0012] Disclosed is a system for generating EUV radiation in which the current flowing through the target material at the orifice of the droplet generator nozzle is controlled by providing an alternative, lower impedance path for the current and / or by limiting the high frequency components of the drive signal applied to the droplet generator.

[0013] According to one aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus for generating EUV radiation is disclosed, the apparatus including: a target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity disposed to receive the target material and an orifice disposed to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and disposed to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, the electrical connection with the electrically actuatable element being configured to control an amount of current flowing through the target material in the orifice. The electrical connection with the electrically actuatable element may be configured to provide a low-impedance path between the electrically actuatable element and ground that does not pass through the target material in the orifice. The structure defining the cavity may include a cylindrical tube, and the electrically actuatable element includes a cylindrical piezoelectric element disposed around the cylindrical tube and having an inner surface connected to ground by a low-impedance path. The target material dispenser may further include a conductive coating around at least a portion of the structure defining the cavity. The conductive coating may have a resistivity of less than about 1E-06 Ωm. The conductive coating may be limited to an area of the defining structure, including the orifice. The electrically-actuable element may be disposed around a first axial portion of the cavity that is free of the conductive coating. The conductive coating may be connected to ground by a low-impedance path. The apparatus may further include an insulating coating over the conductive coating. The drive signal generator may be electrically coupled to the electrically-actuable element by an RF coaxial cable that terminates directly at the electrically-actuable element.

[0014]

[0014] According to another aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus for generating EUV radiation is disclosed, comprising: a target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein the highest frequency component of the drive signal is limited to a value within the range of about 3.5 MHz to about 7 MHz.

[0015]

[0015] According to another aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus for generating EUV radiation is disclosed, comprising: a target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein the drive signal has a minimum rise / fall time in the range of about 50 ns to about 100 ns.

[0016]

[0016] According to another aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus for generating EUV radiation is disclosed that includes a target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein the maximum voltage of the drive signal is limited to limit the flow of current through the target material in the orifice.

[0017] According to another aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus for generating EUV radiation is disclosed, the apparatus including: a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, the drive signal including a substantially constant DC bias. The bias may be negative. The bias may be positive. The bias may be negative if the drive waveform is comprised of pulses with a positive multiple, and the bias may be positive if the drive waveform is comprised of pulses with a negative multiple.

[0018]

[0018] According to another aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed that generates a target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein the highest frequency component of the drive signal is limited to a value in the range of about 3.5 MHz to about 7 MHz, and the electrical connection with the electrically actuatable element is positioned to control the amount of current flowing through the target material in the orifice.

[0019]

[0019] According to another aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus for generating EUV radiation is disclosed that includes a target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity arranged to receive the target material, and an orifice arranged to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and arranged to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein the electrical connection with the electrically actuatable element is arranged to control the amount of current flowing through the target material in the orifice, and parameters of the drive signal are selected.

[0020]

[0020] According to another aspect of an embodiment, a method for dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity arranged to receive the target material, and an orifice arranged to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and arranged to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and supplying a drive signal to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, the drive signal comprising a substantially constant DC bias.

[0021]

[0021] According to another aspect of an embodiment, a method for dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity arranged to receive the target material, and an orifice arranged to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and arranged to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and supplying a drive signal to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein a minimum rise / fall time of the drive signal is in the range of about 50 ns to about 100 ns.

[0022]

[0022] According to another aspect of an embodiment, a method of dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including a structure defining a cavity arranged to receive the target material, and an orifice arranged to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and arranged to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; and supplying a drive signal to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein a maximum voltage of the drive signal is limited to limit the flow of current through the target material at the orifice.

[0023] Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of the various embodiments, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024]

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate, by way of example, and not by way of limitation, methods and systems of embodiments of the present invention. Together with the detailed description, these drawings further serve to explain the principles of the methods and systems presented herein and to enable one skilled in the art to make and use such methods and systems. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a non-scale schematic diagram of the overall broad concept of a laser-produced plasma EUV radiation source system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]

[0026] FIG. 2 is a non-scale schematic diagram of a portion of the system of FIG. 1. [Figure 3A]

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a droplet generator nozzle assembly, according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 3B]

[0028] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a droplet generator nozzle assembly according to another aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 4A]

[0029] 1 illustrates an excitation waveform for a piezoelectric element of a droplet generator nozzle assembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. [Figure 4B]

[0029] Figure 5 shows the resulting current in a piezoelectric element according to one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 4C]

[0029] Figure 6 illustrates the resulting simulated current through the orifice of a droplet generator nozzle assembly in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026]

[0030] Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. These embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Further embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the teachings contained herein.

[0027]

[0031] Various embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to facilitate a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. However, it may be apparent that in some or all instances, any of the following embodiments can be practiced without employing the following specific design details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more embodiments.

[0028]

[0032] Before describing such embodiments in more detail, however, it is beneficial to present an exemplary environment in which embodiments of the present invention may be practiced. In the specification and claims that follow, terms such as "up," "down," "top," "bottom," "vertical," and "horizontal" may be used. These terms are intended to indicate relative orientation only, and not orientation with respect to gravity.

[0029]

[0033] 1, there is shown a schematic diagram of an exemplary EUV radiation source, for example, a laser-produced plasma EUV radiation source 20, in accordance with an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, EUV radiation source 20 may include a pulsed or continuous laser source 22 (which may be, for example, a pulsed gas discharge CO2 laser source that produces radiation beam 12). The pulsed gas discharge CO2 laser source may have DC or RF excitation operating at high power and high pulse repetition rate.

[0030]

[0034] The EUV radiation source 20 also includes a target delivery system 24 that delivers the target material in the form of droplets or a continuous liquid stream. In this example, the target material is a liquid, although the target material may be a solid or gas. The target material may be comprised of tin or a tin compound, although other materials are possible. In the illustrated system, the target material delivery system 24 introduces droplets 14 of the target material into the vacuum chamber 26 to an irradiation region 28 where the target material may be irradiated to generate a plasma. In some cases, an electric charge is applied to the target material to allow the target material to be directed toward or away from the irradiation region 28. Note that, as used herein, an irradiation region is an area where irradiation of the target material may occur, even when no irradiation is actually occurring.

[0031]

[0035] The EUV radiation source 20 may also include an EUV light source controller system 60, which may also include a laser firing control system 65. The EUV radiation source 20 may also include a detector, such as a target position detection system, which may include one or more droplet imagers 70, that generates an output indicative of the absolute or relative position of the target droplet (e.g., with respect to the irradiation area 28) and provides this output to a target position detection feedback system 62.

[0032]

[0036] The target position detection feedback system 62 uses the output of the droplet imager 70 to calculate the target position and trajectory, from which a target error can be calculated. The target error can be calculated on a drop-by-drop basis, on an average, or on some other basis. The target error can then be provided as an input to the light source controller 60. In response, the light source controller 60 can generate control signals, such as laser position, direction, or timing correction signals.

[0033]

[0037] 1 , the target material delivery system 24 may include a target delivery control system 90. The target delivery control system 90 is operable to adjust the path of the target droplets 14 through the irradiation region 28 in response to a signal (e.g., a target error described above or an amount derived from the target error provided by the system controller 60). This may be accomplished, for example, by relocating the point at which the target delivery mechanism 92 releases the target droplets 14. The droplet release point may be relocated, for example, by tilting or shifting the target delivery mechanism 92. The target delivery mechanism 92 extends into the chamber 26 and is preferably externally supplied with the target material and a gas source that applies pressure to the target material within the target delivery mechanism 92.

[0034]

[0038] Further details regarding various droplet dispenser configurations and their relative advantages can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,872,245, issued January 18, 2011, entitled "Systems and Methods for Target Material Delivery in a Laser Produced Plasma EUV Light Source," U.S. Pat. No. 7,405,416, issued July 29, 2008, entitled "Method and Apparatus For EUV Plasma Source Target Delivery," and U.S. Pat. No. 7,372,056, issued May 13, 2008, entitled "LPP EUV Plasma Source Material Target Delivery System," the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0035]

[0039] Continuing with reference to FIG. 1 , radiation source 20 may also include one or more optical elements. In the following description, collector 30 is used as an example of such an optical element, but the description applies to other optical elements as well. Collector 30 may be, for example, a normal-incidence reflector implemented as an MLM with an additional thin barrier layer (e.g., B4C, ZrC, Si3N4, or C) deposited at each interface to effectively block thermally induced interlayer diffusion. Other substrate materials, such as aluminum (Al) or silicon (Si), may also be used. Collector 30 may be in the shape of a prolate ellipsoid with a central opening that allows laser radiation 12 to pass through and reach illumination region 28. Collector 30 may, for example, be in the form of an ellipsoid with a first focus at illumination region 28 and a second focus at a so-called midpoint 40 (also referred to as intermediate focus 40) where EUV radiation is output from EUV radiation source 10 and may be input to, for example, an integrated circuit lithography scanner 50 that uses said radiation to process silicon wafer workpiece 52 in a known manner, for example, using a reticle or mask 54. Silicon wafer workpiece 52 is then further processed in a known manner to obtain an integrated circuit device.

[0036]

[0040] FIG. 2 illustrates the droplet generation system in more detail. A target material delivery system 90 delivers droplets to the irradiation location / primary focal point 28 within the chamber 26. A drive signal generator 230 provides drive waveforms to electrically actuable elements in the droplet generator 90, which induce velocity perturbations in the droplet stream. The drive waveforms can include a single sine wave, a combination of several sine waves with different frequencies, or a combination of sine waves and pulses. By carefully selecting the drive waveform parameters, velocity perturbations can be imparted to the molten tin jet, resulting in droplet formation, at frequencies between 40 and 100 kHz, at typical distances of 5 to 20 cm from the droplet generation system required for normal operation of an EUV light source. The drive signal generator 230 operates under the control of a controller 250, at least in part, based on data from a data processing module 252. The data processing module 252 receives data from one or more detectors. In the illustrated example, the detectors include a camera 254 and a photodiode 256. The droplets are illuminated by one or more lasers 258. In this general arrangement, a detector detects / images the droplets at a point in the stream where coalescence is believed to have already occurred, and the detector and laser are positioned outside the vacuum chamber 26, viewing the stream through a window in the wall of the vacuum chamber 26.

[0037]

[0041] The target material delivery system 90 may include a reservoir that holds a fluid (e.g., molten tin) under pressure. The reservoir is in fluid communication with a cavity that terminates in a nozzle having an orifice that allows the pressurized fluid in the reservoir to flow through an orifice that establishes a continuous stream that subsequently breaks up into multiple microdroplets that later coalesce into larger droplets.

[0038]

[0042] Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 3A. In FIG. 3A, the structure defining cavity 300 is in the form of a tube or capillary 310. Capillary 310 terminates in a nozzle having an orifice 320. A column of molten target material within cavity 300 is pressurized and ejected from orifice 320 as a stream, breaking up into droplets 330. As described above, velocity perturbations in the column of target material within cavity 300 are induced by electrically actuatable element 340, which is cylindrical in the illustrated example. Electroactuatable element 340 may be, for example, a piezoelectric element. In the illustrated configuration, electrically actuatable element 340 has an electrode 350 on its outer diameter and an electrode 360 on its inner diameter. Electrode 350 is connected to drive signal source 230 by connection 410. Connection 410 may be an RF coaxial cable (e.g., having a nominal impedance of 50 Ω) terminating in outer electrode 350. Electrode 360 is connected to ground potential by connection 420. Drive signal source 230 applies a drive signal to element 340, causing a dimensional change in electrically actuatable element 340, which is mechanically coupled to the target material within cavity 300.

[0039]

[0043] As shown, the capillary tube 310 is coated with a conductive coating 370, which may be, for example, chromium. The conductive coating 370 may be coated with an insulating coating 380. The insulating coating 380 may be disposed to cover only a portion of the conductive coating 370, for example, in an area axially coextensive with the electrically actuatable element 340. The purpose of the insulating coating 380 is to provide an insulating layer between the PZT electrode 360 and the conductive coating 370. The electrically actuatable element 340 is adhered to the conductive coating, or to the insulating coating, if present, by an adhesive material forming an adhesive layer 390. The end of the droplet generator may be housed within a droplet generator cage 400. The purpose of the conductive coating 370 is to protect the target material leaving the orifice 320 from electrostatic fields created by unbalanced surface charges on the capillary tube, so that the droplets do not become charged, repel each other, and fail to coalesce. The conductive coating 370 preferably has a resistivity of approximately 1E-06 Ω-m or less. The conductive coating may be grounded to the flow of tin through the orifice. In addition to the ground path at the orifice, the conductive coating 370 may also have a dedicated connection to the grounded droplet generator housing 450.

[0040]

[0044] As mentioned above, there may be a tendency for the droplet stream 330 to drift laterally such that the stream eventually strikes the edge of the exit opening 430 of the droplet generator cage 400. One mechanism believed to cause the droplet stream to drift is the formation of SnOx particles at the nozzle orifice. The formation of SnOx particles at the nozzle orifice is promoted by an electric current having an RF component (referred to herein as an RF signal) flowing through the nozzle orifice by an electrolytic mechanism, an electrophoretic mechanism, or a thermal mechanism such as Joule heating.

[0041]

[0045] One source of RF current flowing through the nozzle orifice is believed to be current flowing through the conductive coating on the nozzle and into the molten tin in the nozzle. One reason for the presence of this RF current is that, for higher frequency components, the impedance of the parasitic capacitance between the electrically actuatable element in the form of a piezoelectric tube around the capillary tube and the conductive coating, via the adhesive layer (and insulating layer, if any), is smaller than for lower frequency components, and the generally inductive impedance of connection 420 is larger. Therefore, a larger portion of the return current is induced towards the lower impedance path, i.e., through the parasitic capacitance and through the tin inside the nozzle.

[0042]

[0046] Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the RF current flowing through the nozzle by reducing the parasitic inductance of the return (ground) connection 420. One means of reducing this inductance is by providing a very short connection 420 to the inner electrode 360. For example, with respect to the previous implementation, the physical length of this return path may be in the range of about 50 cm to about 100 cm. This may correspond to a parasitic inductance of about 0.5 μH to about 2 μH. A shorter connection, such as 10 cm or less, can reduce parasitic inductance in various implementations of the droplet generator.

[0043]

[0047] More specifically, the electrode 360 can be grounded by providing an electrical connection to the droplet generator cage 400, which is mounted to the nozzle and is itself grounded. In this case, the length of the electrical path to ground is reduced to approximately 3 cm, and the parasitic inductance associated with this connection is reduced to approximately 35 nH. The electrode 360 can also be grounded by providing a short electrical wire connection to another grounded element, such as the droplet generator's heater block. The inductance of the ground connection 420 can also be achieved by grounding the inner electrode 360 to the droplet generator's metal housing.

[0044]

[0048] Thus, there are multiple paths by which current can flow in and out of the droplet generator components. From the perspective of the droplet generator's primary functionality, these different paths are essentially equivalent. However, some of these paths result in undesirable current flow through the tin at the nozzle orifice, thereby promoting the formation of SnOx particles that impede the flow of tin. Therefore, the goal is to have more current flow through paths that do not involve the tin at the nozzle orifice. As noted above, one way to achieve this may be to reduce the inductance of some of the other paths to ground. Another way to achieve this would be to control the frequency of the drive signal. To the extent that the impedance of the path through the tin at the nozzle orifice is primarily capacitive and the impedance of the other paths is primarily inductive, taking measures to limit the high-frequency components of the drive signal will tend to cause the path through the nozzle to have a higher impedance.

[0045]

[0049] Figure 3B shows an alternative to the arrangement of Figure 3A in which the conductive coating 370 is modified and the connections 350, 360 to the electrically-actuatable element 340 are located closer to the end of the orifice 320 of the capillary tube 310. In the configuration of Figure 3B, portions of the capillary tube 310 do not have the conductive coating; for example, the capillary tube is masked to remove the small gap capacitor between the inner piezoelectric electrode and the conductive coating 370 while maintaining a conductive path between the surface of the capillary tube 310 and the tin on the orifice 320 to prevent charging of the microdroplets, which would make free-flight coalescence difficult, during axisymmetric Cr sputtering. Also in Figure 3B, the connections 350, 360 to the electrically-actuatable element 340 are rearranged, i.e., the inner electrode 360 is inverted to wrap around the front surface (vs. the rear surface) of the electrically-actuatable element 340 to suppress electromagnetic fields known to charge microdroplets and make free-flight coalescence difficult.

[0046]

[0050] Therefore, another way to mitigate droplet drift is to reduce the high-frequency components of the modulation signal. This can be done, for example, by increasing the rise and fall times of the pulse component of the modulation signal to avoid high-frequency Fourier components at steeper transitions, or by limiting the maximum frequency of the sine wave if the drive signal does not contain a pulse component. Thus, for example, for this purpose, the rise and / or fall times of the pulses in the drive signal are preferably within the range of about 50 ns to about 100 ns, and the sine wave frequency is limited to about 3.5 MHz to about 7 MHz to mitigate the effects of drift. Again, this is because at lower frequencies, the impedance of the connection 420 is lower and the impedance of the path including the parasitic capacitance of the piezoelectric element and the tin of the nozzle is significantly higher. Therefore, the magnitude of the RF current flowing through the tin of the nozzle is reduced. The magnitude of the drive signal can also be reduced. However, as mentioned above, the utility of these techniques may be limited by considerations that they may reduce droplet coalescence efficiency.

[0047]

[0051] This method of reducing droplet stream drift has the advantage of not requiring hardware modifications to the droplet generator. However, it has the disadvantage of narrowing the selection of signal frequency components available to achieve optimal droplet coalescence. The drive signal is typically optimized to obtain the shortest possible coalescence, and higher frequency components typically achieve this result. Increasing the energy of the high frequency components of the excitation waveform also improves droplet timing stability.

[0048]

[0052] 4A, 4B, and 4C show examples of simulated current / voltage waveforms during operation of a droplet generator in which a pulsed signal is used to modulate the tin jet. FIG. 4A shows the input voltage waveform of a drive signal for an electrically actuatable element (in this case, a piezoelectric element), and FIG. 4B shows the resulting input current. FIG. 4C shows the resulting orifice current. As can be seen, voltage / current spikes are generated during this operation. Parasitic current spikes propagating through the molten Sn in the nozzle promote SnOx formation. In this regard, reference is made to the orifice current waveform in FIG. 4C. SnOx formation is stimulated by these current spikes, as described above. Therefore, the problem of SnOx formation at the nozzle orifice can be alleviated by controlling (i.e., reducing, including eliminating) these current spikes.

[0049]

[0053] As mentioned above, one strategy for controlling these parasitic current spikes is to provide a low-impedance electrical connection to the electrically actuatable element inner electrode. Typically, a long (approximately 0.5 m to approximately 1 m) wire runs through the entire droplet generator and terminates in an RF-type connector (e.g., a bayonet nut connector (BNC)) at the end of the wire. The wire has an electrical inductance of approximately 0.5 μH, which causes voltage / current spikes when a fast-rise (approximately 10 ns to approximately 20 ns rise time) drive signal is sent through the wire. Providing an alternative, low-inductance electrical connection of the electrically actuatable element to ground using a short (less than approximately 10 cm) wire helps reduce these spikes and resolve the drift problem.

[0050]

[0054] If the current spikes that cause SnOx formation have a certain polarity when a pulse-modulated signal waveform is used, DC biasing of the drive signal to the opposite polarity can be used to prevent these spikes from reaching values that would otherwise contribute to SnOx formation. For example, if the current spikes are positive, a negative bias in the range of about -2 V to about -10 V can be applied, and vice versa.

[0051]

[0055] The present invention has been described above using functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of certain functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of description. Alternative boundaries may be defined so long as the certain functions and relationships thereof are appropriately implemented.

[0052]

[0056] The foregoing description of specific embodiments will sufficiently clarify the general nature of the invention so that others, by applying knowledge of the art, can readily modify such specific embodiments and / or adapt such embodiments for various applications without undue experimentation and without departing from the general concept of the invention. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the spirit and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phrases or terminology herein are for the purpose of description, rather than limitation, as would be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teaching and guidance. The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

[0053]

[0057] Other aspects of the invention are detailed in the following numbered clauses.

[0054] 1. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including: a structure defining a cavity disposed to receive the target material; and an orifice disposed to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element for providing a drive signal; Including, An apparatus wherein the electrical connection with the electrically actuatable element is positioned to control the amount of current flowing through the target material in the orifice.

[0055] 2. An apparatus as described in clause 1, wherein the electrical connection to the electrically actuatable element is arranged to provide a low impedance path between the electrically actuatable element and ground that does not pass through the target material of the orifice.

[0056] 3. The apparatus described in clause 1, wherein the structure defining the cavity includes a cylindrical tube, and the electrically actuatable element includes a cylindrical piezoelectric element disposed about the cylindrical tube and having an inner surface connected to ground by a low impedance path.

[0057] 4. The apparatus of clause 3, wherein the inner surface is connected to ground at a portion of the electrically actuatable element closest to the orifice.

[0058] 5. The apparatus of clause 1, wherein the target material dispenser further includes a conductive coating around at least a portion of the structure defining the cavity.

[0059] 6. The apparatus of clause 5, wherein the conductive coating has a resistivity of less than about 1E-06 Ωm.

[0060] 7. The apparatus of clause 5, wherein the conductive coating is limited to an area of the defining structure, including the orifice.

[0061] 8. The apparatus of clause 5, wherein the electrically actuatable element is disposed about a first axial portion of the cavity that does not have a conductive coating.

[0062] 9. The apparatus of clause 5, wherein the conductive coating is connected to ground by a low impedance path.

[0063] 10. The device of clause 5, further comprising an insulating coating over the conductive coating.

[0064] 11. The apparatus of clause 1, wherein the drive signal generator is electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element by an RF coaxial cable that terminates directly at the electrically actuatable element.

[0065] 12. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically-actuable element to provide a drive signal, the drive signal having a highest frequency component limited to a value within a range of about 3.5 MHz to about 7 MHz; 1. An apparatus comprising:

[0066] 13. An apparatus according to clause 12, wherein the electrical connection with the electrically actuatable element is arranged to control the amount of current flowing through the target material in the orifice.

[0067] 14. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide a drive signal, the drive signal having a minimum rise / fall time in the range of about 50 ns to about 100 ns; 1. An apparatus comprising:

[0068] 15. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element for providing a drive signal, the drive signal having a maximum voltage limited to limit the flow of current through the target material at the orifice; 1. An apparatus comprising:

[0069] 16. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element for providing a drive signal, the drive signal comprising a substantially constant DC bias; 1. An apparatus comprising:

[0070] 17. The apparatus of clause 16, wherein the bias is negative.

[0071] 18. The apparatus of clause 16, wherein the bias is positive.

[0072] 19. The apparatus of clause 16, wherein the bias is negative when the drive waveform is comprised of pulses with positive polarity, and the bias is positive when the drive waveform is comprised of pulses with multiple polarities.

[0073] 20. An apparatus for generating EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including: a structure defining a cavity disposed to receive the target material; and an orifice disposed to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element for providing a drive signal; Including, An apparatus in which an electrical connection to the electrically actuatable element is arranged, and parameters of the drive signal are selected, to control the amount of current that flows through the target material in the orifice.

[0074] 21. A method of dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; providing a drive signal to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, the drive signal comprising a substantially constant DC bias; A method comprising:

[0075] 22. A method of dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; providing a drive signal to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein the drive signal has a minimum rise / fall time in the range of about 50 ns to about 100 ns; A method comprising:

[0076] 23. A method of dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material, and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing an electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; applying a drive signal to an electrically actuatable element to provide a drive signal, the maximum voltage of the drive signal being limited to limit the flow of current through the target material at the orifice; A method comprising:

[0077]

[0058] Other implementations are within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including: structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material; and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, wherein a highest frequency component of the drive signal is limited to a value within a range of about 3.5 MHz to about 7 MHz; Including, the electrically actuatable element having a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

2. 1. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including: structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material; and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, the drive signal having a minimum rise / fall time in the range of about 50 ns to about 100 ns; Including, the electrically actuatable element having a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

3. 1. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including: structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material; and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, the drive signal having a maximum voltage limited to limit the flow of current through the target material at the orifice; Including, the electrically actuatable element having a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

4. 1. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including: structure defining a cavity positioned to receive the target material; and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element to provide the drive signal, the drive signal comprising a substantially constant DC bias; Including, the electrically actuatable element having a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the DC bias is negative.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the DC bias is positive.

7. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the DC bias is negative when the drive signal is comprised of pulses with positive polarity, and the DC bias is positive when the drive signal is comprised of pulses with multiple polarities.

8. 1. An apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: a target material dispenser including: a structure defining a cavity disposed to receive a target material; and an orifice disposed to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; a drive signal generator electrically coupled to the electrically actuatable element for providing the drive signal; Including, parameters of the drive signal are selected to control the amount of current flowing through the target material at the orifice; the electrically actuatable element having a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

9. 1. A method of dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including: structure defining a cavity positioned to receive a target material; and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; providing a drive signal generator to the electrically actuatable element for supplying a drive signal, the drive signal comprising a substantially constant DC bias; Including, The electrically actuatable element has a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

10. 1. A method of dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including: structure defining a cavity positioned to receive a target material; and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; providing a drive signal generator to the electrically actuatable element to provide a drive signal, the drive signal having a minimum rise / fall time in the range of about 50 ns to about 100 ns; Including, The electrically actuatable element has a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

11. 1. A method of dispensing target material in an apparatus for producing EUV radiation, comprising: providing a target material dispenser, the target material dispenser including: structure defining a cavity positioned to receive a target material; and an orifice positioned to receive the target material from the cavity and deliver a stream of droplets of the target material; providing a cylindrical electrically actuatable element mechanically coupled to the cavity and positioned to induce a velocity perturbation in the stream of droplets based on a drive signal; providing a drive signal generator to the electrically actuatable element for supplying a drive signal, the maximum voltage of the drive signal being limited to limit the flow of current through the target material at the orifice; Including, The electrically actuatable element has a first electrode disposed on an outer diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to the drive signal generator, and a second electrode disposed on an inner diameter of the electrically actuatable element and connected to ground potential.

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