EUV Debris Collection Baffle with Heating Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual maintenance of collecting and removing target material debris from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) vessels in semiconductor manufacturing is time-consuming, reducing productivity.
Innovation Solution
A target debris collection device with a baffle body and guide structure that allows EUV light to pass through while collecting and guiding debris to a collection tank, utilizing heating members to maintain the debris in a liquid or semi-liquid state, preventing solidification and facilitating smooth removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual maintenance is used to collect and remove target material debris from EUV vessel, then the debris can be removed, but the maintenance process takes considerable amount of time
Solution Approach 1:
The heating member is activated before debris removal to pre-heat and maintain the debris in liquid or semi-liquid state, preventing solidification during the maintenance process. This preliminary thermal preparation ensures the debris remains removable throughout the entire maintenance operation, eliminating time losses from solidification issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating member continuously maintains the debris in a removable state throughout the maintenance process, making the system self-sufficient for debris removal without requiring additional interventions or process changes. The thermal maintenance is automatically sustained during debris collection and removal operations.
2Ease of operation
If heating member is used to maintain debris in liquid state, then debris removal is facilitated, but energy is consumed for heating
Solution Approach 1:
The heating member is positioned specifically within the guide structure where debris accumulates and needs to be removed. This localized heating approach applies thermal energy only to the debris and immediate surrounding area, rather than heating the entire EUV vessel, thereby minimizing overall energy consumption while ensuring effective debris removal in the critical region.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the fluid dynamics of liquid or semi-liquid debris to facilitate its movement through the guide structure to the collection tank. By maintaining the debris in a fluid state through localized heating, gravity and fluid flow naturally assist the removal process, reducing the need for additional mechanical energy input and leveraging hydraulic principles for efficient debris evacuation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Significantly reduces maintenance time by keeping the debris in a liquid or semi-liquid state, allowing for efficient exhaustion to the collection tank, thereby enhancing productivity.
Implementation Method 1
a first heating member provided in the guide structure, the first heating member configured to heat the target material debris
Implementation Method 2
a baffle body extending within an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) vessel between a collector and an outlet port of the EUV vessel, the baffle body configured to allow extreme ultraviolet light reflected from the collector to pass through an internal transmissive region of the baffle body
Data Source
AI summary
A target debris collection device for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source apparatus, includes a baffle body extending within an EUV vessel between a collector and an outlet port of the EUV vessel to allow EUV light reflected from the collector to pass through an internal transmissive region thereof, a discharge plate provided in a first end portion of the baffle body adjacent to the collector to collect the target material debris on an inner surface of the baffle body, a guide structure to guide the target material debris collected in the discharge plate to a collection tank, and a first heating member provided in the guide structure to prevent the target material debris from being solidified.