Immersion Liquid Extraction Chamber Segmentation for Flow Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The movement of a substrate in partial immersion lithography disrupts the flow load of the sealing extraction channel, leading to instability in the immersion liquid supply and recovery device, causing leakage, changes in the gas-liquid two-phase flow pattern, and affecting exposure quality.
Innovation Solution
The immersion liquid supply and recovery device features extraction openings alternately connected to different extraction chambers, ensuring balanced flow loads and stable sealing, with evenly distributed connection points between extraction chambers and sealing channels to maintain consistent extraction capacity and minimize fluctuations in the gas-liquid flow pattern.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If immersion liquid is extracted under negative pressure through extraction chambers, then immersion liquid can be removed from the exposure area, but gas-liquid two-phase flow is formed causing turbulence and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction chamber is divided into a gas extraction cavity and a liquid extraction cavity, with separate extraction channels for gas and liquid. This segmentation allows independent optimization of gas and liquid extraction paths, preventing gas-liquid mixing and two-phase flow turbulence while maintaining efficient extraction of both phases.
2Reliability
If positive-pressure sealing gas is supplied to ensure effective immersion liquid extraction, then sealing is improved, but turbulence of gas-liquid two-phase flow is aggravated
Solution Approach 1:
Separate extraction channels for gas and liquid eliminate the need for mixing them in the same cavity. The gas extraction channel handles sealing gas separately from the liquid extraction channel, preventing turbulence while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Gas and liquid are extracted through separate channels, taking out the harmful interaction between gas and liquid flows. This extraction of the gas-liquid mixing problem resolves the contradiction between sealing requirements and flow stability.
3Productivity
If immersion liquid extraction chambers are located between the immersion flow field and surrounding gas, then liquid can be extracted, but micro-nano bubbles emerge and collapse causing vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction chamber is segmented into separate gas and liquid cavities with dedicated extraction channels. This prevents bubble formation and collapse in the extraction path, eliminating vibrations while maintaining extraction capability.
4Productivity
If phase change occurs in the extraction channel, then liquid can be evaporated, but evaporative cooling leads to temperature inhomogeneity
Solution Approach 1:
Separate extraction channels for gas and liquid prevent phase change in the liquid path. By keeping the liquid extraction channel free from evaporation, temperature inhomogeneity is avoided while liquid removal continues through the dedicated liquid channel.
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
This design enhances the stability of the immersion flow field, reduces leakage risk, and maintains consistent heat conduction characteristics, thereby improving exposure quality by balancing flow loads and stabilizing the gas-liquid two-phase flow.
Implementation Method 1
The immersion liquid extraction system applies negative pressure, so that the immersion liquid in the immersion flow field converges into the extraction chamber
Implementation Method 2
i.e., the filled liquid is confined within a certain circular or rhombic flow field area by vacuum extraction and an annular air curtain produced by supplying positive-pressure sealing gas
Implementation Method 3
In the process of extracting the immersion liquid under negative pressure, gas-liquid two-phase flow will inevitably be formed in the immersion liquid extraction chambers
Implementation Method 4
micro-nano bubbles emerge and collapse in the flowing and phase-changing process of the two-phase flow, which will lead to the occurrence and conduction of vibrations
Implementation Method 5
The process of phase change will also lead to evaporative cooling of liquid phase in the immersion liquid extraction channel, thus aggravating inhomogeneity of the temperature distribution
Data Source
AI summary
An immersion liquid supply and recovery device (2) with new-type pumping and drainage cavities includes pumping and drainage openings, pumping and drainage cavities, and sealed pumping and drainage channels, wherein the pumping and drainage cavities are in communication with an immersion flow field by means of the multiple pumping and drainage openings, and the pumping and drainage openings in communication with the different pumping and drainage cavities are circumferentially distributed in a crossed manner; at least two pumping and drainage cavities are provided, and each of the pumping and drainage cavities is in communication with an immersion liquid recovery system by one sealed pumping and drainage channel respectively; and the communication points of the pumping and drainage cavities and the sealed pumping and drainage channels are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the pumping and drainage cavities.