CLEANING MODULE AND EUV LITHOGRAPHY DEVICE WITH CLEANING MODULE

• US 20110058147A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CARL Zeiss SMT GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Chung, Hin-Yiu Anthony, Koehler, Stefan, Czap, Almut, Kaller, Julian, Schmidt, Stefan, Wiesner, Stefan, Ehm, Dirk Heinrich, Kraus, Dieter
• Application Number:
  US12/893,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058147A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/30
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0035 by radiant energy, e.g. UV, laser, light beam or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70925 Cleaning, i.e. actively freeing apparatus from pollutants, e.g. using plasma cleaning

Abstract

A cleaning module for an EUV lithography device with a supply (206) for molecular hydrogen, a heating filament (210) and a line (212) for atomic and/or molecular hydrogen. The line (212) has at least one bend with a bending angle of less than 120 degrees, and has a material on its inner surface which has a low recombination rate for atomic hydrogen. The supply (206) is of flared shape at its end, which faces the heating filament (210). A gentler cleaning of optical elements is achieved with such a cleaning module, or also by exciting a cleaning gas with a cold cathode or a plasma, or by filtering out charged particles via of electrical and/or magnetic fields.

Claims

1. A cleaning module, comprising:

a supply for a cleaning gas, and

a device configured to excite the cleaning gas and comprising a cold cathode.

2. The cleaning module according to claim 1, wherein the cold cathode comprises a pair of electrodes, wherein one of the electrodes has at least one opening through which electrons emitted from the other electrode come into contact with the cleaning gas.

3. The cleaning module according to claim 2, wherein the cold cathode further comprises a dielectric or ferroelectric layer arranged between the electrodes.

6. The cleaning module according to claim 1, further comprising an outlet for the excited cleaning gas.

7. The cleaning module according to claim 1, further comprising a source for at least one of an electrical and a magnetic field.

11. The cleaning module according to claim 1, further comprising an outlet for the excited cleaning gas comprising a delivery line with at least one bend having a bending angle of less than 120 degrees.

12. The cleaning module according to claim 11, wherein the delivery line has an inner surface comprising a material having a low recombination rate for the excited cleaning gas.

13. The cleaning module according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas comprises at least one of a nitrogen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas.

23. An EUV lithography device with at least one cleaning module according to claim 1.

28. A projection system for an EUV lithography device comprising at least one cleaning module according to claim 1.

33. An exposure system for an EUV lithography device comprising at least one cleaning module according to claim 1.

4. A cleaning module, comprising:

a supply for a cleaning gas, and

a device configured to excite the cleaning gas and comprising a plasma generator.

5. The cleaning module according to claim 4, wherein the plasma generator comprises electrodes and the cleaning gas supply is arranged such that the cleaning gas is conveyed between the electrodes.

8. A cleaning module, comprising:

a supply for a cleaning gas, and

a device configured to excite the cleaning gas with a hot cathode and comprising an outlet for the excited cleaning gas and a source for at least one of an electrical and a magnetic field arranged on an external side of the outlet.

9. The cleaning module according to claim 8, wherein the source applies an electrical field and comprises electrodes or grids.

10. A cleaning module according to claim 8, wherein the source applies a magnetic field and comprises magnets.

26. An EUV lithography device, comprising:

at least one vacuum chamber, and

at least one cleaning module according to claim 8, and arranged outside of the vacuum chamber such that the cleaning module is connected to the vacuum chamber via the outlet.

27. The EUV lithography device according to claim 26, wherein the vacuum chamber encapsulates at least one optical element.

31. A projection system for an EUV lithography device, comprising

at least one vacuum chamber, and

at least one cleaning module according to claim 8 and arranged outside of the vacuum chamber such that the cleaning module is connected to the vacuum chamber via the outlet.

32. The projection system according to claim 31, wherein the vacuum chamber encapsulates at least one optical element.

36. An exposure system for an EUV lithography device, comprising:

at least one vacuum chamber, and

at least one cleaning module according to claim 8 and arranged outside of the vacuum chamber such that the cleaning module is connected to the vacuum chamber via the outlet.

37. The exposure system according to claim 36, wherein the vacuum chamber encapsulates at least one optical element.

14. A cleaning module, comprising

a supply for molecular hydrogen,

a device configured to generate atomic hydrogen, and

a delivery line for at least one of the atomic hydrogen and the molecular hydrogen, wherein the delivery line has at least one bend with a bending angle of less than 120 degrees, wherein the delivery line comprises an inner surface material which has a low recombination rate for atomic hydrogen, and

wherein the supply comprises an end of flared shape, which faces the generating device.

15. The cleaning module according to claim 14, wherein the material on the inner surface of the delivery line is silicon dioxide, polytetrafluoroethylene or phosphoric acid.

16. The cleaning module according to claim 14, wherein the line consists of glass or quartz.

17. The cleaning module according to claim 14, wherein the line comprises a cooling.

18. The cleaning module according to claim 14, wherein the generating device is configured as a heating filament.

19. The cleaning module according to claim 18, wherein the heating filament is arranged spread out over a surface.

20. The cleaning module according to claim 14, wherein the supply comprises an end configured as a showerhead and faces the generating device.

21. The cleaning module according to claim 14, wherein the delivery line is configured to be moveable within the module.

22. The cleaning module according to claim 14, further comprising a source for at least one of an electrical and a magnetic field.

24. An EUV lithography device, comprising:

at least one vacuum chamber, and

at least one cleaning module according to claim 14, and arranged outside of the vacuum chamber such that only the delivery line projects into the vacuum chamber.

25. The EUV lithography device according to claim 24, wherein the vacuum chamber encapsulates at least one optical element and the cleaning module is arranged such that the supply and the generating device are arranged outside of the vacuum chamber and the hydrogen generated is supplied to an interior of the vacuum chamber through the delivery line.

29. A projection system for an EUV lithography device, comprising:

at least one vacuum chamber, and

at least one cleaning module according to claim 14 and arranged outside of the vacuum chamber such that only the delivery line projects into the vacuum chamber.

30. The projection system according to claim 29, wherein the vacuum chamber encapsulates at least one optical element, and wherein the cleaning module is arranged such that the supply and the generating device are arranged outside of the vacuum chamber and the hydrogen generated is supplied to an interior of the vacuum chamber through the delivery line.

34. An exposure system for an EUV lithography device, comprising:

at least one vacuum chamber, and

at least one cleaning module according to claim 14 and arranged outside of the vacuum chamber such that only the delivery line projects into the vacuum chamber.

35. The exposure system according to claim 34, wherein the vacuum chamber encapsulates at least one optical element, and wherein the cleaning module is arranged such that the supply and the generating device are arranged outside of the vacuum chamber and the hydrogen generated is supplied to an interior of the vacuum chamber through the delivery line.