Dublin, Ireland — Seventy-five top researchers from around the world traded ideas on next generation EUV sources, new fuels for such sources and advances in multi-layer mirror materials during the 2010 International Workshop on EUV Sources held Nov, 13-15, 2010 at University College Dublin (UCD).
Highlighting this new R&D-focused workshop were discussions on how to further advance source power for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography scanners and develop EUV sources for metrology applications.
Also explored were technology options for next-generation high power EUV sources and Beyond EUV (BEUV) sources, along with non-lithography applications of EUV and soft X-ray photon sources.
ASML presented their roadmap for EUV and BEUV products for the coming 10 years. To achieve resolution under 8 nm, light sources with a newer wavelength in the range of 6.7 to 6.8 nm will be used. This wavelength was chosen for its superior transmission and easier manufacturing capabilities.
Workshop papers reviewed new materials for BEUV fuel sources as well as potential mirror materials suitable to new wavelengths. Various research groups described the performance of leading elements such as gadolinium (Gd) and terbium (Tb) for generating photons in the BEUV wavelength region.
Another session reviewed the performance of multilayer (ML) mirrors in the BEUV region, and two separate sessions were devoted to EUV sources for metrology applications to support insertion of EUVL into high-volume manufacturing. In addition, designs were presented for further increasing discharge-produced plasma (DPP) and laser-produced plasma (LPP)-based source power.
Participants said the workshop succeeded in its objective to provide a forum for bringing together experts in EUV source technology and its applications. The 2011 EUV Source Workshop is planned for Nov, 14-16 in Dublin.