Oyama, Japan - Gigaphoton Inc., a major lithography light source manufacturer, has successfully achieved 2-hour continuous operation of its laser-produced plasma (LPP) light source for EUV lithography scanners.
This milestone was confirmed using a prototype LPP system that generates EUV light by irradiating tin (Sn) droplets with a solid-state pre-pulse laser and a CO2 main pulse laser. The tin debris generated from the irradiation is mitigated through the combination of a high power superconducting magnet and Sn etching using H2 gas.
The 2-hour continuous operation produced an averaged output power of 5 W at 2% conversion efficiency (CE). Considering the current commercially accepted EUV output level is around 10 W, the results demonstrated by Gigaphoton show that another critical milestone has been reached for achieving initial production-level laser performance. The company is committed to continuing its development efforts targeting 250 W output.
Gigaphoton has focused on developing unique technologies that enable high-output, stable, and economical (cost effective) LPP light sources since 2002.
Since that time, he company has introduced several unique technologies, including the development of droplet-on-demand systems with each tin droplet measuring less than 20 micron, the combined use of short wavelength solid-state pre-pulse and CO2 main pulse lasers, and the use of high power superconducting magnets for debris mitigation. The recent achievement in reaching production level output can be attributed to their highly advanced technical capabilities and has brought the company one step closer to the mass production of LPP light sources.
Since its founding in 2000, Gigaphoton has developed and delivered user-friendly, high-performance DUV laser light sources used by major semiconductor chipmakers.
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