HYBRID DROPLET GENERATOR FOR EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT SOURCES IN LITHOGRAPHIC RADIATION SYSTEMS

• Main Authors: Sams, Benjamin Andrew, Borggreve, Herman Harry, Driessen, Theodorus Wilhelmus, Trees, Dietmar Uwe Herbert, Johnson, Brandon Michael, Telkar, Vikas Giridhar
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.2023
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; ATOMISING APPARATUS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; NOZZLES; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; SPRAYING APPARATUS; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; X-RAY TECHNIQUE

A droplet generator nozzle (800, 820/830) includes a metal body (802, 822), a metal fitting (812, 823/833) arranged adjacent to the metal body, and a capillary (804, 824/834) comprising a first end and a second end. The first end of the capillary is disposed within the metal fitting, and the capillary is configured to eject initial droplets of a material from the second end of the capillary. The droplet generator nozzle further includes an electromechanical element (808 828/838) disposed within the metal body and coupled to the first end of the capillary and a fastener element (810) configured to clamp around a portion of the metal body and around the metal fitting. The electromechanical element is configured to apply a change that affects droplet generation from the capillary. The second end of the capillary protrudes out from an opening in the fastener element of the droplet generator nozzle. Droplet generator nozzle 830 of FIG. 8C represents the embodiment shown in FIG. 8B, in a cross section orthogonal to the cross section shown in FIG. 8B.