Extreme ultraviolet sources breakthrough
EUV lithography is now the most promising technology for producing semiconductors of 32nmhp and below. The EUV source that both POWERLASE and UCF are working on is based on the laser-produced plasma approach (LPP). Through this relationship, POWERLASE and UCF will demonstrate, to the EUV community, the potential of this collaborative work with regard to the production of high conversion efficiency, cost effective laser-produced plasma EUV source. POWERLASE has already provided UCF with its kilo-class Starlase laser to irradiate the UCF's tin-doped micro-droplet laser plasma source. This source has demonstrated the highest conversion efficiency with a minimum amount of contamination. The combination of a high EUV conversion efficiency and the elimination of neutral and charged particles is the aim of this collaborative work.
Dr Samir Ellwi, POWERLASE Vice President of Strategic Innovations comments: "We are very excited to be able to collaborate with world-leading academic experts in the field of Extreme Ultraviolet sources. Our high power, high-repetition, short pulse Starlase laser is an ideal driver for the laser-produced plasma EUV source and we're proving that a scalable laser-produced plasma source is the way forward to satisfy the stepper manufacturer requirements both now and in the future."
The POWERLASE lasers will provide the EUV source suppliers an excellent solution to satisfy EUV lithography stepper manufacturers' requirements. These steppers will be used in semiconductor chip fabrication. Currently two technologies are being considered as EUV sources - laser-produced plasmas and discharge-produced plasmas. POWERLASE Starlase lasers have been selected as the ideal solution to produce the high power, high-repetition lasers necessary to produce best-in-class results.
The inventor of the micro-droplet laser-plasma EUV source, Professor Martin Richardson, Trustee Chair and Northrop-Grumman Professor of X-ray Photonics at UCF, says, "POWERLASE's investment in this collaboration demonstrates the potential advantages of solid-state laser driven laser plasma sources. In the short time of this collaboration we have already demonstrated EUV powers approaching 10 Watts, and expect further significant gains in the near future. This advance provides a viable technical pathway towards satisfying the power and cost requirements for EUV lithography."
