US 12,189,313 B2
Cleaning a structure surface in an EUV chamber
Chunguang Xia, San Diego, CA (US); Jonghoon Baek, Saratoga, CA (US); John Tom Stewart, IV, Escondido, CA (US); Andrew David LaForge, Poway, CA (US); Deniz Van Heijnsbergen, San Diego, CA (US); David Robert Evans, Poway, CA (US); Nina Vladimirovna Dziomkina, San Diego, CA (US); and Yue Ma, Escondido, CA (US)
Assigned to ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed by ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed on Feb. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/680,784.
Application 17/680,784 is a continuation of application No. 16/961,747, granted, now 11,347,154, previously published as PCT/EP2019/053350, filed on Feb. 12, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/795,107, filed on Jan. 22, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/630,036, filed on Feb. 13, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0179328 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01); H05H 1/46 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/70925 (2013.01) [G03F 7/70033 (2013.01); G03F 7/70175 (2013.01); G03F 7/70916 (2013.01); G03F 7/70983 (2013.01); H01J 37/321 (2013.01); H01J 37/32862 (2013.01); H05H 1/46 (2013.01); H05H 1/463 (2021.05)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of cleaning a surface of a structure within a chamber of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source, the method comprising:
generating a plasma state of a material present at a location adjacent to the structure, the generating comprising:
electromagnetically inducing an electric current at the location adjacent the structure to thereby transform the material that is present in the chamber and is adjacent the structure from a first state into the plasma state, wherein the plasma state of the material includes plasma particles, at least some of which are free radicals of the material, and electromagnetically inducing the electric current comprises inducing a surface wave along the surface of the structure by supplying current to an electrical conductor contacting the structure, the current in a range that produces microwave radiation; and
enabling the plasma particles to pass over the structure surface to remove debris from the structure surface without removing the structure from the chamber of the EUV light source and without halting operation of the structure by propagating the surface wave along the surface of the structure.