Extreme ultraviolet light production from a ZaP flow z-pinch xenon plasma

A potential alternative extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source for lithography is studied. The ZaP (z-pinch) Flow Z-Pinch experiment is studying the effect of sheared flow on gross plasma stability. In the experiment, hydrogen gas is used to produce plasma with quiescent periods in the magnetic mode activity, which are 2000 times longer than other plasma concepts for creating EUV light, in a configuration with 300 times the volume. Similar results are found with xenon gas. An EUV detector designed using an AXUV100, silicon/zirconium filtered photodiode with an 11 - to 18-nm bandpass is used to detect EUV emissions within that spectrum and the total power of the emissions. EUV emissions in 17.4% of the z-pinch have lasted longer than 16 mu s, with an average power of 550 kW. The total EUV power potential inband at 13.5 nm from 17.4% of the z-pinch is calculated to be 140 W at the intermediate focus, with a total 100-cm z-pinch emission potential of 800 W at 1 kHz. Based on this information, the ZaP Flow Z-Pinch experiment is a promising EUV light source for lithography if properly scaled and optimized for EUV light production. 0 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.