Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Erzeugung von Extrem-Ultraviolettstrahlung und weicher Röntgenstrahlung aus einer Gasentladung

摘要

The invention relates to a method and a device for producing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-rays from a gaseous discharge. The inventive device is characterised in that it comprises at least two electrodes defining a symmetry axis and having each an opening in alignment. An intermediate chamber is provided between the anode and the cathode, where gas inflation is substantially homogeneous in space. The electrodes are formed in such a way that the gaseous discharge takes place only in a volume delimited by the aligned openings. Current pulses are chosen so as to create, on the symmetry axis, a very hot and dense plasma channel which constitutes a plasma source for extreme ultraviolet and/or soft x-rays. The inventive device is particularly useful in EUV-projection lithography in a spectral range around 13 nm.