公开(公告)号：US20220390388A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-08

申请号：US17772826

申请日：2020-10-15

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Petrus Wilhelmus SMORENBURG

IPC: G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/33 ,  G01N23/20008 ,  H05G2/00 ,  G02F1/35 ,  G03F7/20

Abstract: A high harmonic radiation source and associated method of generating high harmonic radiation is disclosed. The high harmonic radiation source is configured to condition a gas medium by irradiating the gas medium with a pre-pulse of radiation, thereby generating a plasma comprising a pre-pulse plasma distribution; and irradiate the gas medium with a main pulse of radiation to generate said high harmonic radiation. The conditioning step is such that the plasma comprising a pre-pulse plasma distribution acts to configure a wavefront of said main pulse to improve one or both of: the efficiency of the high harmonic generation process and the beam quality of the high harmonic radiation. The high harmonic radiation source further may comprise a beam shaping device configured to shape said customized pre-pulse prior to said conditioning.

公开(公告)号：US20210191274A1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-24

申请号：US17055410

申请日：2019-04-23

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： David O DWYER ,  Petrus Wilhelmus SMORENBURG ,  Gerrit Jacobus Hendrik BRUSSAARD

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G02B5/00

Abstract: An illumination source apparatus (500), suitable for use in a metrology apparatus for the characterization of a structure on a substrate, the illumination source apparatus comprising: a high harmonic generation, HHG, medium (502); a pump radiation source (506) operable to emit a beam of pump radiation (508); and adjustable transformation optics (510) configured to adjustably transform the transverse spatial profile of the beam of pump radiation to produce a transformed beam (518) such that relative to the centre axis of the transformed beam, a central region of the transformed beam has substantially zero intensity and an outer region which is radially outwards from the centre axis of the transformed beam has a non-zero intensity, wherein the transformed beam is arranged to excite the HHG medium so as to generate high harmonic radiation (540), wherein the location of said outer region is dependent on an adjustment N setting of the adjustable transformation optics.

公开(公告)号：US20180267411A1

公开(公告)日：2018-09-20

申请号：US15903392

申请日：2018-02-23

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Sudhir SRIVASTAVA ,  Sander Bas ROOBOL ,  Simon Gijsbert Josephus MATHIJSSEN ,  Nan LIN ,  Sjoerd Nicolaas Lambertus DONDERS ,  Krijn Frederik BUSTRAAN ,  Petrus Wilhelmus SMORENBURG ,  Gerrit Jacobus Hendrik BRUSSAARD

IPC: G03F7/20

Abstract: Disclosed is gas delivery system which is suitable for a high harmonic generation (HHG) radiation source which may be used to generate measurement radiation for an inspection apparatus. In such a radiation source, a gas delivery element delivers gas in a first direction. The gas delivery element has an optical input and an optical input, defining an optical path running in a second direction. The first direction is arranged relative to the second direction at an angle that is not perpendicular or parallel. Also disclosed is a gas delivery element having a gas jet shaping device, or a pair of gas delivery elements, one of which delivers a second gas, such that the gas jet shaping device or second gas is operable to modify a flow profile of the gas such that the number density of the gas falls sharply.