IP Library Granted Patent US 12,429,783
Granted Patent B2
US 12,429,783 · App. 17/717,709 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

EUV lithography apparatus and operating method for mitigating contamination

Inventors: I-Hsiung Huang (Hsinchu, TW); Yung-Cheng Chen (Jhubei, TW); Tung-Li Wu (Hsinchu, TW)
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
G03F7/70916G03F7/70033B01D39/2065B82Y40/00G03F7/70025
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,429,783
App. No.
17/717,709
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An extreme ultra violet (EUV) lithography apparatus includes a light source that generates an EUV light beam, a scanner that receives the light from a junction with the light source and directs the light to a reticle stage, and a debris catcher disposed on a EUV beam path between the light source and the scanner. The debris catcher includes a network membrane including a plurality of nano-fibers.

Claims (34)

1. An extreme ultra violet (EUV) lithography apparatus, comprising:

a light source that generates an EUV light beam;

a scanner that receives the light from a junction with the light source and directs the light to a reticle stage; and

a debris catcher disposed on a EUV beam path between the light source and the scanner,

wherein the debris catcher comprises a network membrane including a plurality of nano-fibers, and the plurality of nano-fibers include a plurality of nanotubes of a transition metal dichalcogenide.

2. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nano-fibers further include a plurality of carbon nanotubes.

3. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nano-fibers include a plurality of co-axial nanotubes, each of which includes an inner tube and one or more outer tubes surrounding the inner tube.

4. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the inner tube and one or more outer tubes are made of different materials from each other.

5. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 4 , wherein each of the inner tube and the one or more outer tubes is one selected from the group consisting of a carbon nanotube, a boron nitride nanotube, a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanotube, where TMD is represented by MX 2 , where M is one or more of Mo, W, Pd, Pt, or Hf, and X is one or more of S, Se or Te.

6. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the inner tube is a carbon nanotube.

7. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the debris catcher further comprises:

a first layer; and

a second layer,

wherein the network membrane is disposed between the first layer and second layer.

8. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first layer includes a first two-dimensional material and the second layer includes a second two-dimensional material.

9. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second two-dimensional materials includes at least one selected from the group consisting of boron nitride (BN), graphene, MoS 2 , MoSe 2 , WS 2 , and WSe 2 .

10. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first two-dimensional material is different from the second two-dimensional material.

11. An extreme ultra violet (EUV) lithography apparatus, comprising:

a light source that generates an EUV light beam;

a scanner that receives the light from a junction with the light source and directs the light to a reticle stage; and

a debris catcher disposed on a EUV beam path between the light source and the scanner,

wherein the debris catcher comprises a plurality of slots or frames, and

at least two of the plurality of slots or frames include a network membrane including a plurality of nano-fibers, and the plurality of nano-fibers comprise a nanotube of a transition metal dichalcogenide.

12. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to switch from one slot or frame of the debris catcher having the network membrane to another slot or frame of the debris catcher having the network membrane according to degradation of the network membrane of the one slot or frame.

13. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the debris catcher comprises a revolver plate rotatable around a rotational axis and the plurality of slots are provided in the revolver plate.

14. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the debris catcher comprises the plurality of frames, a rotatable mechanism and an arm connecting the rotatable mechanism and each of the plurality of frames.

15. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the debris catcher comprises a slidable plate and the plurality of slots are provided in the slidable plate.

16. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 11 , wherein one of the plurality of slots or frame has no network membrane.

17. The EUV lithography apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of nano-fibers further comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes.

18. A method of operating an extreme ultra violet (EUV) lithography apparatus comprising a light source that generates an EUV light beam and a scanner that receives the light from a junction with the light source and directs the light to a reticle stage, the method comprising:

providing a debris catcher on a EUV beam path between the light source and the scanner, the debris catcher comprising a plurality of slots or frames, at least two of the plurality of slots or frames include a network membrane including a plurality of nano-fibers comprising a plurality nanotubes of a transition metal dichalcogenide; and

collecting by the debris catcher tin debris generated in the light source.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of nano-fibers include further comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising switching from one slot or frame of the debris catcher having the network membrane to another slot or frame of the debris catcher having the network membrane according to degradation of the network membrane of the one slot or frame.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 11, 2022
From: HUANG, I-HSIUNG; CHEN, YUNG-CHENG; WU, TUNG-LI
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 059562/0504 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230324814A1 · Oct 12, 2023
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