KR102574194B1 - Apparatus and method for generating light source with range of specific wavelength - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a space for generating a light source, a vacuum chamber in which a target material is located in the space; and an electron gun positioned at one side of the vacuum chamber and irradiating an electron beam toward the target material. Including, when the electron beam collides with the target material, electrons having an energy level higher than the energy level of the hole among the electrons constituting the target material are transitioned to holes generated when the electron beam collides with the target material, or the electron beam collides with the target material. In one case, light having at least one of EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet) is generated in a process in which electrons constituting the target material lose energy. A light source of a specific wavelength range, characterized in that It provides an apparatus and method for generating.

Description

Apparatus and method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING LIGHT SOURCE WITH RANGE OF SPECIFIC WAVELENGTH}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for generating a light source having at least one wavelength range of EUV (Extreme ultraviolet) and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet) It is about.

Currently, with continuous development in various fields such as semiconductor fields, sample analysis fields, and high-resolution imaging fields, a light source having a shorter wavelength than existing light sources for achieving high integration or high resolution is required in various fields.

For example, in the semiconductor field, when a light source with a short wavelength is applied to a lithography process among processes for producing semiconductor devices, a smaller and more complex structure, that is, a highly integrated semiconductor device may be manufactured. At this time, in the case of lithography technology using a light source such as the existing ArF excimer laser, fine patterning of 20 nm or less is difficult, but EUV (Extreme ultraviolet) light source having a shorter wavelength of 13.5 nm compared to existing applied light sources is considered as an alternative. there is.

On the other hand, BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet) is a next-generation light source having a shorter wavelength (6.7 nm) and higher energy than EUV, and research on its application possibility in various fields is being actively conducted.

For example, in the case of EUV light sources as well as existing applied light sources in the lithography process in the semiconductor field, it was difficult to implement fine patterning of 7 nm or less due to the limitation of the wavelength of each light source, but when the BEUV light source is applied, fine patterning of 5 nm or less It is hoped that this will be possible.

For reference, in the case of a conventional EUV light source, as a technology for applying it to various fields, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0136427 (filing date: 2015. 02. 27., publication date: 2016. 11. 29. ), Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0129989 (filing date: 2018. 03. 19., publication date: 2019. 11. 20.), etc. have been suggested, but the BEUV light source is still in the early stage of development, so there is a preceding technology is non-existent.

Therefore, the present invention is to suggest a device and method for generating an EUV light source and a BEUV light source having high applicability in various fields.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a device and method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range for generating at least one of an EUV light source and a BEUV light source having high applicability in various fields. there is

To achieve this object, an apparatus for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a space for generating a light source, and includes a vacuum chamber in which a target material is located in the space; and an electron gun positioned at one side of the vacuum chamber and irradiating an electron beam toward the target material. Including, when the electron beam collides with the target material, electrons having an energy level higher than the energy level of the hole among the electrons constituting the target material are transitioned to holes generated when the electron beam collides with the target material, or the electron beam collides with the target material. In one case, light having at least one of wavelength bands of EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet) may be emitted in a process in which electrons constituting the target material lose energy.

Here, the target material may be any one of a boron-based material, a silicon-based material, and a tungsten-based material.

At this time, when the target material is a tungsten-based material, a spectrometer for splitting light of EUV and BEUV wavelength bands generated when electron beams collide with the target material into light of EUV wavelength band and light of BEUV wavelength band, respectively; may further include.

On the other hand, in order to achieve this object, a method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of (a) positioning a target material in a vacuum chamber; (b) irradiating an electron beam toward a target material located in the vacuum chamber; (c) Among the electrons constituting the target material, electrons having an energy level higher than that of the hole are transferred to holes generated when the electron beam irradiated in step (b) collides with the target material, or , generating light in a process in which electrons constituting the target material lose energy when the electron beam collides with the target material; Including, the light generated in the step (c) may have at least one of a wavelength band of EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet).

Here, the target material may be any one of a boron-based material, a silicon-based material, and a tungsten-based material.

In this case, when the target material is a tungsten-based material, the light generated in step (c) includes both EUV and BEUV wavelength bands, and in this case, the method for generating a light source of the specific wavelength range is (d) the ( splitting the light generated in step C) into light in the EUV wavelength band and light in the BEUV wavelength band, respectively; may further include.

For reference, the light source may be generated through the above-described method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range.

And, the lithography apparatus may perform a lithography process with the light source.

In addition, the sample analysis device may perform photoelectron spectroscopy or light emission spectroscopy using the light source.

Also, the high-resolution imaging device may perform high-resolution image processing with the light source.

As described above, according to the present invention, according to an apparatus and method for generating at least one of an EUV light source and a BEUV light source, the EUV light source or BEUV light source generated in the present invention can be used in lithography technology, sample analysis technology, When applied to various fields such as high-resolution imaging technology, it has the effect of providing superior performance compared to previously applied light sources.

1 schematically illustrates an apparatus for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows the flow of a method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 illustrates a flow of a method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to another embodiment of the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but for the sake of brevity, technical parts that have already been well-known will be omitted or compressed.

<Description of a device for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range>

1 schematically illustrates an apparatus for generating a light source of a specific wavelength band (hereinafter, referred to as a 'light source generating apparatus') according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a light source generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vacuum chamber 110 and an electron gun 120 .

The vacuum chamber 110 provides a space for generating a light source, and a target material TM is positioned in the space. Here, the shape of the vacuum chamber 110 may be provided in various shapes such as a circular shape and a polygonal shape, and the shape is not limited to a specific shape. More specifically, the vacuum chamber 110 accommodates the target material TM therein, and a space in which a reaction between the electron gun 120 and the target material TM, which will be described later, occurs and a high vacuum state of the space can be maintained. It can be provided in any form as long as it exists.

For reference, a vacuum pump (not shown) capable of implementing and maintaining a high vacuum state in the vacuum chamber 110 may be located on the other side of the vacuum chamber 110, and a target material may be located in the space within the vacuum chamber 110. A cradle (not shown) for supporting the (TM) may be provided. Of course, the configuration described above is only an example, and the configuration of the vacuum chamber 110 may be added or subtracted as needed.

An electron gun 120 is located on one side of the vacuum chamber 110 and irradiates an electron beam EB toward the target material TM. That is, the electron gun 120 serves to generate and accelerate electrons for irradiating the electron beam EB.

For reference, in the case of the electron gun 120, there are various types such as thermal emission type and field emission type. The vacuum level of the vacuum chamber 110 depends on the type of electron gun 120 applied to the present invention. this may be different.

According to the configuration described above, when the electron beam EB collides with the target material TM located in the vacuum chamber 110, the energy level of holes among the electrons constituting the target material TM is higher than the hole generated. When electrons of an energy level transition or an electron beam collides with the target material, in the process in which electrons constituting the target material lose energy, EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet) Having at least one wavelength band Light (L) is generated. That is, depending on the target material TM, an EUV light source, a BEUV light source, or a light source including both the EUV and BEUV wavelength bands is generated.

In this case, the target material TM may be any one of a boron-based material, a silicon-based material, and a tungsten-based material.

Hereinafter, when the electron beam EB collides with the target material TM, a reaction mechanism according to the target material TM will be described. If the target material TM is boron-based, for example, boron, the electron beam EB ) collides with boron, which is the target material TM, boron electrons are ejected and boron valence band electrons are moved and disposed in the generated holes, thereby generating light (L) in the BEUV wavelength band.

As another example, when the target material TM is silicon-based, for example, silicon, when the electron beam EB collides with silicon, which is the target material TM, electrons of the silicon are bounced off and holes generated are formed at the core level of the silicon. As the electrons of ) are moved and arranged, light (L) in the EUV wavelength range is generated.

That is, depending on the target material TM, the holes are filled with valence band electrons or interior angle electrons of the target material TM, and light L having at least one of EUV and BEUV wavelengths is generated. will be.

To explain the above-mentioned reaction mechanism in more detail, since the electrons in an atom have a certain energy at a specific position due to the action of electric force with the atomic nucleus, they do not escape from their position and are emitted, but the energy that exceeds the energy barrier that the electron has When is given, that is, the electrons of the target material (TM) are ejected by the electron beam, and the vacancy, that is, the hole from which the electron escapes has an energy level higher than the energy level of the hole among the electrons constituting the target material (TM) As the electrons of the transition, light of a specific wavelength is generated. That is, when the target material TM is either boron or silicon, when the target material TM collides with the electron beam EB, a characteristic line is generated due to collision loss, and this characteristic line is ), it includes the EUV wavelength band or the BEUV wavelength band, respectively.

As another example, when the target material TM is a tungsten series, for example, tungsten, when the electron beam EB collides with the target material TM, tungsten, electrons of the tungsten colliding with the electron beam EB lose energy in EUV. Light L including both the wavelength band and the BEUV wavelength band is generated. More specifically, when the target material TM is tungsten, when the target material TM collides with the electron beam EB, a continuous line is generated by Bremsstrahlung radiation, and the EUV Both the wavelength range and the BEUV wavelength range are included. In this case, the light source generator 100 may further include a spectrometer (not shown) for splitting the light of each wavelength band from the light L generated from tungsten into EUV light and BEUV light.

At this time, in the present invention, for convenience of explanation, the target material (TM) in which continuous lines are generated by collision with the electron beam (EB) is limited to tungsten, but High Z, that is, molybdenum having a high atomic number ( Molybdenum, Mo), etc. are also possible, so it goes without saying that the corresponding target material TM is not limited to tungsten.

For reference, the light generated from the light source generating device 100 is at least one of an EUV light source and a BEUV light source, and may be applied to a lithography technique, a sample analysis technique for performing photoelectron spectroscopy or light emission spectroscopy, high-resolution imaging, and the like.

<Method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range>

Figure 2 shows the flow of a method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a flow of a method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to another embodiment of the present invention 2, a method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to an embodiment of the present invention may include the following steps.

For reference, descriptions overlapping with those of the light source generator described above will be briefly described or omitted.

1. Step (a); Target material arrangement step <S100>

(a) Step (S100) is a step of positioning the target material (TM) in the vacuum chamber (110). Here, the vacuum chamber 110 accommodates the target material TM therein, and a light source can be generated by the reaction of the electron beam EB and the target material TM in step (b) (S200) to be described later. The shape is not limited to a specific shape as long as it can maintain the space and the high vacuum state of the space.

In this case, the target material TM may be any one of boron-based, silicon-based, and tungsten-based materials, and more specifically, may be any one of boron, silicon, and tungsten.

2. Step (b); Electron beam irradiation step <S200>

Step (b) (S200) is a step of irradiating the electron beam (EB) toward the target material (TM) located in the vacuum chamber (110). At this time, the electron beam EB may be generated from the electron gun 120 located on one side of the vacuum chamber 110 .

Hereinafter, when the electron beam EB generated from the electron gun 120 collides with the target material TM, the reaction mechanism according to the target material TM will be described in detail. First, the electron beam generated from the electron gun 120 When (EB) collides with any one target material (hereinafter referred to as 'first target material' for convenience of explanation; TM), at least one electron of the first target material (TM) is bounced off, and the corresponding Among the electrons constituting the first target material (TM), electrons of an energy level higher than the energy level of the position where the hole is generated are transitioned and filled in the vacancy, that is, the hole from which the electron has escaped, and through this reaction, the first target material TM In the material TM, light in a specific wavelength range having a wavelength distribution (characteristic line) including only one or several specific wavelengths is generated.

Next, when the electron beam EB generated from the electron gun 120 collides with another target material (hereinafter, referred to as a 'second target material' for convenience of explanation; TM), the electron beam EB collides with the Light (L) is generated in the process of at least one electron of the second target material losing energy, and as a result of this reaction, light in a specific wavelength range having a continuous wavelength distribution (continuous line) is generated in the second target material (TM). It happens.

For reference, the first target material TM may be boron or silicon, and the second target material TM may be tungsten. At this time, in the present invention, although the second target material (TM) is limited to tungsten for convenience of explanation, High Z, that is, molybdenum (Mo) having a high atomic number is also possible, so according to the implementation Of course, the second target material TM is not limited to tungsten.

3. Step (c); Light generation step <S300>

In step (c) (S300), holes among the electrons constituting the target material (TM) are included in the holes generated when the electron beam (EB) irradiated in (b) step (S200) collides with the target material (TM). This is a step in which light (L) is generated in a process in which electrons constituting the target material lose energy when electrons having an energy level higher than the energy level transition or when an electron beam collides with the target material.

At this time, the light generated in step (c) has at least one wavelength band of EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet). That is, at least one of the EUV light source and the BEUV light source is generated through the above-described series of processes.

For reference, as mentioned above in the light source generating device, the wavelength range of the generated light is different depending on the target material (TM), and more specifically, when the target material (TM) is boron-based, for example, boron, a series of processes are performed. A BEUV light source is generated through a process, and an EUV light source is generated through a series of processes when the target material TM is silicon-based, for example, silicon, and a series of processes when the target material TM is tungsten-based, such as tungsten. Through this, both an EUV light source and a BEUV light source can be created.

Accordingly, when the target material TM is tungsten, as further illustrated in FIG. 3, the light generated in step (c) (S300) includes both EUV and BEUV wavelength bands, and (c) step (S300) It may further include step (d) (S400) of splitting the light generated in by wavelength into light in the EUV wavelength band and light in the BEUV wavelength band, respectively.

The light source generated through the above-described method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range is applied to a lithography device for performing a lithography process, a sample analysis device for performing photoelectron spectroscopy or light emission spectroscopy, and a high-resolution imaging device for high-resolution image processing. Of course you can.

As described above, the detailed description of the present invention has been made by the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but since the above-described embodiments have only been described as preferred examples of the present invention, the present invention is limited to the above embodiments. It should not be understood as being, and the scope of the present invention should be understood as the following claims and equivalent concepts thereof.

100: light source generator
110: vacuum chamber
120: electron gun
EB: electron beam
TM: target substance

Claims (8)

A vacuum chamber providing a space for generating a light source and in which a target material, which is Molybdenum (Mo), is positioned in the space;
an electron gun positioned at one side of the vacuum chamber and irradiating an electron beam toward the target material; and
a spectrometer separating EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) wavelength band light from light generated when the electron beam collides with the target material; including,
Among the electrons constituting the target material, electrons having an energy level higher than the energy level of the holes are transitioned to holes generated when the electron beam collides with the target material, or when the electron beam collides with the target material, the target material When the electrons constituting the material lose energy, light in a specific wavelength range with a continuous wavelength distribution is generated.
Characterized in that the light of the specific wavelength range includes both EUV and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet) wavelength ranges
A device for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range.
According to claim 1,
a cradle positioned in a space within the vacuum chamber and supporting the target material; characterized in that it further comprises
A device for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range.
(a) placing a target material of molybdenum (Mo) in a vacuum chamber;
(b) irradiating an electron beam toward a target material located in the vacuum chamber;
(c) When the electron beam irradiated in the step (b) collides with the target material, electrons having an energy level higher than that of the hole among the electrons constituting the target material are transferred to holes generated when the electron beam irradiated in step (b) collides with the target material; generating light of a specific wavelength range having a continuous wavelength distribution in a process in which electrons constituting the target material lose energy when the electron beam collides with the target material; and
(d) splitting the light in the EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) wavelength range from the light generated in step (c); Including,
Characterized in that the light of a specific wavelength range generated in step (c) includes both EUV and BEUV (Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet) wavelength ranges
A method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range.
According to claim 3,
Characterized in that the target material is supported by a cradle located in the space in the vacuum chamber
A method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range.
A light source generated through the method for generating a light source of a specific wavelength range according to any one of claims 3 to 4.
A lithographic apparatus for performing a lithography process with the light source according to claim 5 .
A sample analysis device for performing photoelectron spectroscopy or light emission spectroscopy using the light source according to claim 5 . A high-resolution imaging device for performing high-resolution image processing with the light source according to claim 5 .

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