US20170053780A1 - Target supply device, target material refining method, recording medium having target material refining program recorded therein, and target generator - Google Patents

Target supply device, target material refining method, recording medium having target material refining program recorded therein, and target generator Download PDF

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Publication number
US20170053780A1
US20170053780A1 US15/346,431 US201615346431A US2017053780A1 US 20170053780 A1 US20170053780 A1 US 20170053780A1 US 201615346431 A US201615346431 A US 201615346431A US 2017053780 A1 US2017053780 A1 US 2017053780A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
temperature
target material
target
tank
controller
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Abandoned
Application number
US15/346,431
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English (en)
Inventor
Fumio Iwamoto
Yutaka Shiraishi
Tsukasa Hori
Osamu Wakabayashi
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Gigaphoton Inc
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Gigaphoton Inc
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Assigned to GIGAPHOTON INC. reassignment GIGAPHOTON INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: HORI, TSUKASA, IWAMOTO, FUMIO, SHIRAISHI, YUTAKA, WAKABAYASHI, OSAMU
Publication of US20170053780A1 publication Critical patent/US20170053780A1/en
Priority to US16/379,539 priority Critical patent/US10629414B2/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
    • H01J37/3244—Gas supply means
    • H01J37/32449—Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
    • H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
    • H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
    • H05G2/001—X-ray radiation generated from plasma
    • H05G2/003—X-ray radiation generated from plasma being produced from a liquid or gas
    • H05G2/005—X-ray radiation generated from plasma being produced from a liquid or gas containing a metal as principal radiation generating component
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
    • H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
    • H05G2/001—X-ray radiation generated from plasma
    • H05G2/003—X-ray radiation generated from plasma being produced from a liquid or gas
    • H05G2/006—X-ray radiation generated from plasma being produced from a liquid or gas details of the ejection system, e.g. constructional details of the nozzle
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
    • H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
    • H05G2/001—X-ray radiation generated from plasma
    • H05G2/008—X-ray radiation generated from plasma involving a beam of energy, e.g. laser or electron beam in the process of exciting the plasma

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a target supply device, a target material refining method, a recording medium having target material refining program recorded therein, and a target generator.
  • microfabrication with feature sizes of 45 to 70 nm and further, microfabrication with feature sizes of 32 nm or less will be required.
  • an exposure apparatus is needed in which an apparatus for generating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light at a wavelength of approximately 13 nm is combined with a reduced projection reflective optical system.
  • EUV extreme ultraviolet
  • LPP Laser Produced Plasma
  • DPP Discharge Produced Plasma
  • SR Synchrotron Radiation
  • a target supply device may include a tank, a nozzle, a filter, a temperature adjuster and a controller.
  • the tank may be configured to contain a target material of a metal.
  • the nozzle may have a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank.
  • the filter may be disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole.
  • the temperature adjuster may be configured to change a temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the controller may be configured to control the temperature adjuster to change the temperature of the target material in the tank so as oxygen dissolved in the target material to precipitate as metal oxide.
  • a target supply device may include a tank, a nozzle, a filter, a temperature adjuster and a controller.
  • the tank may be configured to contain a target material of a metal.
  • the nozzle may have a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank.
  • the filter may be disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole.
  • the temperature adjuster may be configured to change a temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the controller may be configured to control the temperature adjuster to change the temperature of the target material in the tank for at least one time between a first temperature higher than a melting point of the target material and a second temperature lower than the first temperature while the target material is not contained between the filter and the nozzle hole.
  • a target supply device may include a tank, a nozzle, a filter, a temperature adjuster, a gas exhauster and a controller.
  • the tank may be configured to contain a target material of a metal.
  • the nozzle may have a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank.
  • the filter may be disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole.
  • the temperature adjuster may be configured to change a temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the gas exhauster may be configured to exhaust gas from the tank.
  • the controller may be configured to control the temperature adjuster to change the temperature of the target material in the tank for at least one time between a first temperature higher than a melting point of the target material and a second temperature lower than the first temperature while the gas exhauster is controlled to set a pressure in the tank lower than an atmospheric pressure.
  • a target material refining method of refining a target material by use of a target generator and a temperature adjuster may be provided, the target generator having a tank configured to contain the target material of a metal, a nozzle having a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank, and a filter disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole, the temperature adjuster being configured to change a temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the target material refining method may include a step of causing oxygen in the target material to precipitate as metal oxide by changing the temperature of the target material in the tank by the temperature adjuster, and a step of filtrating the target material of a liquid phase containing the precipitated metal oxide through the filter.
  • a target material refining program may enable a computer to perform operations for controlling the temperature adjuster in the target material refining method as defined above.
  • a recording medium may be configured to store a target material refining program in a computer readable manner, the target material refining program enabling a computer to perform operations for controlling the temperature adjuster in the target material refining method as defined above.
  • a target generator may be configured to contain a target material that is solidified after refined by the target material refining method as defined above.
  • FIG. 1 is an explanatory view in a cross section of an LPP type EUV light generation apparatus
  • FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the EUV light generation apparatus having a target supply device of a first embodiment
  • FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the target supply device
  • FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the solubility of oxygen atoms to tin
  • FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a state of a target material heated up to a temperature equal to or higher than a melting point of the target material
  • FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a state after the state of FIG. 5 ;
  • FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a state after the state of FIG. 6 ;
  • FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method for refinement of the target material
  • FIG. 9 is a timing chart illustrating the refinement of the target material
  • FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a metal oxide precipitation treatment
  • FIG. 11 schematically illustrates a state at the end of the metal oxide precipitation treatment
  • FIG. 12 schematically illustrates a state when the steps for the refinement of the target material are complete
  • FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a metal oxide precipitation treatment in a variation of the first embodiment
  • FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating a method for refinement of the target material
  • FIG. 15 schematically illustrates a target supply device of a second preferred embodiment
  • FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a method for refinement of the target material in the second embodiment
  • FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating a metal oxide precipitation treatment
  • FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking solidification of the target material
  • FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking melting of the target material
  • FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking solidification of the target material in a variation of the second embodiment
  • FIG. 21 is a timing chart illustrating the process for checking solidification of the target material
  • FIG. 22 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking melting of the target material
  • FIG. 23 is a timing chart illustrating the process for checking melting of the target material
  • FIG. 24 schematically illustrates a target supply device of a third preferred embodiment
  • FIG. 25 is a flow chart illustrating a metal oxide precipitation treatment in the third embodiment
  • FIG. 26 is a timing chart illustrating a method for refinement of the target material
  • FIG. 27 is a flow chart illustrating temperature control for a first area
  • FIG. 28 is a flow chart illustrating temperature control for a second area
  • FIG. 29 is a flow chart illustrating temperature control for a third area
  • FIG. 30 is a flow chart illustrating temperature control for a fourth area
  • FIG. 31 schematically illustrates a phenomenon that can occur when the ingot is melted in the order from the first to fourth areas
  • FIG. 32 is a flow chart illustrating a metal oxide precipitation treatment in a variation of the third embodiment
  • FIG. 33 is a timing chart illustrating a method for refinement of the target material
  • FIG. 34 is a flow chart illustrating temperature control for the third and fourth areas
  • FIG. 35 schematically illustrates a target supply device of a fourth embodiment, which includes a feed tank and a reservoir thank;
  • FIG. 36 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a controller.
  • a target supply device may include a tank, a nozzle, a filter, a temperature adjuster and a controller.
  • the tank may be configured to contain a target material of a metal.
  • the nozzle may have a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank.
  • the filter may be disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole.
  • the temperature adjuster may be configured to change the temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the controller may be configured to control the temperature adjuster to change the temperature of the target material in the tank so as oxygen dissolved in the target material to precipitate as metal oxide.
  • a target supply device may include a tank, a nozzle, a filter, a temperature adjuster and a controller.
  • the tank may be configured to contain a target material of a metal.
  • the nozzle may have a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank.
  • the filter may be disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole.
  • the temperature adjuster may be configured to change the temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the controller may be configured to control the temperature adjuster to change the temperature of the target material in the tank for at least one time between a first temperature higher than a melting point of the target material and a second temperature lower than the first temperature while the target material is not contained between the filter and the nozzle hole.
  • a target supply device may include a tank, a nozzle, a filter, a temperature adjuster, a gas exhauster and a controller.
  • the tank may be configured to contain a target material of a metal.
  • the nozzle may have a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank.
  • the filter may be disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole.
  • the temperature adjuster may be configured to change the temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the gas exhauster may be configured to exhaust gas from the tank.
  • the controller may be configured to control the temperature adjuster to change the temperature of the target material in the tank for at least one time between a first temperature higher than a melting point of the target material and a second temperature lower than the first temperature while the gas exhauster is controlled to set the pressure in the tank lower than an atmospheric pressure.
  • a target material refining method uses a target generator and a temperature adjuster.
  • the target generator has a tank configured to contain a target material of a metal, a nozzle having a nozzle hole configured to output the target material from the tank, and a filter disposed in a communication portion for conducting the target material from the tank to the nozzle hole.
  • the temperature adjuster is configured to change the temperature of the target material in the tank.
  • the target material refining method may include a step of causing oxygen in the target material to precipitate as metal oxide by changing the temperature of the target material in the tank by the temperature adjuster, and a step of filtering the target material as being liquefied and containing the precipitated metal oxide through the filter.
  • a target material refining program may enable a computer to perform operations for controlling the temperature adjuster in the target material refining method as defined above.
  • a recording medium storing a target material refining program may be configured to store the abovementioned target material refining program in a computer readable manner.
  • the target generator may be configured to contain the target material that is solidified after refined by the target material refining method as defined above.
  • FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an LPP type EUV light generation system.
  • An EUV light generation apparatus 1 may be used with at least one laser apparatus 3 .
  • a system that includes the EUV light generation apparatus 1 and the laser apparatus 3 is referred to as an EUV light generation system 11 .
  • the EUV light generation apparatus 1 may include a chamber 2 and a target supply device 7 .
  • the chamber 2 may be sealed airtight.
  • the target supply device 7 may be mounted onto the chamber 2 , for example, so as to put through a wall of the chamber 2 .
  • a target material to be supplied by the target supply device 7 may include, but is not limited to, tin, terbium, gadolinium, lithium, xenon, or any combination of two or more of those.
  • the chamber 2 may have at least one through hole or opening formed in its wall.
  • the chamber 2 may have a window 21 formed in its wall, through which a pulse laser beam 32 output from the laser apparatus 3 may travel into the chamber 2 .
  • An EUV collector mirror 23 for example, having a spheroidal reflecting surface may be provided inside the chamber 2 .
  • the EUV collector mirror 23 can have a first focus and a second focus.
  • the EUV collector mirror 23 may have a multi-layered reflective film formed on the surface thereof, the reflective film having, for example, a molybdenum layer or layers and a silicon layer or layers alternately laminated on one another.
  • the EUV collector mirror 23 is preferably positioned such that the first focus lies in a plasma generation region 25 and the second focus lies in an intermediate focus (IF) region 292 .
  • the EUV collector mirror 23 may have a through hole 24 formed at the center thereof so that a pulse laser beam 33 may travel through the through hole 24 .
  • the EUV light generation apparatus 1 may further include an EUV light generation control system 5 , a target sensor 4 , and the like.
  • the target sensor 4 may have an imaging function and may be configured to detect the presence, trajectory, position, speed, and the like of a droplet 27 as a target.
  • the EUV light generation apparatus 1 may include a connection section 29 for allowing the interior of the chamber 2 to be in communication with the interior of an exposure apparatus 6 .
  • a wall 291 having an aperture 293 may be provided in the connection section 29 .
  • the wall 291 may be positioned such that the second focus of the EUV collector mirror 23 lies in the aperture 293 formed in the wall 291 .
  • the EUV light generation apparatus 1 may also include a laser beam direction control unit 34 , a laser beam focusing mirror 22 , a target collector 28 for collecting droplets 27 , and the like.
  • the laser beam direction control unit 34 may include an optical element for defining the direction into which the pulse laser beam travels and an actuator for adjusting the position and the orientation or posture of the optical element.
  • a pulse laser beam 31 output from the laser apparatus 3 may pass through the laser beam direction control unit 34 and be output therefrom as the pulse laser beam 32 so as to travel through the window 21 and enter the chamber 2 .
  • the pulse laser beam 32 may travel inside the chamber 2 along at least one laser beam path, and may be reflected by the laser beam focusing mirror 22 , so as to be projected as a pulse laser beam 33 toward at least one droplet 27 .
  • the target supply device 7 may be configured to output the droplets 27 toward the plasma generation region 25 in the chamber 2 .
  • the droplet 27 may be irradiated with at least one pulse of the pulse laser beam 33 .
  • the droplet 27 can be turned into plasma, and radiation light 251 can be emitted from the plasma.
  • EUV light 252 included in the radiation light 251 may be reflected selectively by the EUV collector mirror 23 .
  • the EUV light 252 which is reflected by the EUV collector mirror 23 , may travel through the intermediate focus region 292 and be output to the exposure apparatus 6 .
  • the droplet 27 may be irradiated with multiple pulses included in the pulse laser beam 33 .
  • the EUV light generation control system 5 may be configured to integrally control the EUV light generation system 11 .
  • the EUV light generation control system 5 may be configured to process image data of the droplet 27 captured by the target sensor 4 . Further, the EUV light generation control system 5 may be configured to control the timing when the droplet 27 is output, the direction into which the droplet 27 is output, or the like, for example. Furthermore, the EUV light generation control system 5 may be configured to control the timing when the laser apparatus 3 oscillates, the direction in which the pulse laser beam 32 travels, the position at which the pulse laser beam 33 is focused, or the like, for example.
  • the various controls mentioned above are merely examples, and other controls may be added as necessary.
  • tin is a target material 270
  • an oxidized material of tin may be expressed as “metal oxide”.
  • Oxygen dissolved in tin as a solid solution, or oxygen dissolved in a supersaturated state in a metal may be expressed simply as “oxygen”.
  • a minimum pressure that enables the target material 270 to output from a nozzle 86 A (refer to FIG. 3 ) at a predetermined speed may be expressed as “output pressure”.
  • a process according to the target material refining method may be expressed as “target material refinement”.
  • a temperature level, which is equal to or higher than a melting point of the target material 270 and which is high enough to output the target material 270 from a target supply device 7 A, may be expressed as “output temperature”.
  • a reservoir tank 84 A and a feed tank 87 D (refer to FIG. 35 ), which are the tanks of the present disclosure, may be expressed simply as “tanks”.
  • the controller may be configured to control the temperature adjuster for changing the temperature of the target material in the tank for at least one time between a first temperature higher than a melting point of the target material and a second temperature lower than the first temperature.
  • the oxygen precipitation step for the target material may include controlling the temperature adjuster for changing the temperature of the target material in the tank for at least one time between a first temperature higher than a melting point of the target material and a second temperature lower than the first temperature.
  • the second temperature may be lower than the melting point of the target material.
  • FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a configuration of an EUV light generation apparatus that includes a target supply device according to the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a configuration of the target supply device are schematically illustrated.
  • an EUV light generation apparatus 1 A may include a chamber 2 and a target supply device 7 A.
  • the target supply device 7 A may include a target generating section 70 A and a target controller 71 A as a controlling section.
  • An EUV light generation control system 5 A, the laser apparatus 3 and the target sensor 4 may be electrically connected to the target controller 71 A.
  • the target generating section 70 A in FIGS. 2 and 3 may include a target generator 8 A, a pressure adjuster 75 A, a gas exhauster 77 A, a temperature adjuster 78 A and a piezoelectric actuator 79 A.
  • the target generator 8 A may include a device main unit 80 A, a lid 81 A, a nozzle head 82 A and a filter unit 83 A.
  • the device main unit 80 A may include a reservoir tank 84 A of a substantially cylindrical shape with a wall on a first side thereof that is on the +Z direction side.
  • the reservoir tank 84 A may be the tank of the present disclosure.
  • a room in the reservoir tank 84 A may be a space for containment 840 A for containing the target material 270 .
  • the reservoir tank 84 A may include a nozzle body 85 A.
  • the nozzle body 85 A may be of a substantially cylindrical shape and extend from the center of the first side of the reservoir tank 84 A in the +Z direction.
  • a hollow in the nozzle body 85 A may be a through hole 850 A for feeding the target material 270 from the space for containment 840 A to the nozzle head 82 A therethrough.
  • the lid 81 A may be formed in a substantially disk shape and close a second side of the reservoir tank 84 A, which is on the ⁇ Z direction side.
  • the lid 81 A may be so provided as to tightly contact with the second side of the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the nozzle head 82 A may be formed in a substantially disk shape.
  • the outer diameter of the nozzle head 82 A may be substantially equal to that of the nozzle body 85 A.
  • the nozzle head 82 A may be disposed in tight contact with the nozzle body 85 A at the end of the +Z direction side.
  • a nozzle tip 820 A may protrude from the center of the nozzle head 82 A in a conically tapered shape.
  • a through channel 821 A is formed through the center of the nozzle head 82 A to extend vertically or along the Z axis.
  • the through channel 821 A may communicate with the through hole 850 A.
  • the through channel 821 A may be formed to decrease its diameter in the +Z direction.
  • An end of the through channel 821 A which is located on the +Z direction side, may be a nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the diameter of the nozzle hole 822 A may be 1 to 15 ⁇ m.
  • the through hole 850 A and the through channel 821 A may constitute a communication portion 860 A for conducting the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A to the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the nozzle body 85 A and the nozzle head 82 A may constitute the nozzle 86 A that is provided to communicate the communication portion 860 A with the space for containment 840 A.
  • the nozzle 86 A can protrude from the first end wall of the reservoir tank 84 A into the chamber 2 .
  • the nozzle head 82 A is preferably formed from a material that provides a contact angle of not less than 90 degrees between the nozzle head 82 A and the target material 270 .
  • at least a surface of the nozzle head 82 A may be coated with a material that will make the contact angle equal to or more than 90 degrees.
  • the target material 270 is tin
  • the material which will provide the contact angle of not less than 90 degrees may be SiC, SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , molybdenum, and tungsten.
  • the filter unit 83 A may include the filter 831 A and a holder 832 A.
  • the filter 831 A may be disposed in the communication portion 860 A of the nozzle 86 A.
  • the filter 831 A may have a first filter (filter element), which may be formed from a porous material for collecting metal oxide. A great number of pores with a diameter of approximately 3 to 10 ⁇ m may be formed in the first filter. The pores may be bent or curved in various directions to extend through the first filter.
  • the filter 831 A may further include a second filter disposed on one side of a first filter, at a position closer to the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the second filter may be formed by bundling multiple capillaries into a plate shape. Through holes of the capillaries may extend in the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction). An inner diameter of the capillaries may be 0.1 to 2 ⁇ m.
  • the second filter may be formed from glass which can react with the target material 270 in the liquid phase to create a solid reaction product.
  • the glass forming the capillaries of the second filter may be a low-melting-point glass. Making the capillaries of a low-melting-point glass can permit forming the capillaries with smaller diameter in comparison with the capillaries made of quartz glass having a high melting point. Also, the low-melting-point glass may contain metal lead.
  • the target material 270 is tin
  • forming the second filter (filter element) from a low-melting-point glass can cause reductive reaction of the metal lead contained in the low-melting-point glass with the tin, precipitating the metal lead in the solid form.
  • the precipitation of the metal lead from the low-melting-point glass may result in breaking the structure of the remaining glass, producing solid SiO 2 .
  • particles of SnO, SnO 2 , SiO 2 and the like can be created through the reaction between the low-melting-point glass of the second filter and the tin as the target material 270 .
  • a coating layer may be formed on an inner surface of the through holes of the capillaries.
  • the coating layer can be formed by applying a coating of a material with a low reactivity to the target material 270 of a liquid phase.
  • the filter 831 A may include only one of the first and second filters.
  • the holder 832 A may be formed into a tubular shape. In a case where tin is the target material 270 , the holder 832 A may be formed from molybdenum having low reactivity with the tin. The holder 832 A may hold the filter 831 A so as to close the communication portion 860 A.
  • the communication portion 860 A may be partitioned with the filter 831 A into a first communication passage 861 A and a second communication passage 862 A.
  • the first communication passage 861 A is on the side of the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the second communication passage 862 A is on the side of the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the output direction predetermined for the droplets 27 does not necessarily coincide with the gravity direction 10 B but depends on how the chamber 2 is arranged.
  • the predetermined output direction of the droplet 27 may be equal to the direction of the center axis of the nozzle hole 822 A, and hereinafter will be referred to as the predetermined output direction 10 A.
  • a configuration may be possible wherein the output direction of the droplets 27 is horizontal or aslant to the gravity direction 10 B.
  • the chamber 2 may be arranged such that the predetermined output direction 10 A coincides with the gravity direction 10 B.
  • a flow line 754 A may be provided through the lid 81 A of the target generator 8 A.
  • a first end of the flow line 754 A which is on the +Z direction side, may be positioned in the device main unit 80 A.
  • a second end of the flow line 754 A which is on the ⁇ Z direction side, may be connected to a first end of a flow line 755 A through a valve V 3 .
  • a second end of the flow line 755 A may be connected to an inert gas cylinder 751 A through the pressure adjuster 75 A.
  • inert gas from the inert gas cylinder 751 A can be supplied to the target generator 8 A.
  • the pressure adjuster 75 A may be provided in the flow line 755 A.
  • the pressure adjuster 75 A may have a first valve V 1 , a second valve V 2 , a pressure controller 752 A and a pressure sensor 753 A.
  • the first valve V 1 may be provided in the flow line 755 A.
  • a flow line 756 A may be connected to the flow line 755 A at a position between the target generator 8 A and the first valve V 1 .
  • a first end of the flow line 756 A may be joined to the flow line 755 A at a side portion thereof.
  • a second end of the flow line 756 A may be connected to the gas exhauster 77 A.
  • the second valve V 2 may be provided in the flow line 756 A.
  • the first and second valves V 1 and V 2 may be any of gate valves, ball valves, butterfly valves and the like.
  • the first valve V 1 and the second valve V 2 may be of the same type or different types+.
  • the pressure controller 752 A may be connected electrically to the first and second valves V 1 and V 2 .
  • the target controller 71 A may send the pressure controller 752 A signals for the first and second valves V 1 and V 2 .
  • the first and second valves V 1 and V 2 may be changed over between open and closed positions, independently from each other according to the signal sent from the pressure controller 752 A.
  • the inert gas in the inert gas cylinder 751 A can be supplied to the target generator 8 A through the flow lines 754 A and 755 A.
  • the second valve V 2 is closed, the inert gas in the flow lines 754 A and 755 A and the target generator 8 A can be prevented from being exhausted to the outside of the flow line 756 A through the second end thereof.
  • opening the first valve V 1 and closing the second valve V 2 it may be possible to raise the pressure in the target generator 8 A up to a pressure set by a regulator or the like which may be provided in the inert gas cylinder 751 A. Thereafter, it may also be possible to maintain the pressure in the target generator 8 A at the level set by the regulator or the like.
  • the inert gas in the inert gas cylinder 751 A can be prevented from being supplied to the target generator 8 A through the flow lines 754 A and 755 A.
  • the second valve V 2 opens and the gas exhauster 77 A is driven, the inert gas can be exhausted from the flow lines 754 A and 755 A and the target generator 8 A.
  • a flow line 757 A may be connected to the flow line 755 A at a position between the target generator 8 A and the flow line 756 A.
  • a first end of the flow line 757 A may be connected to the flow line 755 A at a side portion thereof.
  • a second end of the flow line 757 A may be provided with the pressure sensor 753 A.
  • the pressure controller 752 A may be electrically connected to the pressure sensor 753 A.
  • the pressure sensor 753 A may detect the pressure of the inert gas inside the flow line 757 A, and send a pressure signal of the detected pressure to the pressure controller 752 A.
  • the pressure in the flow line 757 A may be substantially equal to the pressure in the flow lines 754 A and 755 A and the target generator 8 A.
  • the flow lines 754 A, 755 A, 756 A and 757 A may be made of stainless steel, for example.
  • the gas exhauster 77 A may be a pump.
  • the gas exhauster 77 A may be connected electrically to the target controller 71 A.
  • the gas exhauster 77 A may exhaust the gas from the flow lines 754 A, 755 A and 756 A and the target generator 8 A according to a signal sent from the target controller 71 A.
  • the temperature adjuster 78 A may be configured to control the temperature of the target material 270 contained in the target generator 8 A.
  • the temperature adjuster 78 A may have a heater 781 A, a heater power supply 782 A, a temperature sensor 783 A and a temperature controller 784 A.
  • the heater 781 A may be disposed on an outer surface of the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the heater power supply 782 A may supply power to the heater 781 A to generate heat according to a signal from the temperature controller 784 A.
  • the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A can be heated through the wall of the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the temperature sensor 783 A may be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the reservoir tank 84 A, at a position close to the nozzle body 85 A, or may be located within the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the temperature sensor 783 A may be configured to detect the temperature at a location where the temperature sensor 783 A is installed as well as the vicinity thereof in the reservoir tank 84 A, and to send a signal of the detected temperature to the temperature controller 784 A.
  • the temperature at and around the installed position of the temperature sensor 783 A can be substantially equal to the temperature of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the temperature controller 784 A may also be configured to output, to the heater power supply 782 A, a signal for controlling the temperature of the target material 270 to be a predetermined temperature on the basis of the signal from the temperature sensor 783 A.
  • the piezoelectric actuator 79 A may have a piezoelectric element 791 A and a power source 792 A.
  • the piezoelectric element 791 A may be provided on an outer circumferential surface of the nozzle body 85 A at the distal end thereof in the chamber 2 .
  • a mechanism capable of applying vibrations to the nozzle 86 A at a high rate may be provided.
  • a feedthrough unit 793 A may connect the power source 792 A to the piezoelectric element 791 A electrically.
  • the power source 792 A may be electrically connected to the target controller 71 A.
  • the target generating section 70 A may be configured to generate a jet 27 A of the target material according to a continuous jet method, and vibrate the jet 27 A at the output from the nozzle 86 A so as to form the droplets 27 .
  • FIG. 4 is a graph showing solubility of oxygen atoms to tin.
  • Oxygen atoms are soluble in the target material 270 contained in the target generator 8 A. Solubility of oxygen atoms to tin, a case of the target material 270 , may decrease as the temperature of tin decreases, as illustrated in FIG. 4 . If the tin is solidified after being heated up to a first melting temperature, and then melted again at a second melting temperature lower than the first melting temperature, undissolved oxygen atoms will remain in an amount that is equal to a result of subtraction by the amount of the oxygen atoms soluble to the tin at the second melting temperature from the amount of the oxygen atoms soluble to the tin at the first melting temperature. Then the undissolved oxygen atoms can bond with tin, to be precipitated as tin oxide as metal oxide.
  • FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a phenomenon that can occur when the target material is heated up to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material.
  • FIG. 6 a phenomenon after the phenomenon of FIG. 5 is schematically illustrated.
  • FIG. 7 a phenomenon after the phenomenon of FIG. 6 is schematically illustrated.
  • FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of refinement of the target material.
  • FIG. 9 is a timing chart illustrating the refinement method.
  • FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a process of precipitation treatment for metal oxide.
  • FIG. 11 schematically illustrates a state after the precipitation treatment being complete.
  • FIG. 12 a state after the completion of the treatment based on the target material refinement method.
  • tin is the target material 270 .
  • the target supply device having the same structure as the target supply device 7 A of the first embodiment except for the target controller.
  • an operator can load an ingot 275 of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A of the target generator 8 A. It is not necessary to put the ingot 275 in the communication portion 860 A and the filter 831 A in the target generator 8 A.
  • the target controller may send a signal to the temperature controller 784 A, to heat the ingot 275 in the target generator 8 A up to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the ingot 275 .
  • the ingot 275 can melt to be the target material 270 of a liquid phase.
  • the target controller may send a signal of a predetermined frequency to the piezoelectric element 791 A.
  • the piezoelectric element 791 A can thereby vibrate so as to generate the droplets 27 from the jet 27 A periodically.
  • the target controller may send a signal to the pressure controller 752 A to set the pressure in the reservoir tank 84 A at an output pressure P 2 .
  • Inert gas in the inert gas cylinder 751 A is thereby supplied to the reservoir tank 84 A, making it possible to stabilize the pressure in the reservoir tank 84 A at the output pressure P 2 .
  • the ingot 275 may be produced by a material manufacturer.
  • the temperature in a refining process of the ingot 275 may be approximately 490° to 600° C. during the manufacture of the ingot 275 of high purity by the material manufacturer. According to the relationship shown in FIG. 4 , oxygen can be dissolved in the ingot 275 in an amount around 0.6 to 5 ppm (weight ratio).
  • the jet 27 A can be output from the nozzle 86 A and formed into the droplets 27 according to the vibration of the nozzle 86 A.
  • the target controller may send signals to the pressure controller 752 A and the piezoelectric element 791 A so as to reduce inner pressure in the target generator 8 A to the atmospheric pressure, and to stop the vibration of the piezoelectric element 791 A.
  • the creation of the droplets 27 may be completed.
  • the target controller may send a signal to the temperature controller 784 A so as to decrease the temperature of the target material 270 down to the room temperature in the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the target material 270 may solidify in the reservoir tank 84 A, the communication portion 860 A and the filter 831 A.
  • the target controller can operate to heat the solidified target material 270 at temperatures in the range of approximately 240° to 290° C.
  • metal oxide 278 can precipitate when the target material 270 is heated again after being solidified.
  • the oxygen dissolved in the target material 270 in the supersaturated state can be considered to react with the target material 270 , causing the precipitation of metal oxide 278 in the reservoir tank 84 A and the first and second communication passages 861 A and 862 A.
  • the metal oxide 278 precipitated in the second communication passage 862 A can clog or narrow the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the target controller 71 A may perform the following control in the target supply device 7 A.
  • the operator after putting the ingot 275 in the reservoir tank 84 A of the target generator 8 A, may close the lid 81 A for sealing.
  • the target controller 71 A may determine whether precipitation of metal oxide 278 should be performed (step S 1 ).
  • the step S 1 may be executed at a time point R 0 in FIG. 9 .
  • the target controller 71 A may make the determination in step S 1 depending upon whether a signal for executing the precipitation treatment is input from the EUV light generation control system 5 A or from an external apparatus.
  • the target controller 71 A may repeat the step S 1 after a predetermined time interval. However, if the target controller 71 A determines that there is an input of the signal for executing the precipitation treatment in the step S 1 , then the target controller 71 A may control the pressure adjuster 75 A and the gas exhauster 77 A to exhaust air from the reservoir tank 84 A (step S 2 ). Thus, as shown in FIG. 9 , the pressure P in the reservoir tank 84 A can decrease to a pressure level P 0 . While the pressure P in the reservoir tank 84 A is at the pressure P 0 , the reservoir tank 84 A may be in a substantially vacuum state where the internal pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure.
  • the target controller 71 A may perform the precipitation treatment for metal oxide 278 (step 3 ).
  • the target controller 71 A may set the number N of times of the conducted thermal cycles of heating and cooling the target material to 0 (step S 11 ).
  • the target controller 71 A may control the temperature adjuster 78 A so as to make the temperature T in the reservoir tank 84 A equal to a temperature TH (step S 12 ).
  • the step S 12 may be executed at a time point R 1 in FIG. 9 .
  • the temperature TH may be higher than the melting point Tmp of the target material 270 and in a level in which reaction between the reservoir tank 84 A and the target material 270 is inhibited.
  • the temperature TH may be in the range of 280° to 300° C., for example, 290° C.
  • the temperature TH may correspond to the first temperature of the present disclosure.
  • the ingot 275 can melt to become the target material 270 of a liquid phase.
  • the pressure P in the reservoir tank 84 A is at the pressure P 0 that is not higher than the penetration pressure, the target material 270 of the liquid phase cannot enter or pass the filter 831 A, but is located only in the reservoir tank 84 A and the first communication passage 861 A, as shown in FIG. 11 .
  • the target controller 71 A may control the temperature adjuster 78 A to maintain the temperature T at the temperature TH for a period H 1 (step S 14 ).
  • the step S 14 may be performed from a time point R 2 to a time point R 3 in FIG. 9 .
  • the period H 1 may range from 1 hour to 10 hours, for example. More preferably, the period H 1 may range from 4 to 8 hours, for example.
  • those oxygen which cannot be dissolved in the target material 270 at the temperature TH can be dissolved in the target material 270 under this condition, bringing the target material 270 into a supersaturated state. Thus, the precipitation of metal oxide 278 can be inhibited.
  • the target controller 71 A may control the temperature adjuster 78 A so as to set the temperature T in the reservoir tank 84 A equal to a temperature TL (step S 15 ).
  • the step S 15 may be executed at the time point R 3 in FIG. 9 .
  • the temperature TL may be a temperature at which metal oxide 278 can precipitate but the target material 270 of the liquid phase does not solidify, or a temperature at which the target material 270 solidifies and metal oxide 278 precipitates in the solidified target material 270 .
  • the temperature TL may be a predetermined temperature that is equal to or higher than but near the melting point Tmp and in the range of 232° to 240° C.
  • the temperature TL may also be a predetermined temperature that is lower than the melting point Tmp and in the range of 20° to 220° C. in which the target material 270 solidifies.
  • the temperature TL may be a predetermined temperature in the range of 30° to 60° C. Setting the temperature TL lower than the melting point Tmp is more preferable because the precipitation of metal oxide 278 can be facilitated in comparison with the case where the temperature TL is equal to or higher than the melting point Tmp.
  • the temperature TL may be a second temperature of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the temperature TL may be lower than the melting point Tmp and equal to the room temperature TR.
  • the target controller 71 A may determine whether the temperature T is equal to or lower than the temperature TL on the basis of a signal from the temperature adjuster 78 A, (step S 16 ). If it is determined in the step S 16 that the temperature T has not become equal to or lower than the temperature TL, then the target controller 71 A may repeat the step S 16 after a lapse of predetermined time. If it is determined in the step S 16 that the temperature T has become equal to or lower than the temperature TL, then the target controller 71 A may control the temperature adjuster 78 A to maintain the temperature T at the temperature TL for a period H 2 (step S 17 ). The step S 17 can be performed from a time point R 4 to a time point R 5 in FIG. 9 .
  • the period H 2 may range from 1 hour to 20 hours, and more preferably 6 hours to 13 hours, for example.
  • the target controller 71 A may add 1 to the number N of times of the thermal cycles of heating and cooling (step S 18 ).
  • the target controller 71 A may determine whether the number N of times of the thermal cycles has reached or exceeds an upper limit number Nmax (step S 19 ). If it is determined in the step S 19 that the number N of times of the thermal cycles has not reached the upper limit number Nmax, the target controller 71 A may perform the step S 12 . In contrast, if it is determined that the number N of times of the thermal cycles has reached or exceeds the upper limit number Nmax, the target controller 71 A may perform the step S 4 in FIG. 8 .
  • the upper limit number Nmax may be set at 1 or a number between 2 and 30 inclusive. Preferably, the upper limit number Nmax may be set in the range of 3 to 17.
  • the step S 12 may be executed at time points R 1 and R 5 in FIG. 9 .
  • the step S 14 may be performed during a period between the time points R 2 and R 3 and during a period between time points R 6 and R 7 .
  • the step S 15 may be executed at time points R 3 and R 7 .
  • the step S 17 may be performed during a period between time points R 4 and R 5 and during a period between time points R 8 and R 9 .
  • the precipitation treatment for precipitating oxygen as metal oxide 278 may end at the time point R 9 .
  • the target material 270 of the supersaturated state but not dissolvable therein at the temperature TL can be precipitated as metal oxide 278 .
  • the target material 270 can be free from the supersaturated state.
  • the target material 270 after the precipitation treatment can contain no such oxygen that cannot be dissolved therein at the temperature TL.
  • the target controller 71 A may control the temperature adjuster 78 A so as to keep the temperature T in the reservoir tank 84 A equal to the output temperature Top.
  • the output temperature Top may be a predetermined temperature between the melting point Tmp and the temperature TH.
  • the target controller 71 A may control the pressure adjuster 75 A so as to set the pressure P in the reservoir tank 84 A equal to a penetration pressure P 1 (step S 5 ).
  • the step S 5 may be executed at a time point R 11 later than a time point R 10 in FIG. 9 .
  • the penetration pressure P 1 may, for example, be 2 MPa.
  • the metal oxide 278 can be trapped in the filter 831 A, and the target material 270 free from the supersaturated state can pass through the filter 831 A and enter the second communication passage 862 A. As shown in FIG. 12 , the target material 270 downstream of the filter 831 A can reach the nozzle hole 822 A at a time point R 12 in FIG. 9 .
  • the target controller 71 A may control the pressure adjuster 75 A so that the pressure P inside the reservoir tank 84 A can become the output pressure P 2 (step S 6 ).
  • the step S 6 may be executed at the time point R 12 in FIG. 9 .
  • An example of the output pressure P 2 may be 10 MPa.
  • the target material 270 can be output as a jet 27 A by means of the step S 6 .
  • the target controller 71 A may control the piezoelectric element 791 A to create the droplet 27 in a predetermined form (step S 7 ).
  • the refinement of the target material can be completed.
  • the EUV light generation system 11 may transit to a process for generating the EUV light 252 .
  • the target controller 71 A after the refinement of the target material, may lower the temperature T in the reservoir tank 84 A to the room temperature TR, to solidify the target material 270 in the target generator 8 A.
  • the target material 270 may be refined by a device specific to the above-described refining treatment, which is not provided in the EUV light generation apparatus 1 A. In that case, the target generator 8 A containing the target material 270 may be transferred from the specific device and attached to the EUV light generation apparatus 1 A, after the target material 270 is refined and solidified in the specific device.
  • the target controller 71 A in the first embodiment may perform the following steps for precipitation of metal oxide 278 .
  • the target controller 71 A may control the temperature T of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A so that the oxygen having been dissolved in the target material 270 of the supersaturated state can precipitate as metal oxide 278 .
  • the target controller 71 A may change the temperature T of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A at least one time between the temperature TH and the temperature TL while the target material 270 is not contained in the second communication passage 862 A. For example, the target controller 71 A may perform this change while making the inside of the reservoir tank 84 A in a substantially vacuum state.
  • the metal oxide 278 can be trapped in the filter 831 A, and the target material 270 free from the supersaturated state can enter the second communication passage 862 A.
  • solidifying and thereafter re-melting the target material 270 in the target generator 8 A can suppress precipitation of the metal oxide 278 from the target material 270 which has entered the second communication passage 862 A. It is possible to inhibit the metal oxide 278 from clogging or narrowing the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the target controller 71 A can change the temperature T of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A multiple times between the temperature TH and the temperature TL. This can help the metal oxide 278 grow larger in comparison with a single change of the temperature T between the temperature TH and the temperature TL. As a result, the content of oxygen in the target material 270 can be more reduced after the precipitation treatment for metal oxide 278 , and thus precipitation of the metal oxide 278 from the target material 270 in the second communication passage 862 A can be suppressed.
  • FIG. 13 a flow chart of a metal oxide precipitation treatment according to a variation of the first embodiment is illustrated.
  • FIG. 14 a timing chart illustrating a target material refining method is illustrated.
  • the variation of the first embodiment may include the same steps for metal oxide precipitation treatment as in the first embodiment except but further include steps S 21 , S 22 and S 23 .
  • the target controller 71 A may control the temperature adjuster 78 A to set the temperature T in the reservoir tank 84 A equal to a temperature TB (step S 21 ).
  • the step S 21 can be executed at the time point R 3 in FIG. 14 .
  • the temperature TB may be a temperature at which the metal oxide 278 can grow larger after the precipitation.
  • An example of the temperature TB may be equal to or higher than the melting point Tmp, and may be 240° C., for example.
  • the target controller 71 A may determine whether the temperature T has become equal to or lower than the temperature TB on the basis of a signal from the temperature adjuster 78 A (step S 22 ). If it is determined in the step S 22 that the temperature T has not become equal to or lower than the temperature TB, then the target controller 71 A may repeat the step S 22 after a lapse of predetermined time. If it is determined in the step S 22 that the temperature T has become equal to or lower than the temperature TB, then the target controller 71 A may control the temperature adjuster 78 A to maintain the temperature T at the temperature TB for a period H 3 (step S 23 ). The step S 23 may be performed from a time point R 21 to a time point R 22 in FIG. 14 .
  • the period H 3 may range from 10 minutes to 2 hours, and may be 30 minutes, for example.
  • the target controller 71 A may perform the steps S 15 to S 19 , as with the first embodiment.
  • the precipitation treatment of the metal oxide 278 can be terminated by the step S 19 .
  • the target controller 71 A may perform the steps S 4 to S 7 of the first embodiment.
  • the step S 12 may be executed at time points R 1 and R 24 in FIG. 14 .
  • the step S 14 may be performed during a period between the time points R 2 and R 3 and during a period between time points R 25 and R 26 .
  • the step S 21 may be executed at the time points R 3 and R 26 .
  • the step S 23 may be performed during a period between time points R 21 and R 22 and during a period between time points R 27 and R 28 .
  • the step S 15 may be executed at the time points R 22 and R 28 .
  • the step S 17 may be performed during a period between the time points R 23 and R 24 and during a period between time points R 29 and R 30 .
  • the precipitation treatment of the metal oxide 278 may be completed at the time point R 30 .
  • the step S 5 may be executed at a time point R 31 .
  • the target controller 71 A may maintain the temperature at the temperature TB for a predetermined time in the course of lowering the temperature T of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A from the temperature TH to the temperature TL.
  • the metal oxide 278 can grow larger in comparison with the first embodiment.
  • the content of oxygen in the target material 270 after the precipitation treatment for metal oxide 278 can decrease to inhibit precipitation of metal oxide 278 from the target material 270 in the second communication passage 862 A.
  • FIG. 15 schematically shows a configuration of a target supply device according to a second embodiment.
  • the target supply device 7 B of the second embodiment may include a target generating section 70 B, and a target controller 71 B as a controlling section.
  • the target generating section 70 B it is possible to apply the same configuration as the target generating section 70 A of the first embodiment, except that a window 811 B is provided in a lid 81 A of a target generator 8 A, and a camera 761 B as an imaging section is further included therein.
  • the camera 761 B may be disposed outside the target generator 8 A and in face to the window 811 B, and may be connected electrically to the target controller 71 B.
  • the camera 761 B may be a CCD camera, and is capable of imaging solidification or melting of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A through the window 811 B.
  • the camera 761 B may send a signal corresponding to an acquired image to the target controller 71 B.
  • the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A solidifies, the target material 270 can also solidify in the communication portion 860 A.
  • the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A melts, the target material 270 can also melt in the communication portion 860 A.
  • FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a method for refinement of the target material according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating a metal oxide precipitation treatment.
  • FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking solidification of the target material.
  • FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking melting of the target material.
  • the target supply device 7 B will be described hereinafter with reference to an example wherein tin is the target material 270 .
  • the metal oxide precipitation treatment of the second embodiment may include the same steps as the metal oxide precipitation treatment of the first embodiment except but further includes a step of checking if the target material 270 is solidified.
  • the refinement of the target material of the second embodiment may include the same steps for the refinement of the target material as in the first embodiment except but further include a step of checking if the target material 270 is melted.
  • the target controller 71 B may perform the steps S 1 to S 4 of the first embodiment and then check the state of melting of the target material 270 (step S 31 ).
  • the target controller 71 B may control the temperature adjuster 78 A so as to keep the temperature T in the reservoir tank 84 A at the temperature TL after performing the steps S 11 to S 16 of the first embodiment (step S 41 ).
  • the target controller 71 B may check the state of solidification of the target material 270 (step S 42 ).
  • step S 42 the target controller 71 B may visually detect the state of the target material 270 with the camera 761 B through the window 811 B (step S 51 ). On the basis of the result of the visual detection in the step S 51 , the target controller 71 B may determine whether the target material 270 has completed solidification (step S 52 ). The target controller 71 B may determine whether the target material 270 has completed solidification, by processing the image acquired by the camera 761 B.
  • the target controller 71 B may set 1 for a solidified state flag F 1 (step S 53 ). If, in the step S 52 , it is determined that the solidification of the target material 270 is not complete, the target controller 71 B may set 0 for the solidified state flag F 1 (step S 54 ). The check of the solidification of the target material 270 is completed by performing the step S 53 or S 54 .
  • the precipitation treatment for the metal oxide 278 can be terminated by performing the steps S 18 and S 19 .
  • the target controller 71 B may perform the step S 4 , as shown in FIG. 16 . Thereafter, the target controller 71 B may check the melting state of the target material 270 (step S 31 ).
  • step S 31 the target controller 71 B may visually detect the state of the target material 270 with the camera 761 B through the window 811 B (step S 61 ). On the basis of the result of the visual detection in the step S 61 , the target controller 71 B may determine whether the target material 270 has completed melting (step S 62 ). Also, the target controller 71 B may determine whether the melting of the target material 270 has completed, by processing the image acquired by the camera 761 B.
  • the target controller 71 B may set 1 for a melted state flag F 2 (step S 63 ). If the target controller 71 B determines in the step S 62 that the target material 270 has not completely melted, the target controller 71 B may set 0 for the melted state flag F 2 (step S 64 ). The check of melting of the target material 270 can be completed by performing the step S 63 or S 64 .
  • the target controller 71 B may determine, after the step S 31 , whether all the target material 270 has melted (step S 32 ).
  • the target controller 71 B may determine that the target material 270 has entirely melted.
  • the target controller 71 B may determine that at least part of the target material 270 has not melted. If it is determined in the step S 32 that at least part of the target material 270 has not melted, the target controller 71 B may perform the step S 31 . In contrast, if it is determined in the step S 32 that the target material 270 has entirely melted, the target controller 71 B may perform the steps S 5 to S 7 .
  • the steps S 41 to S 43 may be performed between time points R 4 and R 5 and between time points R 8 and R 9 in FIG. 9 .
  • a target generating section 70 B in the variation of the second embodiment may have the same configuration as the target generating section 70 B except but a temperature sensor 762 B as indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 15 is provided as an alternative to the camera 761 B and no window 811 B is provided in the lid 81 A.
  • the temperature sensor 762 B may be disposed to extend through the lid 81 A into the target material 270 contained in the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the temperature sensor 762 B may be connected electrically to the target controller 71 B.
  • the temperature sensor 762 B may be coated with a material of low reactivity to the target material 270 .
  • the temperature sensor 762 B may detect a temperature of the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A and send a temperature signal corresponding to the detected temperature to the target controller 71 B.
  • FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking solidification of the target material in the variation of the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for checking solidification of the target material.
  • FIG. 22 is a flow chart illustrating a process for checking melting of the target material.
  • FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for checking melting of the target material.
  • the target material refinement according to the variation of the second embodiment may include the same steps as the target material refinement of the second embodiment except but steps shown in FIG. 20 are carried out instead of the steps shown in FIG. 18 , and steps shown in FIG. 22 instead of the steps shown in FIG. 19 .
  • the target controller 71 B in FIG. 20 may measure the change in temperature Td with time detected by the temperature sensor 762 B (step S 71 ). According to the result of measurement in the step S 71 , the target controller 71 B may determine whether the solidification of the target material 270 is completed (step S 72 ).
  • the temperature of the target material 270 can start decreasing, as shown in FIG. 21 .
  • the target material 270 can be cooled too much in the course of cooling.
  • the temperature of the target material 270 can get lower than the melting point Tmp while the target material 270 stays in the liquid form.
  • the temperature of the target material 270 can decrease during a period H 4 between time points R 41 and R 42 and, thereafter, increase during a period between the time points R 42 and R 43 .
  • the temperature of the target material 270 may be kept stable at the melting point Tmp for a period between the time points R 43 and R 44 while the target material 270 is being solidified. When the solidification of the target material 270 is complete at the time point R 44 , the temperature of the target material 270 restarts decreasing and can reach the temperature TL at the time point R 4 .
  • the target controller 71 B may measure the time duration until the detected temperature Td restarts increasing, and, if the measured time duration is equal to or shorter than the period H 4 , the target controller 71 B may determine that solidification of the target material 270 has not completed. If the measured time duration exceeds the period H 4 , the target controller 71 B may determine that solidification of the target material 270 is complete.
  • the period H 4 may preferably be obtained previously by experiments, and stored in the target controller 71 B.
  • the target controller 71 B may perform the step S 53 or S 54 depending on the result in the step S 72 , as illustrated in FIG. 20 .
  • the target controller 71 B may measure the change with time in the detected temperature Td by the temperature sensor 762 B as a step for checking the melting state of the target material 270 (step S 81 ). On the basis of the result of measurement in the step S 81 , the target controller 71 B may determine whether the target material 270 has completely melted (step S 82 ).
  • the temperature adjuster 78 A when the temperature adjuster 78 A is controlled so as to maintain the temperature T in the reservoir tank 84 A at the output temperature Top in the step S 4 at the time point R 9 , as shown in FIG. 23 , the temperature of the target material 270 starts increasing. For a period between time points R 51 and R 52 during the temperature increase, the temperature of the target material 270 may be temporarily kept stable at the melting point Tmp. The target material 270 can continue melting while the temperature of the target material 270 is kept stable at the melting point Tmp. When the melting of the target material 270 is complete at the time point R 52 , the temperature of the target material 270 begins to increase again and can reach the output temperature Top at the time point R 10 .
  • the target controller 71 B determines that the detected temperature Td detected by the temperature sensor 762 B continues to increase from the melting point Tmp in the period from the time point R 52 to the time point R 10 , the target controller 71 B can determine that the melting of the target material 270 is complete.
  • the target controller 71 B may perform the step S 63 or S 64 depending on the result of determination in the step S 82 .
  • the solidification and melting of the target material 270 are checked on the basis of the temperature of the target material 270 detected by the temperature sensor 762 B.
  • the solidification and melting of the target material 270 may be checked on the basis of the temperature of the reservoir tank 84 A detected by the temperature sensor 783 A without the temperature sensor 762 B being provided.
  • a target supply device 7 C of a third embodiment may include a target generating section 70 C, and a target controller 71 C as a controlling section.
  • the target generating section 70 C includes a first temperature adjuster 91 C, a second temperature adjuster 92 C, a third temperature adjuster 93 C and a fourth temperature adjuster 94 C in place of the temperature adjuster 78 A.
  • the first temperature adjuster 91 C may change the temperature of a first area AR 1 located on the ⁇ Z direction side in the reservoir tank 84 A of the target generator 8 A.
  • the second temperature adjuster 92 C may change the temperature of a second area AR 2 located on the +Z direction side in the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the third temperature adjuster 93 C may change the temperature of a third area AR 3 located on the ⁇ Z direction side in the nozzle 86 A in the target generator 8 A.
  • the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C may change the temperature of a fourth area AR 4 located on the +Z direction side in the nozzle 86 A.
  • the first temperature adjuster 91 C may include a first heater 911 C, a first heater power supply 912 C, a first temperature sensor 913 C and a first temperature controller 914 C.
  • the second temperature adjuster 92 C may include a second heater 921 C, a second heater power supply 922 C, a second temperature sensor 923 C and a second temperature controller 924 C.
  • the third temperature adjuster 93 C may include a third heater 931 C, a third heater power supply 932 C, a third temperature sensor 933 C and a third temperature controller 934 C.
  • the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C may include a fourth heater 941 C, a fourth heater power supply 942 C, a fourth temperature sensor 943 C and a fourth temperature controller 944 C.
  • the first to fourth heaters 911 C, 921 C, 931 C and 941 C may be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the target generator 8 A in the first, second, third and fourth areas AR 1 , AR 2 , AR 3 and AR 4 , respectively.
  • the first to fourth heater power supplies 912 C, 922 C, 932 C and 942 C may receive signals from the first to fourth temperature controllers 914 C, 924 C, 934 C and 944 C, and supply power to the first to fourth heaters 911 C, 921 C, 931 C and 941 C, to cause the first to fourth heaters 911 C, 921 C, 931 C and 941 C to generate heat, respectively.
  • the target material 270 in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 can be heated under the control of the target generator 8 A.
  • the first to fourth temperature sensors 913 C, 923 C, 933 C and 943 C may be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the target generator 8 A or inside the target generator 8 A in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 , respectively.
  • the temperatures detected respectively by the first to fourth temperature sensors 913 C, 923 C, 933 C and 943 C can be substantially equal to the temperatures of the target material 270 in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 within the target generator 8 A, respectively.
  • the first to fourth temperature controllers 914 C, 924 C, 934 C and 944 C may be electrically connected to the target controller 71 C.
  • the first to fourth temperature controllers 914 C, 924 C, 934 C and 944 C may be so configured as to control the first to fourth heaters 911 C, 921 C, 931 C and 941 C by controlling the first to fourth heater power supplies 912 C, 922 C, 932 C and 942 C according to signals from the first to fourth temperature sensors 913 C, 923 C, 933 C and 943 C.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the first and second temperature adjusters 91 C and 92 C to melt the ingot 275 in the reservoir tank 84 A in such a manner that the part of the ingot 275 within the first area AR 1 distant from the filter 831 A can melt faster than the part of the ingot 275 within the second area AR 2 nearer to the filter 831 A.
  • FIG. 25 a metal oxide precipitation treatment according to the third embodiment is illustrated.
  • FIG. 26 is a timing chart illustrating a method of refinement of the target material.
  • FIG. 27 is a flow chart illustrating temperature control for the first area AR 1 .
  • FIGS. 28 to 30 flow charts of temperature control for the second, third and fourth areas AR 2 , AR 3 and AR 4 are illustrated, respectively.
  • tin is the target material 270 .
  • the refinement of the target material in the third embodiment may include the same steps as the refinement of the target material in the first embodiment except that the metal oxide precipitation treatment is different from that illustrated in FIG. 10 .
  • the target controller 71 C controls such that a first portion of the ingot 275 in the reservoir tank 84 A, the first portion being disposed in the second area AR 2 nearer to the filter 831 A, melt faster than a second portion of the ingot 275 , the second portion being disposed in the first area AR 1 distant from the filter 831 A, the following problem can occur.
  • the first portion of the ingot 275 in the second area AR 2 melts to be the target material 270 of the liquid phase
  • the liquefied target material 270 can expand from the volume in the solid state.
  • the target material 270 in the second area AR 2 may expand toward the filter 831 A, not toward the first area AR 1 .
  • the target material 270 of the supersaturated state in the second area AR 2 can then pass through the filter 831 A and enter the second communication passage 862 A.
  • metal oxide 278 can be precipitated in the reservoir tank 84 A and the first and second communication passages 861 A and 862 A as well.
  • the metal oxide 278 precipitated in the second communication passage 862 A can clog or narrow the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the target controller 71 C may perform the control as described below.
  • the target controller 71 C may perform the steps S 1 to S 3 shown in FIG. 8 while the ingot 275 is contained in the reservoir tank 84 A of the target generator 8 A. Also, the target controller 71 C may perform steps shown in FIG. 25 for metal oxide precipitation treatment in the step S 3 .
  • the target controller 71 C after the step S 11 may perform a step S 91 of controlling the temperature in the first area AR 1 , a step S 92 of controlling the temperature in the second area AR 2 , a step S 93 of controlling the temperature in the third area AR 3 , and a step S 94 of controlling the temperature in the fourth area AR 4 .
  • the target controller 71 C may start the steps S 91 to S 94 at a time point R 1 in FIG. 26 .
  • the target controller 71 C may control the first temperature adjuster 91 C to set the temperature T 1 in the area AR 1 equal to the temperature TH, (step S 111 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether the temperature T 1 is equal to or higher than the temperature TH on the basis of a signal from the first temperature adjuster 91 C (step S 112 ). If it is determined in the step S 112 that the temperature T 1 has not become equal to or higher than the temperature TH, then the target controller 71 C may perform the step S 112 after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the first temperature adjuster 91 C to maintain the temperature T 1 at the temperature TH for a period H 1 (step S 113 ).
  • the step S 113 may be performed from a time point R 2 to a time point R 3 in FIG. 26 . Under this condition, as described above with FIG. 6 , such an amount of oxygen that cannot otherwise dissolve in the target material 270 at the temperature TH can dissolve in the target material 270 , making the target material 270 a supersaturated state. Thus, precipitation of metal oxide 278 can be inhibited.
  • the target controller 71 C in the step S 92 may control the second temperature adjuster 92 C to set the temperature T 2 in the area AR 2 equal to the temperature TH 2 , (step S 121 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether the temperature T 2 is equal to or higher than the temperature TH 2 on the basis of a signal from the second temperature adjuster 92 C (step S 122 ). Note that the temperature TH 2 may be lower than the temperature TH and higher than the output temperature Top. If it is determined in the step S 122 that the temperature T 2 has not become equal to or higher than the temperature TH 2 , then the target controller 71 C may repeat the step S 122 after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the second temperature adjuster 92 C to maintain the temperature T 2 at the temperature TH 2 for a period H 11 (step S 123 ).
  • the period H 11 may be shorter than the period H 1 .
  • the step S 123 may be performed from the time point R 2 to a time point R 61 in FIG. 26 .
  • the target controller 71 C may control the second temperature adjuster 92 C to set the temperature T 2 equal to the temperature TH (step S 124 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether the temperature T 2 is equal to or higher than the temperature TH on the basis of the signal from the second temperature adjuster 92 C (step S 125 ). If it is determined in the step S 125 that the temperature T 2 has not become equal to or higher than the temperature TH, then the target controller 71 C may repeat the step S 125 after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the second temperature adjuster 92 C to maintain the temperature T 2 at the temperature TH until the end of the period H 1 from the time point R 2 (step S 126 ).
  • the target controller 71 C in the step S 93 may control the third temperature adjuster 93 C to set the temperature T 3 in the area AR 3 equal to the temperature TH 3 , (step S 131 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether the temperature T 3 is equal to or higher than the temperature TH 3 on the basis of a signal from the third temperature adjuster 93 C (step S 132 ). Note that the temperature TH 3 may be lower than the temperature TH 2 and higher than the output temperature Top. If it is determined in the step S 132 that the temperature T 3 has not become equal to or higher than the temperature TH 3 , then the target controller 71 C may repeat the step S 132 after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the third temperature adjuster 93 C to maintain the temperature T 3 at the temperature TH 3 during the period H 11 (step S 133 ).
  • the step S 133 may be performed from the time point R 2 to the time point R 61 in FIG. 26 .
  • the target controller 71 C may control the third temperature adjuster 93 C to set the temperature T 3 equal to the temperature TH (step S 134 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether the temperature T 3 is equal to or higher than the temperature TH on the basis of the signal from the third temperature adjuster 93 C (step S 135 ). If it is determined in the step S 135 that the temperature T 3 has not become equal to or higher than the temperature TH, then the target controller 71 C may repeat the step S 135 after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C in the step S 94 may control the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C to set the temperature T 4 in the area AR 4 equal to the temperature TH 4 , (step S 141 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether the temperature T 4 is equal to or higher than the temperature TH 4 on the basis of a signal from the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C (step S 142 ). Note that the temperature TH 4 may be lower than the output temperature Top and higher than the temperature TB. If it is determined in the step S 142 that the temperature T 4 has not become equal to or higher than the temperature TH 4 , then the target controller 71 C may repeat the step S 142 after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C to maintain the temperature T 4 at the temperature TH 4 during the period H 11 (step S 143 ).
  • the step S 143 may be performed from the time point R 2 to the time point R 61 in FIG. 26 .
  • the target controller 71 C may control the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C to set the temperature T 4 equal to the temperature TH (step S 144 ).
  • the fourth temperature controller 944 C (in the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C) may determine whether the temperature T 4 is equal to or higher than the temperature TH (step S 145 ). If it is determined on the basis of the signal from the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C in the step S 145 that the temperature T 4 has not become equal to or higher than the temperature TH, then the target controller 71 C may repeat the step S 145 after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the fourth temperature adjuster 94 C to maintain the temperature T 4 at the temperature TH until the end of the period H 1 from the time point R 2 (step S 146 ).
  • SP 1 , SP 2 , SP 3 and SP 4 represent temperature increase rates in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 in FIG. 26 , respectively, the relationship between the temperature increase rates according to the steps S 91 to S 94 may satisfy a condition represented by expression (1):
  • the temperatures can come up to the melting point Tmp in a sequence from the first area AR 1 , the second area AR 2 , the third area AR 3 to the fourth area AR 4 .
  • the target controller 71 C can control the first and second temperature adjusters 91 C and 92 C to melt the ingot 275 in the reservoir tank 84 A so that the part of the ingot 275 in the first area AR 1 that is distant from the filter 831 A may melt faster than the part of the ingot 275 in the second area AR 2 nearer to the filter 831 A.
  • the inner space of the reservoir tank 84 A can become a substantially vacuum state by performing the step S 2 .
  • the part of the ingot 275 of the target material 270 in the first area AR 1 can liquefy faster than the part of the ingot 275 in the second area AR 2 .
  • the liquefied part of the target material 270 in the second area AR 2 can expand toward the first area AR 1 because the target material 270 is being liquefied in the first area AR 1 .
  • the target material 270 in the supersaturated state in the second area AR 2 can be inhibited from passing through the filter 831 A and entering the second communication passage 862 A.
  • the target controller 71 C in FIG. 25 may control the first to fourth temperature adjusters 91 C to 94 C to make the temperatures T 1 to T 4 equal to the temperature TB in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 (step S 95 ).
  • the step S 95 may be executed at the time point R 3 in FIG. 26 .
  • the first to fourth temperature controllers 914 C to 944 C of the first to fourth temperature adjusters 91 C to 94 C may transmit the signals from the first to fourth temperature sensors 913 C to 943 C to the target controller 71 C.
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether all conditions of the following expressions (2) to (5) are satisfied, on the basis of the signals from the first to fourth temperature adjusters 91 C to 94 C (step S 96 ).
  • step S 96 can be performed after a lapse predetermined time. If the target controller 71 C determines that all the conditions of expressions (2) to (5) are satisfied in the step S 96 , then the first to fourth temperature adjusters 91 C to 94 C are controlled to keep the temperatures T 1 to T 4 in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 equal to the temperature TB during the period H 3 (step S 97 ).
  • the step S 97 may be performed from a time point R 21 to a time point R 22 in FIG. 26 .
  • step S 98 the target controller 71 C may control the first to fourth temperature adjusters 91 C to 94 C so as to make the temperatures T 1 to T 4 in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 equal to the temperature TL.
  • the step S 98 may be executed at the time point R 22 in FIG. 26 .
  • step S 99 the target controller 71 C may determine whether all conditions of the following expressions (6) to (9) are satisfied, on the basis of signals from the first to fourth temperature adjusters 91 C to 94 C.
  • the target controller 71 C may perform the step S 99 after a lapse of predetermined time. If it is determined that all the conditions of expressions (6) to (9) are satisfied, then the target controller 71 C may control the first to fourth temperature adjusters 91 C to 94 C to keep the temperatures T 1 to T 4 in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 at the temperature TL during the period H 2 (step S 100 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may perform the steps S 18 and S 19 of the first embodiment after performing the step S 100 .
  • the steps S 91 to S 94 may be performed from the time point R 1 and from a time point R 24 in FIG. 26 .
  • the steps S 123 , S 133 and S 143 may be performed between the time points R 2 and R 61 and between time points R 25 and R 62 .
  • the step S 113 may be performed between the time points R 2 and R 3 and between time points R 25 and R 26 .
  • the step S 95 may be performed from the time points R 3 and R 26 .
  • the step S 97 may be performed between the time points R 21 and R 22 and between time points R 27 and R 28 .
  • the step S 98 may be performed from the time points R 22 and R 28 .
  • the step S 100 may be performed between the time points R 23 and R 24 and between time points R 29 and R 30 .
  • the precipitation treatment of the metal oxide 278 may be completed at the time point R 30 .
  • the step S 5 may be performed from a time point R 31 .
  • FIG. 31 a phenomenon that can occur when the ingot melts sequentially from the first to fourth areas is illustrated.
  • FIG. 32 a flow chart of metal oxide precipitation treatment according to a variation of the third embodiment is illustrated.
  • FIG. 33 a timing chart of a target refining method is illustrated.
  • FIG. 34 a flow chart of temperature control in the third and fourth areas is illustrated.
  • the target material 270 in the supersaturated state can pass through the filter 831 A and stand in the second communication passage 862 A, as shown in FIG. 31 .
  • metal oxide 278 can precipitate from the target material 270 in the second communication passage 862 A, which can result in clogging or narrowing the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • the target controller 71 C may perform the following control.
  • the target controller 71 C may perform a process as illustrated in FIG. 32 for the metal oxide precipitation treatment in the step S 3 .
  • the target controller 71 C may perform, after the step S 11 , the step S 91 of controlling the temperature in the first area AR 1 , the step S 92 of controlling the temperature in the second area AR 2 , and a step S 151 of controlling the temperatures in the third and fourth areas AR 3 and AR 4 .
  • the steps S 91 , S 92 and S 151 may be started at a time point R 1 in FIG. 33 by the target controller 71 C.
  • the target controller 71 C in the step S 151 may control the third and fourth temperature adjusters 93 C and 94 C to set the temperatures T 3 and T 4 equal to the temperature Tmpu in the third and fourth areas AR 3 and AR 4 (step S 161 ).
  • the temperature Tmpu may be a temperature at which neither precipitation of metal oxide 278 nor solidification of the target material 270 of the liquid phase can occur.
  • the temperature Tmpu may be a temperature from the melting point Tmp to the temperature TB.
  • the temperature Tmpu may be a predetermined temperature ranging from 232° to 240° C.
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether both conditions of the following expressions (10) and (11) are satisfied, on the basis of the signals from the third and fourth temperature adjusters 93 C and 94 C (step S 162 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may perform the step S 162 after a lapse of predetermined time. If it is determined that both the conditions of expressions (10) and (11) are satisfied, then the target controller 71 C may control the third and fourth temperature adjusters 93 C and 94 C to keep the temperatures T 3 and T 4 in the third and fourth areas AR 3 and AR 4 at the temperature Tmpu (step S 163 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether the number N of times of the thermal cycles of heating and cooling is equal to or more than an upper limit number Nmax (step S 164 ). If it is determined in the step S 164 that the number N of times of the thermal cycles is less than the upper limit number Nmax, the target controller 71 C may perform the step S 164 after a lapse of predetermined time. In contrast, if it is determined that the number N of the thermal cycles is equal to or more than the upper limit number Nmax, the target controller 71 C may complete the step of temperature control of the third and fourth areas AR 3 and AR 4 . Note that the number N of times of the thermal cycles, to be checked, may be the latest value updated suitably by the sequence from the steps S 91 and S 92 to the step S 19 , which are performed in parallel to the step S 151 .
  • the relationship between temperature increase rates SP 1 , SP 2 , SP 3 and SP 4 in the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 may satisfy the abovementioned condition of expression (1).
  • the temperatures reache the melting point Tmp in the order from the first to fourth areas AR 1 to AR 4 .
  • the target controller 71 C after the steps S 91 and S 92 may control the first and second temperature adjusters 91 C and 92 C to set the temperatures T 1 and T 2 in the first and second areas AR 1 and AR 2 down to the temperature TB (step S 152 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether both the conditions of expressions (2) and (3) are satisfied (step S 153 ), on the basis of signals from the first and second temperature adjusters 91 C and 92 C.
  • the target controller 71 C may control the first and second temperature adjusters 91 C and 92 C to set the temperatures T 1 and T 2 in the first and second areas AR 1 and AR 2 down to the temperature TL (step S 155 ).
  • the target controller 71 C may determine whether both the conditions of expressions (6) and (7) are satisfied, on the basis of the signals from the first and second temperature adjusters 91 C and 92 C (step S 156 ).
  • the step S 156 may be performed after a lapse of predetermined time.
  • the target controller 71 C if it is determined that both of the conditions of expressions (6) and (7) are satisfied, may control the first and second temperature adjusters 91 C and 92 C to keep the temperatures T 1 and T 2 in the first and second areas AR 1 and AR 2 at the temperature TL during the period H 2 (step S 157 ).
  • the temperatures T 3 and T 4 in the third and fourth areas AR 3 and AR 4 may be kept at the temperature Tmpu during the period H 2 .
  • the target controller 71 C may perform the steps S 18 and S 19 as in the first embodiment.
  • the same process as in the third embodiment may be carried out except that the temperatures T 3 and T 4 in the third and fourth areas AR 3 and AR 4 are kept at the temperature Tmpu after reaching the temperature Tmpu through to the time point R 30 .
  • the precipitation treatment for the metal oxide 278 it is possible in the precipitation treatment for the metal oxide 278 to inhibit solidification of the target material 270 in the second communication passage 862 A even if the target material 270 of the supersaturated state stands in the second communication passage 862 A, like as shown in FIG. 31 .
  • precipitation of metal oxide 278 from the target material 270 in the second communication passage 862 A can be inhibited.
  • the EUV light generation system 11 transits to the process for generating the EUV light 252 without solidifying the target material 270 after the precipitation of metal oxide 278 , the target material 270 of the supersaturated state can be output as droplets 27 .
  • FIG. 35 a target supply device having a feed tank and a reservoir tank is illustrated.
  • a target supply device 7 D in FIG. 35 may have a target generating section 70 D, and a target controller 71 D as a controlling section.
  • the target generating section 70 D may include a target generator 8 D, a pressure adjuster 75 D, a pressure adjuster 75 A, a gas exhauster 77 A, a temperature adjuster 78 A, a temperature controller 97 D and a piezoelectric actuator 79 A.
  • the target generator 8 D may include a feed tank 87 D, a transfer section 88 D, a device main unit 80 A, a lid 81 A, a nozzle head 82 A and a filter unit 83 A.
  • the tank of the present disclosure may be the feed tank 87 D instead of the reservoir tank 84 A of the device main unit 80 A.
  • the feed tank 87 D may have a tank body 871 D and a lid 872 D.
  • the tank body 871 D may be substantially cylindrical and have a first end wall on the +Z direction side.
  • the lid 872 D may be of a substantially disk shape to close a second end of the tank body 871 D on the ⁇ Z direction side.
  • the lid 872 D may be positioned in tight contact with the second end of the tank body 871 D.
  • a room in the feed tank 87 D may be a space for containment 870 D for containing the target material 270 .
  • a transfer line 881 D may be provided in the transfer section 88 D.
  • the transfer line 881 D may be formed into a pipe.
  • the hollow in the transfer line 881 D may constitute a communication portion 860 D.
  • the transfer line 881 D may be disposed to penetrate through the first end wall of the tank body 871 D and the lid 81 A of the device main unit 80 A.
  • a downstream end of the transfer line 881 D on the +Z direction side may be located in the vicinity of the first end wall of the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the target material 270 in the feed tank 87 D can be transferred to the reservoir tank 84 A of the device main unit 80 A through the communication portion 860 D.
  • a valve 882 D may be provided in the transfer line 881 D.
  • the target controller 71 D may be connected electrically to the valve 882 D.
  • the valve 882 D may be so configured as to change over between open and closed states under the control of the target controller 71 D, the open state being for drawing the target material 270 from the feed tank 87 D to the reservoir tank 84 A, the closed state being for blocking the flow of the target material 270 .
  • a filter unit 883 D may be disposed in the transfer line 881 D at a position between the valve 882 D and the device main unit 80 A.
  • the filter unit 883 D may include the filter 884 D and a holder 885 D.
  • the filter 884 D may be the filter of the present disclosure.
  • the filter 884 D may be configured in the same manner as the filter 831 A.
  • the filter 884 D may have at least one of first and second filters (filter elements).
  • the holder 885 D may be configured in the same manner as a holder 832 A of the filter unit 83 A.
  • the holder 885 D may hold the filter 884 D such that the filter 884 D blocks the communication portion 860 D.
  • the communication portion 860 D may be divided by the filter 884 D into a first communication passage 861 D and a second communication passage 862 D, the first communication passage 861 D being on one side close to the feed tank 87 D, the second communication passage 862 D being on the other side close to the nozzle hole 822 A.
  • a flow line 754 D may be provided through the lid 872 D of the feed tank 87 D.
  • a flow line 755 D may be provided through the lid 81 A.
  • the flow line 754 D may be provided with the pressure adjuster 75 D.
  • the pressure adjuster 75 D may be configured in the same manner as the pressure adjuster 75 A.
  • a pressure controller (not shown) included in the pressure adjuster 75 D may be electrically connected to the target controller 71 D.
  • the pressure adjuster 75 D may be configured to supply inert gas from an inert gas cylinder 751 A to the feed tank 87 D in response to a control signal from the target controller 71 D.
  • the pressure adjuster 75 D may be configured to adjust the pressure in the feed tank 87 D in response to a control signal from the target controller 71 D.
  • the flow line 755 D may be provided with the pressure adjuster 75 A.
  • the gas exhauster 77 A may be configured to exhaust gas from the device main unit 80 A and the feed tank 87 D in response to a signal from the target controller 71 D.
  • a temperature sensor 783 A of the temperature adjuster 78 A may be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the tank body 871 D at a position close to the first end wall, or may be disposed inside the tank body 871 D.
  • the temperature controller 97 D may be configured in the same manner as the temperature adjuster 78 A.
  • the temperature controller 97 D may include a heater 971 D, a heater power supply 972 D, a temperature sensor 973 D and a temperature controller 974 D.
  • the temperature sensor 973 D may be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the reservoir tank 84 A at a position close to the nozzle body 85 A, or may be disposed in the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the temperature controller 974 D may be configured to output a control signal to the heater power supply 972 D, for controlling the target material 270 at a predetermined temperature on the basis of a signal from the temperature sensor 973 D.
  • the target controller 71 D may control the temperature adjuster 78 A and the pressure adjuster 75 D to refine the target material 270 while the ingot 275 is contained in the feed tank 87 D and the valve 882 D of the transfer section 88 D is closed.
  • the refinement of the target material 270 may be the same as that in the first embodiment in FIG. 8 .
  • gas may be exhausted from the reservoir tank 84 A and the feed tank 87 D as well.
  • metal oxide 278 can be precipitated from the target material 270 in the feed tank 87 D, as illustrated in FIG. 35 .
  • the target controller 71 D may perform the step S 4 .
  • the target controller 71 D may control the temperature adjuster 78 A and the temperature controller 97 D. Performing the step S 4 can keep the temperature in the feed tank 87 D and the reservoir tank 84 A at the output temperature Top.
  • the target controller 71 D may open the valve 882 D after performing the step S 4 .
  • the target controller 71 D may perform the step S 5 .
  • the target controller 71 D may control the pressure adjuster 75 D.
  • the metal oxide 278 can be trapped in the filter 884 D, and the target material 270 getting out of the supersaturated state can pass through the filter 884 D, to be supplied to the reservoir tank 84 A through the second communication passage 862 D.
  • the target controller 71 D may perform the step S 6 .
  • the target controller 71 D in the step S 6 may control the pressure adjuster 75 A.
  • the target material 270 can be output as a jet 27 A.
  • the target controller 71 D may perform the step S 7 .
  • the fourth embodiment makes it possible to inhibit the metal oxide 278 from clogging or narrowing the nozzle hole 822 A, without the need for subjecting the target material 270 to the precipitation treatment for the metal oxide 278 in the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • FIG. 36 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a controller.
  • the controller may constitute the EUV light generation control system 5 , the target controller 71 A, the target controllers 71 B to 71 D, the pressure controller 752 A, the temperature controllers 784 A, 914 C, 924 C, 934 C, 944 C and 974 D and the like.
  • the controller may be constructed by a generic control device such as a computer, a programmable controller, or the like.
  • the controller may, for example, be configured as follows:
  • the controller may be constituted of a processing unit 1000 and devices connected to the processing unit 1000 , including a storage memory 1005 , a user interface 1010 , a parallel I/O (input/output) controller 1020 , a serial I/O controller 1030 , and an A-D/D-A (analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog) converter 1040 .
  • An example of the storage memory 1005 may be a recording medium for storing a refining program for refining the target material.
  • the processing unit 1000 may be constituted of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001 , and a memory 1002 , a timer 1003 and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 1004 , which are connected to the CPU 1001 .
  • the processing unit 1000 may read the program stored in the storage memory 1005 .
  • the processing unit 1000 may execute the read program and, according to the executed program, read out data from the storage memory 1005 , store data in the storage memory 1005 , and so on.
  • the parallel I/O controller 1020 may be connected to communicable devices 1021 to 102 X via parallel I/O ports.
  • the parallel I/O controller 1020 may control digital signal communication via the parallel I/O ports, carried out during the execution of the program by the processing unit 1000 .
  • the serial I/O controller 1030 may be connected to communicable devices 1031 to 103 X via serial I/O ports.
  • the serial I/O controller 1030 may control digital signal communication via the serial I/O ports, carried out during the execution of the program by the processing unit 1000 .
  • the A-D/D-A converter 1040 may be connected to communicable devices 1041 to 104 X via analog ports.
  • the A-D/D-A converter 1040 may control analog signal communication, carried out during the execution of the program by the processing unit 1000 , via the analog ports.
  • the user interface 1010 may be configured to display the progress of the execution of the program by the processing unit 1000 to an operator, and allow the operator to instruct the processing unit 1000 to stop the program execution or make an interruptive process or the like.
  • the CPU 1001 of the processing unit 1000 may carry out arithmetic processing for the program.
  • the memory 1002 may temporarily store the program or temporarily store data during the computation while the CPU 1001 is executing the program.
  • the timer 1003 may measure a current time and an amount of elapsed time, and output the current time or the amount of elapsed time to the CPU 1001 in accordance with the execution of the program.
  • the GPU 1004 may process the image data in accordance with the execution of the program, and may output a result thereof to the CPU 1001 .
  • the communicable devices 1021 to 102 X connected to the parallel I/O controller 1020 via the parallel I/O ports may be the EUV light generation control system 5 , another controller, and the like.
  • the communicable devices 1031 to 103 X connected to the serial I/O controller 1030 via the serial I/O ports may be the pressure controller 752 A, the temperature controllers 784 A, 914 C, 924 C, 934 C, 944 C and 974 D, and the like.
  • the communicable devices 1041 to 104 X connected to the A-D/D-A converter 1040 via the analog ports may be various types of sensors, including the temperature sensors 783 A, 762 B, 913 C, 923 C, 933 C, 943 C and 973 D, the pressure sensor 753 A, a vacuum gauge.
  • the controller can execute the operations indicated in the respective flow charts.
  • the target controllers 71 A, 71 B, 71 C and 71 D as the controller can perform the steps in the flow charts according to a program for the refinement of the target material, which is stored in the storage memory 1005 .
  • the second embodiment or in the variation thereof it is possible in the second embodiment or in the variation thereof to maintain the temperature T at the temperature TB for a predetermined time in the course of lowering the temperature T from the temperature TH to the temperature TL. It is possible in the third embodiment not to define a period for maintaining the temperatures T 1 to T 4 at the temperature TB. It is possible in the variation of the third embodiment not to define a period for maintaining the temperatures T 1 and T 2 at the temperature TB. In the third embodiment, the third and fourth temperature adjusters 93 C and 94 C may not be disposed. In the third embodiment or in the variation thereof, at least one of the third and fourth temperature adjusters 93 C and 94 C may not be disposed. Three or more temperature adjusters may be disposed at least on one of the outer circumferential surfaces of the reservoir tank 84 A and the nozzle 86 A.
  • the treatment for precipitation of metal oxide 278 is performed on the target material 270 in the feed tank 87 D.
  • the precipitation treatment of metal oxide 278 may be performed on the target material 270 in the feed tank 87 D when the target material 270 in the reservoir tank 84 A is reduced by the step S 7 . Then, the target material 270 free from the supersaturated state may be fed to the reservoir tank 84 A.
  • the refinement of the target material 270 in the fourth embodiment can be performed in the same manner as in any one of the variation of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the variation of the second embodiment.
  • two temperature adjusters can be disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the feed tank 87 D in the fourth embodiment so that the target controller 71 D may perform the precipitation treatment of metal oxide 278 in the way as follows: the target controller 71 D may control the temperature adjusters to melt the ingot 275 in the feed tank 87 D such that part of the ingot 275 located distant from the filter 884 D will melt faster than part of the ingot 275 located closer to the filter 884 D.
  • the temperature of the tank is changed by the heater(s) as the temperature adjuster of the present disclosure.
  • a Peltier device with heating and cooling capabilities may be disposed on the tank.
  • a water flow path for cooling may be provided as the temperature adjuster of the present disclosure on the tank in addition to the heater(s).
  • the precipitation treatment of metal oxide 278 according to the first to fourth embodiments and their variations may be performed after the output of the target material 270 through the nozzle 86 A or the creation of the EUV light 252 is stopped for a long period, or after making an operation that exposes the ingot 275 in the reservoir tank 84 A or the feed tank 87 D to air.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • X-Ray Techniques (AREA)
  • Exposure And Positioning Against Photoresist Photosensitive Materials (AREA)
US15/346,431 2014-06-30 2016-11-08 Target supply device, target material refining method, recording medium having target material refining program recorded therein, and target generator Abandoned US20170053780A1 (en)

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US10629414B2 (en) 2020-04-21

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