Particle Charging and Release under EUV conditions

In Semiconductor equipment, particle-free operation of equipment and surfaces is required during operation at near-vacuum (1-10 Pa). Especially, particle-free handling and exposures of EUV reticles are a major concern in industry. For reaching economically feasible yield levels, Particle-per-Reticle-Pass (PRP) levels should be better than 0.001 for particles larger than 52nm (for N5 node). The project goal is to gain fundamental understanding of principal processes governing modified adhesion and release of small (~30-300 nm) particles from surfaces exposed to EUV lithography conditions (i.e. low pressure EUV-induced plasma, plasma-induced electric fields, (EUV) photons, secondary electrons, etc.). The results/knowledge gained by this fundamental research proposal will enable the path to other research projects to study detailed particle release and transport in specific practical Semiconductor Equipment environments.