Debris mitigation of a Xe discharge-produced plasma source combined gas jet and Halbach cylinder

High-energy ions and metal debris generated by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources pose a severe threat to collector optics. This study demonstrates a hybrid mitigation strategy that combines a helium buffer gas jet with a segmented Halbach cylinder to suppress debris from a discharge-produced plasma source. A semi-analytical model incorporating finite-length effects was developed to optimize the magnetic topology, achieving a central field strength exceeding 0.85 T for magnetic mitigation. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy reveal a pristine witness surface with a 36% reduction in roughness compared to the non-magnetic case. In situ quartz crystal microbalance measurements demonstrate that the magnetic field alone reduces debris mass deposition by approximately 69%. Furthermore, unlike heavier buffer gases, the helium jet stabilizes mitigation performance with minimal in-band EUV absorption. These results establish the combined jet–magnetic scheme as a compact, high-efficiency solution for next-generation lithography sources.

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Publication Details

Journal
Applied Physics Letters
Published
2026-03-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0318617
Primary Topic
Atomic and Molecular Physics
Type
article
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article

Debris mitigation of a Xe discharge-produced plasma source combined gas jet and Halbach cylinder

Kai Leong Chong, Guo Yang, Quan Zhou, Xiao Ling et al.
Applied Physics Letters
Atomic and Molecular Physics
article

Debris mitigation of a Xe discharge-produced plasma source combined gas jet and Halbach cylinder

Kai Leong Chong, Guo Yang, Quan Zhou, Xiao Ling, Jianhua Zhang, Jiale Zheng, Chenhao Zhou
article en

Abstract

High-energy ions and metal debris generated by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources pose a severe threat to collector optics. This study demonstrates a hybrid mitigation strategy that combines a helium buffer gas jet with a segmented Halbach cylinder to suppress debris from a discharge-produced plasma source. A semi-analytical model incorporating finite-length effects was developed to optimize the magnetic topology, achieving a central field strength exceeding 0.85 T for magnetic mitigation. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy reveal a pristine witness surface with a 36% reduction in roughness compared to the non-magnetic case. In situ quartz crystal microbalance measurements demonstrate that the magnetic field alone reduces debris mass deposition by approximately 69%. Furthermore, unlike heavier buffer gases, the helium jet stabilizes mitigation performance with minimal in-band EUV absorption. These results establish the combined jet–magnetic scheme as a compact, high-efficiency solution for next-generation lithography sources.

Applied Physics LettersVol. 128(12)
Shanghai University (CN), Shanghai University of Engineering Science (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Atomic and Molecular Physics
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