SBIR Phase I: Lithium Based Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Radiation Source for Next Generation Lithography

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将构建和测试一个锂电池，该电池将与一个全固态调制器集成，为下一代70纳米以下光刻技术生产高效的13.5纳米EUV光源。迄今为止，一种可靠的、长寿命的锂基放电电池还没有被开发出来，尽管这种发展会产生相当大的优势。这些优点是：(1)锂的效率是氙的四倍；(2)效率的提高将大大缓解余热的排出；(3)液体锂的薄涂层将保护放电电极并导致更长的电极寿命；(4)锂热管可以非常有效地去除电极的热量，可以很容易地纳入设计。该项目旨在完成锂电池的设计，并将在第二阶段进行制造和测试。从2006年开始，EUV光源在半导体行业的下一代光刻技术中具有重要的市场，年销售额为2亿美元。该估计是基于当前一代DUV光刻中使用的准分子激光器的市场。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will build and test a lithium cell that will be integrated with an all-solid-state modulator to produce an efficient, 13.5 nm, EUV source, for next generation, sub-70 nm, lithography. To date, a reliable, long-lived, lithium-based discharge cell has not been developed, despite the considerable advantages such a development would engender. These advantages are: (1) lithium will be four times as efficient as xenon; (2) increased efficiency will greatly alleviate waste heat removal; (3) a thin coating of liquid lithium will protect discharge electrodes and result in longer-lived electrodes and; (4) lithium heat pipes which can very effectively remove heat from the electrodes can be easily incorporated into the design. This project aims to complete a design of a lithium cell that will be fabricated and tested in Phase II.EUV sources have a significant market in the semiconductor industry for next generation lithography with annual sales of $200 million, starting in CY 2006. The estimate is based on the market for excimer lasers used in current generation DUV lithography.