A global plasma and surface model of a hydrogen/methane inductively coupled discharges for the purpose of minimal optical transmission loss in Extreme-Ultra-Violet lithography machines

The Extreme-Ultra-Violet (EUV) lithography is of the essence to extend the limits of the Moore’s law in the modern integrated circuit technology. Hydrocarbon growth on the interior surfaces of the lithography machines, exposed to EUV-induced plasma, is one of the obstacles for sufficient optical lifetime. A global model of inductive discharges with 469 homogeneous gas phase reactions, coupled with a surface deposition/etch model of 42 heterogeneous surface reactions, is developed for a feeding gas of hydrogen mixed with methane to investigate the plasma-surface interaction in lithography machines. The simulation results are validated against a wide variety of measurements such as electron density, electron temperature and hydrogen atom density.