Dr. Dmitry Astakhov Profile

Dr. Dmitry Astakhov

at ISTEQ BV

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Publications (3)

Proceedings Article | 26 May 2022 Presentation + Paper

Role of ion accumulation in lofting of submicrometer-sized dielectric particle from dielectric surface by plasma and low-energy electron beam

Pavel Krainov, Vladimir Ivanov, Dmitry Astakhov, Slava Medvedev, Mark van de Kerkhof

Proceedings Volume 12051, 1205103 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2614003

KEYWORDS: Particles, Ions, Plasma, Electron beams, Dielectrics, Hydrogen, Silica, Monte Carlo methods, Protactinium, Atmospheric particles

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SPIE Journal Paper | 16 August 2021 Open Access

EUV-induced hydrogen plasma: pulsed mode operation and confinement in scanner

Mark van de Kerkhof, Andrei Yakunin, Dmitry Astakhov, Maarten van Kampen, Ruud van der Horst, Vadim Banine

JM3, Vol. 20, Issue 03, 033801, (August 2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.JMM.20.3.033801

KEYWORDS: Plasma, Ions, Extreme ultraviolet, Scanners, Hydrogen, Extreme ultraviolet lithography, Ionization, Reticles, Mirrors, Photons

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In recent years, EUV lithography scanner systems have entered high-volume manufacturing for state-of-the-art integrated circuits, with critical dimensions down to 10 nm. This technology uses 13.5-nm EUV radiation, which is shaped and transmitted through a near-vacuum H2 background gas. This gas is excited into a low-density H2 plasma by the EUV radiation, as generated in pulsed mode operation by the laser-produced plasma in the EUV source. Thus, in the confinement created by the walls and mirrors within the scanner system, a reductive plasma environment is created that must be understood in detail to maximize mirror transmission over the lifetime and to minimize molecular and particle contamination in the scanner. In addition to the irradiated mirrors, reticle, and wafer, the plasma and radical load to the surrounding construction materials also must be considered. We provide an overview of the EUV-induced plasma in the scanner context. Special attention is given to the plasma parameters in a confined geometry, such as that found in the scanner area near the reticle. It is shown that plasma confinement and resulting contributions from secondary electron emission delay the formation of the plasma sheath and thereby reduce the peak ion energies to below the sputtering threshold for mirrors and construction materials. Furthermore, for a confined pulsed plasma with a pulse period shorter than the decay time of the plasma, the plasma consists of a quasi-steady-state cold background plasma and periodic transient peaks in ion energy and ion flux. In terms of modeling, this means that no assumptions can be made on the electron distribution functions and a (Monte-Carlo) particle-in-cell (PIC) model is needed. We present an extension of the PIC model approach to complex three-dimensional geometries and to multiple pulses using a hybrid PIC-diffusion approach. Also, the translation of these specific plasma parameters to off-line setups and the aspects that must be included to make a meaningful translation from off-line laboratory EUV setups to the scanner plasma are discussed.

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SPIE Journal Paper | 19 February 2021 Open Access

Plasma-assisted discharges and charging in EUV-induced plasma

Mark van de Kerkhof, Andrei Yakunin, Vladimir Kvon, Selwyn Cats, Luuk Heijmans, Manis Chaudhuri, Dmitry Asthakov

JM3, Vol. 20, Issue 01, 013801, (February 2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.JMM.20.1.013801

KEYWORDS: Reticles, Plasma, Particles, Electrons, Extreme ultraviolet, Ions, Scanners, Extreme ultraviolet lithography, Protactinium, Electrodes

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