SBIR Phase I: High Power Pulsed Fiber Laser for EUV Lithography

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will establish the feasibility of a power scalable, short pulse fiber laser that is suitable for use in Extreme UV Lithography (EUVL). A power scalable solution is proposed here, based on fiber lasers using Chirally-Coupled Core (3C) fiber that is 3X more energy efficient and dramatically more compact than competing alternatives. 3C fiber enables single-mode optical output from fibers with core diameters much larger than conventional double-clad fiber. Successful completion of this project would provide a technology to extend photolithography for feature sizes below 22 nanometers. Currently available laser technology can deliver only one third of the power required for high volume manufacturing by EUVL. Source laser power scaling is a key enabler for high volume manufacturing with EUVL and hence the production of semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) that are smaller, more powerful and more energy efficient.