A HIGH INTENSITY EXCIMER UV SOURCE FOR SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A HIGH INTENSITY UV EXCIMER SOURCE FOR THE DEMANDING REQUIREMENTS OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS PROCESSING INDUSTRY. EMERGING PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES NOT REQUIRING A COHERENT SOURCE INCLUDING UV WAFER CLEANING AND PHOTO CVD WILL REQUIRE VERY HIGH UV INTENSITIES OVER LARGE AREAS (100 MW/CM2) CURRENTLY ONLY AVAILABLE FROM EXCIMER LASERS. CONVENTIONAL UV LAMPS ARE INADEQUATE FOR THE TASK. EXCIMER LASERS CANNOT CONVENIENTLY ILLUMINATE A LARGE FIELD SIZE, ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT TO INTEGRATE INTO A PRODUCTION TOOL, AND HAVE A VERY HIGH COST OF OWNERSHIP. THE RESEARCH WILL BE DIRECTED TOWARD ESTABLISHING THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A UV EXCIMER LAMP AND EXCITATION SOURCE WITH THE REQUIRED PERFORMANCE: (1) A LAMP AND EXCITATION SOURCE WILL BE DESIGNED AND FABRICATED; (2) THE SPECTRUM AND UV EFFICIENCY WILL BE MEASURED WITH PURE XE (172 NM); AND (3) A PRELIMINARY FULL SCALE DESIGN AND COST ESTIMATE WILL BE PREPARED.