Deep-UV lithography laser provides 1-kH¥pulse-repetition rate

A compact KrF (248 nm) excimer laser with an output of 30 W, designed for stable operation at a pulse-repetition rate of 1 kHz, has been announced by Lambda Physik (Göttingen, Germany). Dirk Basting, managing partner of the company, characterized the laser at SPIE`s Microlithography Conference (San Jose, CA) in February. According to Basting, emerging microlithographic step-and-scan tools must meet increasingly challenging throughput and resolution specifications as well as providing larger field size and reduced cost of ownership. High-power narrow-linewidth excimer lasers with precise exposure control will be a prerequisite for such systems, and pulse-repetition rates greater than 1 kH¥with good pulse-to-pulse stability will hel¥provide the necessary control.

Making pulsed-laser deposition yield more uniform films