Patents by Inventor William F. Marx

William F. Marx has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8075732
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that may comprise an EUV light producing mechanism utilizing an EUV plasma source material comprising a material that will form an etching compound, which plasma source material produces EUV light in a band around a selected center wavelength comprising: an EUV plasma generation chamber; an EUV light collector contained within the chamber having a reflective surface containing at least one layer comprising a material that does not form an etching compound and/or forms a compound layer that does not significantly reduce the reflectivity of the reflective surface in the band; an etchant source gas contained within the chamber comprising an etchant source material with which the plasma source material forms an etching compound, which etching compound has a vapor pressure that will allow etching of the etching compound from the reflective surface. The etchant source material may comprises a halogen or halogen compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: William N. Partlo, Richard L. Sandstrom, Igor V. Fomenkov, Alexander I. Ershov, William Oldham, William F. Marx, Oscar Hemberg
  • Patent number: 7732793
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for reducing the influence of plasma generated debris on internal components of an EUV light source. In one aspect, an EUV metrology monitor is provided which may have a heater to heat an internal multi-layer filtering mirror to a temperature sufficient to remove deposited debris from the mirror. In another aspect, a device is disclosed for removing plasma generated debris from an EUV light source collector mirror having a different debris deposition rate at different zones on the collector mirror. In a particular aspect, an EUV collector mirror system may comprise a source of hydrogen to combine with Li debris to create LiH on a collector surface; and a sputtering system to sputter LiH from the collector surface. In another aspect, an apparatus for etching debris from a surface of a EUV light source collector mirror with a controlled plasma etch rate is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander I. Ershov, William F. Marx, Norbert Bowering, Bjorn A. M. Hansson, Oleh Khodykin, Igor V. Fomenkov
  • Patent number: 7355191
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for cleaning a chamber window of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source. The window may have an inside surface facing a chamber interior and an opposed outside surface and the light source may generate debris by plasma formation. For the system, a subsystem may be positioned outside the chamber and may be operable to pass energy through the window to heat debris accumulating on the inside surface of the window. In a first embodiment, the subsystem may place a flowing, heated gas in contact with the outside surface of the window. In another embodiment, electromagnetic radiation may be passed through the window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander N. Bykanov, William F. Marx
  • Patent number: 7196342
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for reducing the influence of plasma generated debris on internal components of an EUV light source. In one aspect, an EUV meteorology monitor is provided which may have a heater to heat an internal multi-layer filtering mirror to a temperature sufficient to remove deposited debris from the mirror. In another aspect, a device is disclosed for removing plasma generated debris from an EUV light source collector mirror having a different debris deposition rate at different zones on the collector mirror. In a particular aspect, an EUV collector mirror system may comprise a source of hydrogen to combine with Li debris to create LiH on a collector surface; and a sputtering system to sputter LiH from the collector surface. In another aspect, an apparatus for etching debris from a surface of a EUV light source collector mirror with a controlled plasma etch rate is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander I. Ershov, William F. Marx