Argon fluoride laser: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Type of excimer laser}} |
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The '''argon fluoride laser''' (ArF laser) is a particular type of [[excimer laser]],<ref>{{ |
The '''argon fluoride laser''' (ArF laser) is a particular type of [[excimer laser]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Basting|first1=D.|chapter=Introductory Remarks|title=Excimer Laser Technology|pages=1–7|location=Berlin |publisher=Springer-Verlag |last2=Marowsky|first2=G.|year=2005|doi=10.1007/3-540-26667-4_1|bibcode=2005elt..book....1B|isbn=3-540-20056-8}}</ref> which is sometimes (more correctly) called an exciplex laser. With its 193-nanometer wavelength, it is a deep ultraviolet laser, which is commonly used in the production of semiconductor [[integrated circuits]], eye surgery, micromachining, and scientific research. "Excimer" is short for "excited dimer", while "exciplex" is short for "excited complex". An excimer laser typically uses a mixture of a [[noble gas]] (argon, krypton, or xenon) and a halogen gas (fluorine or chlorine), which under suitable conditions of electrical stimulation and high pressure, emits coherent stimulated radiation (laser light) in the ultraviolet range. |
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ArF (and KrF) excimer lasers are widely used in high-resolution [[photolithography]] machines, a critical technology for [[microelectronic]] chip manufacturing. Excimer laser lithography<ref name=ieee1982>{{cite journal|doi=10.1109/EDL.1982.25476|title=Ultrafast deep UV Lithography with excimer lasers|year=1982|last1=Jain|first1=K.|last2=Willson|first2=C.G.|last3=Lin|first3=B.J.|journal=IEEE Electron Device Letters|volume=3|issue=3|pages=53–55|bibcode = 1982IEDL....3...53J |s2cid=43335574}}</ref><ref name=spie1990>{{Cite journal|last=Jain|first=Kanti|editor1-first=Ting-Shan|editor1-last=Luk|date=1987-03-11|title=Advances In Excimer Laser Lithography |
ArF (and KrF) excimer lasers are widely used in high-resolution [[photolithography]] machines, a critical technology for [[microelectronic]] chip manufacturing. Excimer laser lithography<ref name=ieee1982>{{cite journal|doi=10.1109/EDL.1982.25476|title=Ultrafast deep UV Lithography with excimer lasers|year=1982|last1=Jain|first1=K.|last2=Willson|first2=C.G.|last3=Lin|first3=B.J.|journal=IEEE Electron Device Letters|volume=3|issue=3|pages=53–55|bibcode = 1982IEDL....3...53J |s2cid=43335574}}</ref><ref name=spie1990>{{Cite journal|last=Jain|first=Kanti|editor1-first=Ting-Shan|editor1-last=Luk|date=1987-03-11|title=Advances In Excimer Laser Lithography|journal=Excimer Lasers and Optics|volume=0710|page=35|publisher=SPIE|doi=10.1117/12.937294|bibcode=1987SPIE..710...35J|s2cid=136477292}}</ref> has enabled transistor feature sizes to shrink from [[800 nanometer]]s in 1990 to [[7 nanometer|7 nanometers]] in 2018.<ref name=Samsung10nm>{{Cite web|title=Samsung Starts Industry's First Mass Production of System-on-Chip with 10-Nanometer FinFET Technology|url=https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-starts-industrys-first-mass-production-of-system-on-chip-with-10-nanometer-finfet-technology|access-date=2021-10-25|website=news.samsung.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name=spie2010>{{Cite web|title=Lasers and Moore's Law|url=https://spie.org/news/spie-professional-magazine-archive/2010-october/lasers-and-moores-law|access-date=2021-10-25|website=spie.org}}</ref><ref name=TSMC7nm>{{cite web |url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/12677/tsmc-kicks-off-volume-production-of-7nm-chips|title=TSMC Kicks Off Volume Production of 7nm Chips|publisher=AnandTech|date=2018-04-28|access-date=2018-10-20}}</ref> [[Extreme ultraviolet lithography]] machines have replaced ArF photolithography machines in some cases as they enable even smaller feature sizes while increasing productivity, as EUV machines can provide sufficient resolution in fewer steps.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/euv-lithography-finally-ready-for-chip-manufacturing|title=EUV Lithography Finally Ready for Chip Manufacturing|date=January 5, 2018|website=IEEE Spectrum}}</ref> |
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The development of excimer laser lithography has been highlighted as one of the major milestones in the 50-year history of the laser.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SPIE / Advancing the Laser / 50 Years and into the Future |
The development of excimer laser lithography has been highlighted as one of the major milestones in the 50-year history of the laser.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://spie.org/Documents/AboutSPIE/SPIE%20Laser%20Luminaries.pdf|title=SPIE / Advancing the Laser / 50 Years and into the Future}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=U.K. Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council / Lasers in Our Lives / 50 Years of Impact|url=http://www.stfc.ac.uk/Resources/PDF/Lasers50_final1.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913160302/http://www.stfc.ac.uk/Resources/PDF/Lasers50_final1.pdf|archive-date=September 13, 2011}}</ref> |
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==Theory== |
==Theory== |
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:2 ArF → 2 Ar + {{chem|F|2}} |
:2 ArF → 2 Ar + {{chem|F|2}} |
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The result is an [[excimer laser|exciplex laser]] that radiates energy at 193 nm, which lies in the [[Ultraviolet#Subtypes|far ultraviolet]] portion of the [[spectrum]], corresponding |
The result is an [[excimer laser|exciplex laser]] that radiates energy at 193 nm, which lies in the [[Ultraviolet#Subtypes|far ultraviolet]] portion of the [[spectrum]], corresponding to an energy difference of 6.4 [[electron volt]]s between the ground state and the excited state of the complex. |
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==Applications== |
==Applications== |
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| ⚫ | The most widespread industrial application of ArF excimer lasers has been in deep-ultraviolet [[photolithography]]<ref name= ieee1982 /><ref name=spie1990 /> for the manufacturing of [[microelectronic]] devices (i.e., semiconductor [[integrated circuits]] or |
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=== Photolithography === |
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| ⚫ | This challenge was overcome when in a pioneering development in 1982, deep-UV excimer laser lithography was invented and demonstrated at [[IBM]] by K. Jain.<ref name=ieee1982 /><ref name=spie1990 /><ref>{{ |
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| ⚫ | The most widespread industrial application of ArF excimer lasers has been in deep-ultraviolet [[photolithography]]<ref name= ieee1982 /><ref name=spie1990 /> for the manufacturing of [[microelectronic]] devices (i.e., semiconductor [[integrated circuits]] or "chips"). From the early 1960s through the mid-1980s, Hg-Xe lamps were used for lithography at 436, 405 and 365 nm wavelengths. However, with the semiconductor industry's need for both finer resolution (for denser and faster chips) and higher production throughput (for lower costs), the lamp-based lithography tools were no longer able to meet the industry's requirements. |
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| ⚫ | This challenge was overcome when in a pioneering development in 1982, deep-UV excimer laser lithography was invented and demonstrated at [[IBM]] by K. Jain.<ref name=ieee1982 /><ref name=spie1990 /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Basting|first1=D.|chapter=Historical Review of Excimer Laser Development|title=Excimer Laser Technology|pages=8–21|location=Berlin |publisher=Springer-Verlag|last2=Djeu|first2=N.|last3=Jain|first3=K.|year=2005|doi=10.1007/3-540-26667-4_2|bibcode=2005elt..book....8B|isbn=3-540-20056-8|editor-last1=Basting|editor-first1=D.|editor-last2=Marowsky |editor-first2=G.}}</ref> With advances made in equipment technology in the following two decades, semiconductor electronic devices fabricated using excimer laser lithography reached $400 billion in annual production. As a result,<ref name=spie2010 /> excimer laser lithography (with both ArF and KrF lasers) has been a crucial factor in the continued advance of the so-called [[Moore's law]].<ref name=TSMC7nm/> |
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=== Eye surgery === |
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The UV light from an ArF laser is well absorbed by biological matter and organic compounds. Rather than burning or cutting material, the ArF laser dissociates the molecular bonds of the surface tissue, which disintegrates into the air in a tightly controlled manner through [[ablation]] rather than burning. Thus the ArF and other excimer lasers have the useful property that they can remove exceptionally fine layers of surface material with almost no heating or change to the remainder of the material which is left intact. These properties make such lasers well suited to precision micromachining organic materials (including certain polymers and plastics), and especially delicate surgeries such as eye surgery (e.g., [[LASIK]], [[Photorefractive keratectomy|LASEK]]).<ref name="Kuryan">{{cite journal |vauthors=Kuryan J, Cheema A, Chuck RS|title= Laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) versus laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for correcting myopia |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev|volume=2017|pages= CD011080 |date=2017 |issue= 2 |pmid= 28197998 |doi= 10.1002/14651858.CD011080.pub2 |pmc=5408355}}</ref> |
The UV light from an ArF laser is well absorbed by biological matter and organic compounds. Rather than burning or cutting material, the ArF laser dissociates the molecular bonds of the surface tissue, which disintegrates into the air in a tightly controlled manner through [[ablation]] rather than burning. Thus the ArF and other excimer lasers have the useful property that they can remove exceptionally fine layers of surface material with almost no heating or change to the remainder of the material which is left intact. These properties make such lasers well suited to precision micromachining organic materials (including certain polymers and plastics), and especially delicate surgeries such as eye surgery (e.g., [[LASIK]], [[Photorefractive keratectomy|LASEK]]).<ref name="Kuryan">{{cite journal |vauthors=Kuryan J, Cheema A, Chuck RS|title= Laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) versus laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for correcting myopia |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev|volume=2017|pages= CD011080 |date=2017 |issue= 2 |pmid= 28197998 |doi= 10.1002/14651858.CD011080.pub2 |pmc=5408355}}</ref> |
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==== Surface micromachining ==== |
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Recently, through the use of a novel diffractive diffuse system composed of two microlens arrays, [[surface micromachining]] by ArF laser on [[Fused quartz|fused silica]] has been performed with submicrometer accuracy.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Zhou | first1=Andrew F. |title=UV Excimer Laser Beam homogenization for Micromachining Applications |journal=Optics and Photonics Letters|volume=4|issue=2|pages=75–81|year=2011|doi=10.1142/S1793528811000226 }}</ref> |
Recently, through the use of a novel diffractive diffuse system composed of two microlens arrays, [[surface micromachining]] by ArF laser on [[Fused quartz|fused silica]] has been performed with submicrometer accuracy.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Zhou | first1=Andrew F. |title=UV Excimer Laser Beam homogenization for Micromachining Applications |journal=Optics and Photonics Letters|volume=4|issue=2|pages=75–81|year=2011|doi=10.1142/S1793528811000226 }}</ref> |
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=== Fusion power === |
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In 2021, the United States [[United States Naval Research Laboratory|Naval Research Laboratory]] began work on an ArF for use in [[Inertial confinement fusion]], providing up to 16% energy efficiency.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Szondy|first=David|date=2021-10-24|title=Argon fluoride laser could lead to practical fusion reactors|url=https://newatlas.com/science/argon-fluoride-laser-practical-fusion-reactor/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-25|website=New Atlas|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025001213/https://newatlas.com/science/argon-fluoride-laser-practical-fusion-reactor/ |archive-date=2021-10-25 }}</ref> |
In 2021, the United States [[United States Naval Research Laboratory|Naval Research Laboratory]] began work on an ArF for use in [[Inertial confinement fusion]], providing up to 16% [[Energy efficiency (physics)|energy efficiency]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Szondy|first=David|date=2021-10-24|title=Argon fluoride laser could lead to practical fusion reactors|url=https://newatlas.com/science/argon-fluoride-laser-practical-fusion-reactor/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-25|website=New Atlas|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025001213/https://newatlas.com/science/argon-fluoride-laser-practical-fusion-reactor/ |archive-date=2021-10-25 }}</ref> |
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LaserFusionX is developing a direct drive [[fusion power]] prototype using argon fluoride lasers. As of 2024, their focus was on building an implosion facility to design and test lasers capable of sufficiently rapid firing rates, using solid state pulse power.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pethokoukis |first=James |date=2024-04-11 |title=⚡⚛ My chat (+transcript) with Steve Obenschain of LaserFusionX on laser fusion |url=https://fasterplease.substack.com/p/my-chat-transcript-with-steve-obenschain |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Faster, Please!}}</ref> |
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==Safety== |
==Safety== |
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*[[Nike laser]] |
*[[Nike laser]] |
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*[[Photolithography]] |
*[[Photolithography]] |
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*[[ |
*[[Moore's law]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Latest revision as of 21:59, 29 July 2024
The argon fluoride laser (ArF laser) is a particular type of excimer laser,[1] which is sometimes (more correctly) called an exciplex laser. With its 193-nanometer wavelength, it is a deep ultraviolet laser, which is commonly used in the production of semiconductor integrated circuits, eye surgery, micromachining, and scientific research. "Excimer" is short for "excited dimer", while "exciplex" is short for "excited complex". An excimer laser typically uses a mixture of a noble gas (argon, krypton, or xenon) and a halogen gas (fluorine or chlorine), which under suitable conditions of electrical stimulation and high pressure, emits coherent stimulated radiation (laser light) in the ultraviolet range.
ArF (and KrF) excimer lasers are widely used in high-resolution photolithography machines, a critical technology for microelectronic chip manufacturing. Excimer laser lithography[2][3] has enabled transistor feature sizes to shrink from 800 nanometers in 1990 to 7 nanometers in 2018.[4][5][6] Extreme ultraviolet lithography machines have replaced ArF photolithography machines in some cases as they enable even smaller feature sizes while increasing productivity, as EUV machines can provide sufficient resolution in fewer steps.[7]
The development of excimer laser lithography has been highlighted as one of the major milestones in the 50-year history of the laser.[8][9]
Theory
[edit]An argon fluoride laser absorbs energy from a source, causing the argon gas to react with the fluorine gas producing argon monofluoride, a temporary complex, in an excited energy state:
- 2 Ar + F
2 → 2 ArF
The complex can undergo spontaneous or stimulated emission, reducing its energy state to a metastable, but highly repulsive ground state. The ground state complex quickly dissociates into unbound atoms:
- 2 ArF → 2 Ar + F
2
The result is an exciplex laser that radiates energy at 193 nm, which lies in the far ultraviolet portion of the spectrum, corresponding to an energy difference of 6.4 electron volts between the ground state and the excited state of the complex.
Applications
[edit]Photolithography
[edit]The most widespread industrial application of ArF excimer lasers has been in deep-ultraviolet photolithography[2][3] for the manufacturing of microelectronic devices (i.e., semiconductor integrated circuits or "chips"). From the early 1960s through the mid-1980s, Hg-Xe lamps were used for lithography at 436, 405 and 365 nm wavelengths. However, with the semiconductor industry's need for both finer resolution (for denser and faster chips) and higher production throughput (for lower costs), the lamp-based lithography tools were no longer able to meet the industry's requirements.
This challenge was overcome when in a pioneering development in 1982, deep-UV excimer laser lithography was invented and demonstrated at IBM by K. Jain.[2][3][10] With advances made in equipment technology in the following two decades, semiconductor electronic devices fabricated using excimer laser lithography reached $400 billion in annual production. As a result,[5] excimer laser lithography (with both ArF and KrF lasers) has been a crucial factor in the continued advance of the so-called Moore's law.[6]
Eye surgery
[edit]The UV light from an ArF laser is well absorbed by biological matter and organic compounds. Rather than burning or cutting material, the ArF laser dissociates the molecular bonds of the surface tissue, which disintegrates into the air in a tightly controlled manner through ablation rather than burning. Thus the ArF and other excimer lasers have the useful property that they can remove exceptionally fine layers of surface material with almost no heating or change to the remainder of the material which is left intact. These properties make such lasers well suited to precision micromachining organic materials (including certain polymers and plastics), and especially delicate surgeries such as eye surgery (e.g., LASIK, LASEK).[11]
Surface micromachining
[edit]Recently, through the use of a novel diffractive diffuse system composed of two microlens arrays, surface micromachining by ArF laser on fused silica has been performed with submicrometer accuracy.[12]
Fusion power
[edit]In 2021, the United States Naval Research Laboratory began work on an ArF for use in Inertial confinement fusion, providing up to 16% energy efficiency.[13]
LaserFusionX is developing a direct drive fusion power prototype using argon fluoride lasers. As of 2024, their focus was on building an implosion facility to design and test lasers capable of sufficiently rapid firing rates, using solid state pulse power.[14]
Safety
[edit]The light emitted by the ArF is invisible to the human eye, so additional safety precautions are necessary when working with this laser to avoid stray beams. Gloves are needed to protect flesh from its potentially carcinogenic properties, and UV goggles are needed to protect the eyes.
See also
[edit]- Excimer
- Excimer laser
- Excimer lamp
- Krypton fluoride laser
- Electrolaser
- Nike laser
- Photolithography
- Moore's law
References
[edit]- ^ Basting, D.; Marowsky, G. (2005). "Introductory Remarks". Excimer Laser Technology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. pp. 1–7. Bibcode:2005elt..book....1B. doi:10.1007/3-540-26667-4_1. ISBN 3-540-20056-8.
- ^ a b c Jain, K.; Willson, C.G.; Lin, B.J. (1982). "Ultrafast deep UV Lithography with excimer lasers". IEEE Electron Device Letters. 3 (3): 53–55. Bibcode:1982IEDL....3...53J. doi:10.1109/EDL.1982.25476. S2CID 43335574.
- ^ a b c Jain, Kanti (1987-03-11). Luk, Ting-Shan (ed.). "Advances In Excimer Laser Lithography". Excimer Lasers and Optics. 0710. SPIE: 35. Bibcode:1987SPIE..710...35J. doi:10.1117/12.937294. S2CID 136477292.
- ^ "Samsung Starts Industry's First Mass Production of System-on-Chip with 10-Nanometer FinFET Technology". news.samsung.com. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- ^ a b "Lasers and Moore's Law". spie.org. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- ^ a b "TSMC Kicks Off Volume Production of 7nm Chips". AnandTech. 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
- ^ "EUV Lithography Finally Ready for Chip Manufacturing". IEEE Spectrum. January 5, 2018.
- ^ "SPIE / Advancing the Laser / 50 Years and into the Future" (PDF).
- ^ "U.K. Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council / Lasers in Our Lives / 50 Years of Impact" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2011.
- ^ Basting, D.; Djeu, N.; Jain, K. (2005). "Historical Review of Excimer Laser Development". In Basting, D.; Marowsky, G. (eds.). Excimer Laser Technology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. pp. 8–21. Bibcode:2005elt..book....8B. doi:10.1007/3-540-26667-4_2. ISBN 3-540-20056-8.
- ^ Kuryan J, Cheema A, Chuck RS (2017). "Laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) versus laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for correcting myopia". Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 (2): CD011080. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011080.pub2. PMC 5408355. PMID 28197998.
- ^ Zhou, Andrew F. (2011). "UV Excimer Laser Beam homogenization for Micromachining Applications". Optics and Photonics Letters. 4 (2): 75–81. doi:10.1142/S1793528811000226.
- ^ Szondy, David (2021-10-24). "Argon fluoride laser could lead to practical fusion reactors". New Atlas. Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- ^ Pethokoukis, James (2024-04-11). "⚡⚛ My chat (+transcript) with Steve Obenschain of LaserFusionX on laser fusion". Faster, Please!. Retrieved 2024-04-12.