A decade of solid state pulsed power development at Cymer Inc.

This paper will summarize over 10 years of solid state pulsed power development at Cymer Inc. associated with power systems for excimer and other light sources used in the application of semiconductor photolithography. Over eight different generations of power systems have been designed and implemented as the light source systems themselves have evolved over time. Each of these power systems includes a charging system and a solid-state switched magnetic pulse compressor. Specific technical challenges and accomplishments will be described for each iteration. In addition, application specific requirements will also be discussed including high volume manufacturing, high reliability, long lifetime, large operating range, compact size and weight, ease of troubleshooting, high efficiency and effective thermal management, low cost, safety, and third party approvals (UL and TUV)