Enabling Tabletop EUV Lithography: KRISS’s Compact Test Platform Powered by Energetiq’s EUV Light Source

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has developed a groundbreaking tabletop extreme ultraviolet (EUV) test platform designed specifically for the high-precision evaluation of lithography materials. This innovation serves as a powerful demonstration of how Energetiq’s EQ-10R EUV light source has been integrated into a compact, cost-effective system that rivals large-scale infrastructure in performance.

The Challenge: Accessible Material Characterization

As EUV lithography advances, evaluating core materials like photoresists, pellicles, and filters is critical for process reliability. Traditionally, this requires expensive synchrotron facilities or complex laser-produced plasma (LPP) systems with high power needs and debris management issues.

The Solution: A Versatile, Integrated Platform

KRISS successfully established a simplified, cost-effective evaluation system using Energetiq’s EQ-10R Electrodeless Z-Pinch^®  discharge-produced plasma (DPP) technology.

Fig. 1 Schematic of the optical-test platform for EUV materials¹. 

• Integrated Dual Functionality: The platform facilitates both material transmittance measurements and EUV lithography patterning within a single, streamlined system (Fig. 1).
• Superior Performance: By optimizing discharge parameters of the EQ-10R source, the system achieves an optical intensity of up to 3.5 mW/cm² at 13.5 nm (bandwidth: ± 17 nm).
• Extreme Stability: The platform demonstrates exceptional repeatability using time averaging, with an Allan deviation of just 0.12% at 2.15 seconds, effectively suppressing pulse-to-pulse signal variability.
• Compact Design: With dimensions of 1080 x 600 x 1100 mm³ and power consumption below 1.5 kW (excludes EUV source), it is ideal for standard laboratory environments.

Proven Results & Applications

• Optical Evaluation: Accurately measured the transmittance of Zr foils (43.5% for plain foils), aligning closely with manufacturer specifications.
• Lithographic Precision: Successfully transferred 70 µm pitch line-and-space patterns onto a photoresist (Fig. 2).
• Efficiency in R&D: Enabled the derivation of full sensitivity curves and contrast (γ gamma = 3.58) from a single exposure by utilizing spatially nonuniform illumination.

Fig. 2 (a) Schematic of the EUV lithography, (b) microscope image of the pattern mask, (c) FE-SEM image of the developed PR, (d) EUV beam profile at the sample stage, (e) OM image of the PR¹.

Takeaway

This KRISS development serves as a prime use case for the potential commercialization of such tools for research institutes, universities, and material makers. By leveraging this architecture, organizations can significantly accelerate their EUV material development without the need for synchrotron access.

Click here to read the full research paper from The Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology.

For more information about the EQ-10R EUV source and its applications, contact Energetiq. 

References

1. Choe, E. et al. (2026). Tabletop extreme ultraviolet test platform for optical property evaluation of lithography materials. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B Nanotechnology and Microelectronics Materials Processing Measurement and Phenomena, 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0004988