Z-pinch plasmas have been shown to be effective at producing EUV and SXR light. However, all the implementations to date have involved conducting high discharge currents into the plasma using electrodes. These electrodes, which are typically in contact with high temperature plasma, can melt and produce significant debris.

Energetiq’s unique technology is also based on a Z-pinch plasma, but it avoids electrodes entirely by inductively coupling the current into the plasma. The plasma in the Energetiq source is magnetically confined away from the source walls, minimizing the heat load and reducing debris. Energetiq’s Electrodeless Z-Pinch™ technology has excellent spatial stability, and stable repeatable power output.

To accommodate the differing requirements of the various applications, the source operating conditions are user-adjustable. The EUV light output can be optimized for peak power or for peak brightness as required by the user. Plasma size is typically below 1mm in diameter under typical operating conditions. A simple and flexible optical interface is provided to the user on the side of the system enclosure to connect to the application equipment. Custom interfaces are available to meet specific customer requirements. The user interface operates by a color touch screen display, and incorporates menus allowing manual and automatic operation.