An electrode-less discharge source of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation
(10) efficiently assembles a hot, dense, uniform, axially stable plasma
column (5) with magnetic pressure and inductive current drive. It employs
theta-pinch-type magnetic compression of plasma confined in a magnetic
mirror. Plasma, confined in a magnetic mirror, is made to radiate by
resonant magnetic compression. The device comprises a radiation-source
gas input nozzle (1), an optional buffer-gas input flow (2), mirror-field
coils (9a, 9b), theta-pinch coils (8a, 8b), a plasma and debris dump
(11), and an evacuation port (7). The circular currents yield an axially
stable plasma-magnetic-field geometry, and a reproducible, stable, highly
symmetrical EUV source.