Patent ID: 8552394

Claim:
A system for processing a semiconductor wafer of a certain diameter, the system comprising: a stage for supporting the wafer being processed; an optical system comprising an optical head assembly configured for containing a first medium that is non-absorbing with respect to VUV radiation, the optical head assembly having an optical window for directing VUV radiation from a source of the radiation towards the wafer through said optical window; and a light guiding assembly for flowing therethrough a second medium, non-absorbing with respect to VUV radiation, said light guiding assembly being accommodated between said optical head assembly and said stage, and comprising a hollow tip forming an entire outer surface of the light guide assembly that faces the wafer at a processing site, said hollow tip defining at least one optical channel operating to receive the VUV radiation from the optical head assembly and guide the VUV radiation towards the processing site on the wafer supported by the stage, the hollow tip having an end formed with an outlet opening located for discharging said second VUV non-absorbing medium, wherein an outer circumferential dimension of the entire outer surface of the light guide assembly is selected to be smaller than said certain diameter of the wafer being processed.