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Small, high velocity liquid metal droplets are produced for applications that require the accurate and remote placement of small quantities of a metal. The magnetic pressure of current flowing through liquid metal is used to force small quantities of liquid metal through an orifice. Examples of appl

Small, high velocity liquid metal droplets are produced for applications that require the accurate and remote placement of small quantities of a metal. The magnetic pressure of current flowing through liquid metal is used to force small quantities of liquid metal through an orifice. Examples of applications are to feed metal fuel into plasma extreme ultraviolet sources, and to place solder bumps on an integrated circuit prior to the attachment of connections.

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What is claimed is: 1. A liquid metal droplet generator comprising an insulating tube, an element having an orifice at one end of the insulating tube, a liquid metal reservoir to supply liquid metal to the insulating tube and a pulsed current source coupled to the liquid metal to cause electrical c

What is claimed is: 1. A liquid metal droplet generator comprising an insulating tube, an element having an orifice at one end of the insulating tube, a liquid metal reservoir to supply liquid metal to the insulating tube and a pulsed current source coupled to the liquid metal to cause electrical current to flow through the liquid metal in the insulating tube in a direction parallel to a direction of liquid metal flow through the insulating tube and parallel to a direction of droplet generation, wherein the liquid metal is forced through the orifice by the force imposed on the metal due to the interaction of the electrical current flowing through the metal with a magnetic field induced by the electrical current. 2. A liquid metal droplet generator as in claim 1, in which the orifice has an axis of cylindrical symmetry and the liquid metal is contained within a cylindrically symmetric insulating tube with axis parallel to a symmetry axis of the orifice. 3. A liquid metal droplet generator as in claim 1, in which the orifice is defined by a metal of higher melting point than the metal to be ejected. 4. A liquid metal droplet generator as in claim 1, in which the orifice is defined by an insulating material. 5. A liquid metal droplet generator as in claim 3, in which the current is applied to the liquid metal via electrical contact with the metal that defines the orifice. 6. A liquid metal droplet generator as in claim 1, in which the pulsed current is generated via use of a step-down transformer with a single-turn, low-inductance secondary winding that includes within it as a series element the liquid metal or parts thereof. 7. A liquid metal droplet generator comprising an insulating tube, an element having an orifice at one end of the insulating tube, a liquid metal reservoir to supply liquid metal to the insulating tube and a pulsed current source coupled to the liquid metal to cause electrical current to flow though the liquid metal in the insulating tube in a direction parallel to a direction of liquid metal flow through the insulating tube and parallel to a direction of droplet generation, wherein a static pressurization forces a continuous stream of liquid metal through the orifice, with stream breakup into droplets regulated by repetitive pressure impulses due to the self-magnetic force of repetitive electrical current impulses applied through the liquid metal upstream of the orifice. 8. A liquid metal droplet generator comprising: an insulating tube; a nozzle at one end of the insulating tube; a liquid metal source to supply a liquid metal to the insulating tube; and a pulsed electrical source coupled to the liquid metal to cause an electrical current to flow through the liquid metal in the insulating tube in a direction parallel to a direction of liquid metal flow through the insulating tube and parallel to a direction of droplet generation, wherein the liquid metal is forced through the nozzle by the force imposed on the liquid metal due to the interaction of the electrical current flowing through the liquid metal with a magnetic field induced by the electrical current. 9. A liquid metal droplet generator as defined in claim 8, wherein the insulating tube is cylindrical. 10. A liquid metal droplet generator as defined in claim 8, wherein the nozzle is defined by an insulating material. 11. A liquid metal droplet generator as defined in claim 8, wherein the nozzle is defined by a metal of higher melting point than the liquid metal.