摘要:
A system and method for automatically performing gas optimization after a refill in the chambers of a two chamber gas discharge laser such as an excimer laser. The laser is continuously fired at a low power output, and the gas in the amplifier laser chamber bled until the discharge voltage meets/exceeds a minimum value without dropping the pressure below a minimum value. The power output is increased, and the gas bled again until the voltage and pressure meet/exceed the minimum values. The laser is then fired in a burst pattern that approximates the expected firing of the laser in operation, and the gas bled until the discharge voltage meets/exceeds the minimum value and the output energy meets/exceeds a minimum value, again without dropping the pressure in the chamber below the minimum value. Once the minimum values are provided, the process runs quickly without manual interaction.
摘要:
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for extending one or both of the discharge electrodes in a transverse discharge gas laser chamber in which one or both the electrodes are subject to a dimensional change due to erosion. Electrode extension can be performed to increase the chamber life, increase laser performance over the life of the chamber, or both. Operationally, the inter-electrode spacing may be adjusted to maintain a specific target gap distance between the electrodes or to optimize a specific parameter of the laser output beam such as bandwidth, pulse-to-pulse energy stability, beam size, etc.
摘要:
A regenerative amplifier (20) according to one aspect of this disclosure is used in combination with a laser device, and the regenerative amplifier may include: a pair of resonator mirrors (21a, 21b) constituting an optical resonator; a C02 slab amplifier (25) provided between the pair of the resonator mirrors for amplifying a laser beam with a predetermined wavelength outputted from the laser device; and an optical system (26, 27) disposed to configure a multipass optical path (C2) along which the laser beam is reciprocated inside the slab amplifier, the optical system transferring an optical image of the laser beam at a first position (la) as an optical image of the laser beam at a second position (lb).
摘要:
A narrow band laser system having two laser subsystems. The first laser subsystem is configured to provide a very narrow band pulsed output beam which is used to injection seed the second laser subsystem where the narrow band pulsed seed beam is amplified to produce a narrow band pulsed output beam. A pulse power supply is provided which is specially configured to precisely time the discharges in the two laser subsystem so that the discharges are properly synchronized. Preferred embodiments include a pulse power system with a pulse transformer unit having two sets of transformer cores. A single upstream pulse compression circuit provides high voltage pulses in parallel to the primary windings of all of the cores in both sets. Separate secondary conductors (one passing through one set of cores and the other passing through the other set of cores) provide very high voltage pulses respectively to separate downstream circuits supplying discharge pulses to the electrodes in each of two separate laser chambers. Preferred embodiments include KrF, ArF and F2 systems. In these preferred embodiments, line narrowing may be accomplished within the resonant cavity of the seed laser or the output of the seed laser could be line narrowed using a pre-gain filter.
摘要:
An apparatus comprises a seed laser and an amplifier laser in communication with a processing device utilizing output light produced by the seed laser and amplifier laser device. The apparatus further comprises a laser controller for outputting a laser trigger signal. The seed laser excites a laser gas by a seed laser discharge caused by application of a seed laser discharge voltage across seed laser electrodes. The seed laser electrodes are disposed in a seed laser chamber where the laser gas is contained, from a seed laser discharge circuit. The seed laser discharge excites the laser gas in response to an input of the laser trigger signal to generate a seed laser light, and oscillates the seed laser light with a wavelength band being narrowed by a band narrowing unit including a grating. An amplifier amplifies the seed laser light by an amplifier discharge caused by amplification of an amplifier discharge voltage across amplify electrodes. The amplify electrodes are disposed in an amplifier chamber where the laser gas is sealed by means of an amplifier discharge circuit in response to an input of the laser trigger signal to emit an amplified laser output light to the processing device. A delay circuit sets a delay from light emission of the seed laser light to a start of the amplification discharge. The laser controller changes the delay time to synchronize the amplification discharge with the seed laser light.
摘要:
An apparatus and method is disclosed which may comprise an EUV drive laser system comprising: a solid state seed laser master oscillator laser; a gas discharge excimer laser gain generator producing a drive laser output light beam. The solid state seed laser may comprise a third harmonic Nd: YLF laser, which may be tunable. The gas discharge excimer gain generator laser may comprise a XeF excimer laser power amplifier or power oscillator. The solid state laser may comprise a tunable laser tuned by changing the temperature of a laser crystal comprising the solid state laser, or by utilizing a wavelength selection element, e.g., a Lyot filter or an etalon.
摘要:
A gas discharge laser crystallization apparatus and method for performing a transformation of a crystal makeup or orientation in the substrate of a workpiece is disclosed with may comprise, a multichambers laser system comprising, a first laser unit, and laser timing and control module, the timing and control module operates to create a gas discharge transiting the second discharge region, within plus or minus 3 ns and as a POPO, combining optics combine the out beams, and time creates pulse separation in the combined output a preselected time plus or minus 3 ns.
摘要:
A gas discharge laser crystallization apparatus and method for performing a transformation of a crystal makeup or orientation in a film on a workpiece is disclosed, which may comprise a master oscillator power amplifier MOPA or power oscillator power amplifier configured XeF laser system producing a laser output light pulse beam at a high repetition rate and high power with a pulse to pulse dose control; an optical system producing an elongated thin pulsed working beam from the laser output light pulse beam. The apparatus may further comprise the laser system is configured as a POPA laser system and further comprising: relay optics operative to direct a first output laser light pulse beam from a first laser PO unit into a second laser PA unit; and, a timing and control module timing the creation of a gas discharge in the first and second laser units within plus or minus 3 ns, to produce the a second laser output light pulse beam as an amplification of the first laser output light pulse beam. The system may comprise divergence control in the oscillator laser unit. Divergence control may comprise an unstable resonator arrangement. The system may further comprise a beam pointing control mechanism intermediate the laser and the workpiece and a beam position control mechanism intermediate the laser and the workpiece. Beam parameter metrology may provide active feedback control to the beam pointing mechanism and active feedback control to the beam position control mechanism.