摘要:
An EUV light source is disclosed which may comprise a plurality of targets, e.g., tin droplets, and a system generating pre-pulses and main-pulses with the pre-pulses for irradiating targets to produce expanded targets. The system may further comprise a continuously pumped laser device generating the main pulses with the main pulses for irradiating expanded targets to produce a burst of EUV light pulses. The system may also have a controller varying at least one pre-pulse parameter during the burst of EUV light pulses. In addition, the EUV light source may also include an instrument measuring an intensity of at least one EUV light pulse within a burst of EUV light pulses and providing a feedback signal to the controller to vary at least one pre-pulse parameter during the burst of EUV light pulses to produce a burst of EUV pulses having a pre-selected dose.
摘要:
A high resolution spectral measurement device. A preferred embodiment presents an extremely narrow slit function in the ultraviolet range and is very useful for measuring bandwidth of narrow-band excimer lasers used for integrated circuit lithography. Light from the laser is focused into a diffuser (D) and the diffused light exiting the diffuser (D) illuminates an etalon (ET). A portion of its light exiting the etalon (ET) is collected and directed into a slit (S1) positioned at a fringe pattern of the etalon (ET). Light passing through the slit (S1) is collimated and the collimated light illuminates a grating (GR1) positioned in an approximately Littrow configuration which disperses the light according to wavelength. A portion of the dispersed light representing the wavelength corresponding to the selected etalon fringe is passed through a second slit and monitored by a light detector. When the etalon (ET) and the grating (GR1) are tuned to the same precise wavelength a slit function is defined which is extremely narrow such as about 0.034pm (FWHM) and about 0.091pm (95 percent integral). The bandwidth of a laser beam can be measured very accurately by a directing portion of the laser beam into the insulator and scanning the laser wavelength over a range which includes the monochromator slit wavelength. In a second embodiment the second slit and the light detector is replaced by a photodiode array (PDA) and the bandwidth of a laser beam is determined by analyzing a set of scan data from the photodiode array (PDA). Alternately, the laser wavelength can be fixed near the middle of the spectrum range of the grating spectrometer (50), and the etalon (ET) can be scanned.
摘要:
An injection seeded modular gas discharge laser system capable of producing high quality pulsed laser beams at pulse rates of about 4,000 Hz or greater and at pulse energies of about 5 mJ or greater. Two separate discharge chambers (10A, 12A) are provided, one of which is a part of a master oscillator (10) producing a very narrow band seed beam which is amplified in the second discharge chamber (12). The chambers (10A, 12A) can be controlled separately permitting separate optimization of wavelength parameters in the master oscillator (10) and optimization of pulse energy parameters in the amplifying chamber (12A). A preferred embodiment in an ArF excimer laser system configured as a MOPA and specifically designed for use as a light source for integrated circuit lithography. In the preferred MOPA embodiment, each chamber (10A, 12A) comprises a single tangential fan (10A, 10) providing sufficient gas flow (11) to permit operation at pulse rates of 4,000 Hz or greater by clearing debris from the discharge region in less time than the approximately 0.25 milliseconds between pulses. The master oscillator (10) is equipped with a line narrowing package (16, 16A) having a very fast tuning mirror capable of controlling centerline wavelength on a pulse-to-pulse basis at repetition rates of 4,000 Hz or greater to a precision of less than 0.2 pm.
摘要:
An injection seeded modular gas discharge laser system (2) capable of producing high quality pulsed beams at pulse rates of about 4,000 Hz or greater and at pulse energies of about 5 mJ or greater. Two separate discharge chambers are provided, one of which is a part of a master oscillator (10) producing a very narrow band seed beam, which is amplified (12) in the second discharge chamber. The chambers can be controlled separately permitting separate optimization of wavelength parameters in the master oscillator and optimization of pulse energy parameters in the amplifying chamber. A preferred embodiment in the ArF excimer laser system configured as a MOPA and specifically designed for use as a light source for integrated circuit lithography. In the preferred MOPA embodiment, each chamber comprises a single tangential fan (10A) providing sufficient gas flow to permit operation at pulse rates of 4,000 Hz or greater by cleaning debris from the discharge region in less time that the approximately 0.25 milliseconds between pulses. The masters oscillation is equipped with a line narrowing package having a very fast tuning mirror capable of controlling centerline wavelength on a pulse-to-pulse basis at repetition rates of 4000 Hz or greater to a precision of less than 0.2 pm.
摘要:
The invention incorporates methods and structural changes in gas discharge lasers for minimizing wavelength chirp at high pulse rates. The major cause of wavelength chirp in high pulse rate gas discharge lithography lasers as pressure waves from a discharge reflecting back to the discharge region coincident with a subsequent discharge. During burst mode operation, the laser gas temperature in prior art lasers changes. This in turn changes the location of the coincident pressure waves from pulse to pulse, which ultimately alters the beam direction, causing the grating in the LNP to reflect back to the discharge region light at a slightly different wavelength. A solution to the problem is to include in the laser chamber structural elements to moderate or disperse the pressure waves and to maintain a constant laser gas temperature. One embodiment has a laser gas discharge chamber with baffles (70), heat exchanger (40), and a fan (38).