公开(公告)号：EP1297594B1

公开(公告)日：2012-08-15

申请号：EP01937186.3

申请日：2001-04-24

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： FLEUROV Vladimir, B. ,  CATES, Michael, C. ,  DU'LYEA, Michael ,  FOMENKOV, Igor, V. ,  GAIDARENKO, Dmitri V. ,  HUEBER, Jean-Marc ,  MORTON, Richard, G. ,  ONKELS, Eckehard, D. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  WINNICK, Ross, H.

IPC分类号： G03F7/20 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/223 ,  H01S3/038 ,  H01S3/225

CPC分类号： G03F7/70025 ,  G03F7/70041 ,  G03F7/70575 ,  G03F7/70933 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/038 ,  H01S3/0381 ,  H01S3/0385 ,  H01S3/0387 ,  H01S3/041 ,  H01S3/0979 ,  H01S3/22 ,  H01S3/2207 ,  H01S3/223 ,  H01S3/225

摘要： A gas discharge laser having a laser chamber with two elongated erodable electrode elements (83 and 84), each having an erodable section and an electrode support configured to minimize discharge region laser gas turbulence and with the electrode elements being configured to permit gradual erosion over more than 8 billion pulses without causing substantial changes in the shape of electrical discharges between the electrode elements. A pulse power system provides electrical pulses of at least 2J at rates of at least 2 KHz. A blower (4A) circulates laser gas between the electrodes at speeds of at least 2 m/s and a heat exchanger (6A) is provided to remove heat produced by the blower and the discharges.

公开(公告)号：EP1226635A1

公开(公告)日：2002-07-31

申请号：EP00928786.3

申请日：2000-05-02

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： UJAZDOWSKI, Richard, C. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  BERGER, Dmitri ,  PARTLO, William, N. ,  WATSON, Tom, A. ,  AZZOLA, James, H. ,  OLIVER, I., Roger ,  DUFFEY, Thomas, P. ,  FOMENKOV, Igor, V. ,  THOMPSON, Paul, S. ,  TEDESCO, Carl, E., II ,  HARRINGTON, Steven, M. ,  ISHIHARA, Toshihiko ,  LARSON, Donald, G. ,  MORTON, Richard, G.

IPC分类号： H01S3/04

CPC分类号： G03F7/70025 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/134

摘要： A gas discharge laser (90) with fast response gas temperature control to maintain laser gas temperature within desired limits during burst mode operation. Preferred embodiments include a passive temperature stabilizer having fans with surface areas exposed to flowing laser gas at least equal to the surface area of the cooling fins of a laser gas heat exchanger (66). Preferred embodiments utilize heating elements and coolant flow control to regulate laser gas temperatures using processors programmed to anticipate idle periods.

公开(公告)号：EP1339519A2

公开(公告)日：2003-09-03

申请号：EP01975156.9

申请日：2001-05-23

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： NEWMAN, Peter, C. ,  DUFFEY, Thomas, P. ,  PARTLO, William, N. ,  SANDSTROM, Richard, L. ,  MECHER, Paul, C. ,  JOHNS, David, M. ,  SAETHRE, Robert, B. ,  FLEUROV, Vladimir, B. ,  NESS, Richard, M. ,  RETTIG, Curtis, L. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  UJAZDOWSKI, Richard, C. ,  ROKNI, Shahryar ,  PAN, Xiaojiang, J. ,  KULGEYKO, Vladimir ,  SMITH, Scott, T. ,  ANDERSON, Stuart, L. ,  ALGOTS, John, M. ,  SPANGLER, Ronald, L. ,  Fomenkov, Igor V.

IPC分类号： B23H1/00

CPC分类号： H01S3/225 ,  G01J1/4257 ,  G01J3/027 ,  G01J9/0246 ,  G03F7/70025 ,  G03F7/70041 ,  G03F7/70333 ,  G03F7/70483 ,  G03F7/70575 ,  G03F7/70933 ,  H01S3/02 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/038 ,  H01S3/0385 ,  H01S3/0387 ,  H01S3/0404 ,  H01S3/041 ,  H01S3/08009 ,  H01S3/08036 ,  H01S3/097 ,  H01S3/09702 ,  H01S3/0971 ,  H01S3/0975 ,  H01S3/1024 ,  H01S3/104 ,  H01S3/105 ,  H01S3/1055 ,  H01S3/1305 ,  H01S3/134 ,  H01S3/137 ,  H01S3/139 ,  H01S3/22 ,  H01S3/2207 ,  H01S3/223 ,  H01S3/2251 ,  H01S3/2256 ,  H01S3/2258 ,  H01S3/2308

摘要： The present invention provides an excimer laser capable of producing a high quality pulsed laser beam at pulse rates of about 4,000 Hz at pulse energies of about 5mJ or greater. A preferred embodiments is an ArF excimer laser specifically designed as a light source for integrated circuit lithography. An improved wavemeter with special software monitors output beam parameters and controls a very fast PZT driven tuning mirror and the pulse power charging voltage to maintain wavelength and pulse energy within desired limits. In a preferred embodiment two fan motors drive a single tangential fan which provides sufficient gas flow to clear discharge debris from the discharge region during the approximately 0.25 milliseconds between pulses.

公开(公告)号：EP1192689A1

公开(公告)日：2002-04-03

申请号：EP00928454.8

申请日：2000-04-25

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： HOFMANN, Thomas ,  HOWEY, James, K. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  UJAZDOWSKI, Richard, C. ,  WATSON, Tom, A. ,  WEBB, Kyle, R.

IPC分类号： H01S3/22

CPC分类号： G03F7/708 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/225

摘要： A tangential fan (200) and cutoff assembly for recirculating a lasing gas mixture has blade members (264), which vary in circumferential position stepwise from end to end, and/or a tapered anode assembly (120). The number of blade members (264) can be constant or variable between ends. The circumferential position of blade members (264) can shift monotonically or reversibly between ends. Blade members (264) are stiffened by optimally selecting the number and placement of hub members (262) to control the natural vibration frequency of the fan. Methods of forming tangential fans include casting, and machining from a solid block. Monolithic structures can be joined, typically by electron-beam welding. Casting, welding, and machining processes introduce no additional contaminants. Tangential fans produced have mechanical rigidity, accurate tolerances, and low contaminant concentrations. Blade members (264) can be formed into air foil shapes.

公开(公告)号：EP1430573A1

公开(公告)日：2004-06-23

申请号：EP02757140.5

申请日：2002-08-16

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： WATSON, Tom, A. ,  UJAZDOWSKI, Richard, C. ,  IVASCHENKO, Alex, P. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  SANDSTROM, Richard, L. ,  WEBB, Robert, Kyle ,  PALENSCHAT, Frederick, A. ,  HOFMANN, Thomas ,  RETTIG, Curtis, L. ,  NESS, Richard, L. ,  MELCHER, Paul, C. ,  ERSHOV, Alexander, I.

IPC分类号： H01S3/22

CPC分类号： H01S3/0385 ,  G03F7/70025 ,  G03F7/70041 ,  G03F7/70333 ,  G03F7/70575 ,  G03F7/70933 ,  H01S3/0057 ,  H01S3/0071 ,  H01S3/02 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/038 ,  H01S3/0387 ,  H01S3/0404 ,  H01S3/041 ,  H01S3/08009 ,  H01S3/08036 ,  H01S3/097 ,  H01S3/09702 ,  H01S3/0971 ,  H01S3/0975 ,  H01S3/1024 ,  H01S3/104 ,  H01S3/105 ,  H01S3/1055 ,  H01S3/1305 ,  H01S3/134 ,  H01S3/137 ,  H01S3/139 ,  H01S3/22 ,  H01S3/2207 ,  H01S3/223 ,  H01S3/225 ,  H01S3/2251 ,  H01S3/2256 ,  H01S3/2258 ,  H01S3/2333 ,  H01S3/2366

摘要： The present invention provides gas discharge laser systems capable of reliable long-term operation in a production line capacity at repetition rates in the range of 6,000 to 10,000 pulses per second. Preferred embodiments are configured as KrF, ArF and F2 lasers used in photolithography. Improvements include a suction fan (555) in the immediate vicinity of the anode (542) to increase gas flow. The intake of the fan (555) is between the anode (542) and the insulating spacer (544B).

公开(公告)号：EP1391017A1

公开(公告)日：2004-02-25

申请号：EP02769658.2

申请日：2002-04-15

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： WITTAK, Christian, J. ,  PARTLO, William, N. ,  SANDSTROM, Richard, L. ,  MELCHER, Paul, C. ,  JOHNS, David, M. ,  SAETHRE, Robert, B. ,  NESS, Richard, M. ,  RETTIG, Curtis, L. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  UJAZDOWSKI, Richard, C. ,  ROKNI, Shahryar ,  SMITH, Scott ,  ANDERSON, Stuart, L. ,  ALGOTS, John, M. ,  SPANGLER, Ronald, L. ,  FOMENKOV, Igor ,  STEIGER, Thomas, D. ,  EMILO, Jerome, A. ,  TITUS, Clay, C. ,  IVASCHENKO, Alex P. ,  ZAMBON, Paolo ,  PADMABANDU, Gamaralalage G. ,  BRANHAM, Mark S. ,  PHATAK, Sanjay ,  CYBULSKI, Raymond

IPC分类号： H01S3/10 ,  H01S3/04 ,  H01S3/22 ,  H01S3/223

CPC分类号： G03F7/70025 ,  G03F7/70933 ,  H01S3/0057 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/0385 ,  H01S3/041 ,  H01S3/0975 ,  H01S3/134 ,  H01S3/139 ,  H01S3/225 ,  H01S3/2251 ,  H01S3/2256 ,  H01S3/2258 ,  H01S3/2366

摘要： The present invention provides an excimer laser capable of producing a high quality pulsed laser beam at pulse rates of about 4,000 Hz at pulse energies of about 5mJ or greater. A preferred embodiment is an ArF excimer laser specifically designed as a light source for integrated circuit lithography. An improved wavemeter (4K) with special software monitors output beam parameters and controls a very fast PZT driven tuning mirror, which is in a line narrowing module (15K) and the pulse power charging voltage to maintain wavelength and pulse energy within desired limits. In a preferred embodiment two fan motors (16K and 17K) drive a single tangential fan which provides sufficient gas flow to clear discharge debris from the the discharge region during the approximately 0.25 milliseconds between pulses.

公开(公告)号：EP1297594A1

公开(公告)日：2003-04-02

申请号：EP01937186.3

申请日：2001-04-24

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： FLEUROV Vladimir, B. ,  CATES, Michael, C. ,  DU'LYEA, Michael ,  FOMENKOV, Igor, V. ,  GAIDARENKO, Dmitri V. ,  HUEBER, Jean-Marc ,  MORTON, Richard, G. ,  ONKELS, Eckehard, D. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  WINNICK, Ross, H.

IPC分类号： H01S3/22 ,  H01S3/223

CPC分类号： G03F7/70025 ,  G03F7/70041 ,  G03F7/70575 ,  G03F7/70933 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/038 ,  H01S3/0381 ,  H01S3/0385 ,  H01S3/0387 ,  H01S3/041 ,  H01S3/0979 ,  H01S3/22 ,  H01S3/2207 ,  H01S3/223 ,  H01S3/225

摘要： A gas discharge laser having a laser chamber with two elongated erodable electrode elements (83 and 84), each having an erodable section and an electrode support configured to minimize discharge region laser gas turbulence and with the electrode elements being configured to permit gradual erosion over more than 8 billion pulses without causing substantial changes in the shape of electrical discharges between the electrode elements. A pulse power system provides electrical pulses of at least 2J at rates of at least 2 KHz. A blower (4A) circulates laser gas between the electrodes at speeds of at least 2 m/s and a heat exchanger (6A) is provided to remove heat produced by the blower and the discharges.

公开(公告)号：EP1108275A1

公开(公告)日：2001-06-20

申请号：EP99937789.8

申请日：1999-08-04

申请人： Cymer, Inc.

发明人： HOFMANN, Thomas ,  HOWEY, James, K. ,  SHANNON, Robert, A. ,  UJAZDOWSKI, Richard, C. ,  WATSON, Tom, A. ,  WEBB, R., Kyle

IPC分类号： H01S3/22

CPC分类号： G03F7/708 ,  H01S3/036 ,  H01S3/225

摘要： A tangential fan (140) and cutoff assembly for recirculating a lasing gas (108) mixture has blade members (144), which vary in circumferential position stepwise from end to end, and/or a tapered anode assembly (120). The number of blade members (144) can be constant or variable. The circumferential position of blade members (144) can shift monotonically or reversibly between ends. Blade members (144) are stiffened by optimally selecting the number and placement of hub members (212) to control the natural vibration frequency of the fan. Methods of forming tangential fans include casting and machining from a single block. Monolithic structures can be joined, typically from electron-beam welding. Casting, welding, and machining processes introduce no additional contaminants. Tangential fans produced have mechanical rigidity, accurate tolerances, and low contaminant concentrations. Blade members (144) can be formed into air foil shapes.