Kla Corporation

Other

Andrey Evgenievich Stepanov

Ilya Bezel

Leonid Borisovich Zvedenuk

Boris Vasilyevich Potapkin

Matthew Derstine

Nikolay Sherbak

Maksim Alexandrovich Deminskii

Erel Milshtein

Sumeet Kumar

Amir Torkaman

Vitaly K Rerikh

Konstantin Tsigutkin

Alexander Bykanov

Lauren Wilson

Yuriy Gennadievich Kutsenko

Lubomyr Kucher

Aleksandr Vladimirovich Lebedev

Brian Ahr

A plasma lamp for use in a laser-sustained plasma (LSP) light source is disclosed. The plasma lamp includes a gas containment structure for containing a gas, a gas seal positioned at a base of the gas containment structure, a gas inlet, and a gas outlet. The plasma lamp includes a gas swirler including a set of nozzles configured to generate a vortex gas flow and a swirler shaft including an inlet channel for delivering the gas from the gas inlet to the nozzles and an outlet channel for delivering the gas from the gas containment structure to the gas outlet. The plasma lamp includes a distributor including one or more plenums to distribute the gas from the gas inlet into the swirler. The plasma lamp may also include a deflector fluidically coupled to the swirler shaft and extending above the set of nozzles and configured to direct gas flow around the swirler.

Swirler for laser-sustained plasma light source with reverse vortex flow

A system for generating pump illumination for laser sustained plasma (LSP) is disclosed. The system may include an illumination source configured to output a pump beam, one or more focusing optics, and one or more beam shapers configured to reshape the pump beam to provide a shaped pupil power distribution at an illumination pupil plane of the one or more focusing optics. The shaped pupil power distribution may include at least one of a flat-top distribution or an inverted distribution with a central local intensity minimum. Further, the one or more focusing optics may receive the pump beam from the one or more beam shapers and direct the pump beam to a plasma-forming material, whereby the pump beam at least one of forms or maintains a plasma that emits broadband illumination.

System and method for pumping laser sustained plasma with an illumination source having modified pupil power distribution

A laser-sustained plasma (LSP) light source with reverse vortex flow is disclosed. The LSP source includes gas cell including a gas containment structure including a body, neck, and shaft. The gas cell includes one or more gas delivery lines for delivery gas to one or more nozzles positioned in or below the neck of the gas containment structure. The gas cell includes one or more gas inlets and one or more gas outlets arranged to generate a reverse vortex flow within the gas containment structure of the gas cell. The LSP source also includes a laser pump source configured to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma in a region of the gas containment structure. The LSP source includes a light collector element configured to collect at least a portion of broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Laser-sustained plasma light source with reverse vortex flow

A laser-sustained plasma (LSP) light source with vortex gas flow is disclosed. The LSP source includes a gas containment structure for containing a gas, one or more gas inlets configured to flow gas into the gas containment structure, and one or more gas outlets configured to flow gas out of the gas containment structure. The one or more gas inlets and the one or more gas outlets are arranged to generate a vortex gas flow within the gas containment structure. The LSP source also includes a laser pump source configured to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma in a region of the gas containment structure within an inner gas flow within the vortex gas flow. The LSP source includes a light collector element configured to collect at least a portion of broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Laser-sustained plasma light source with gas vortex flow

A method for producing a protective buffer flow in an EUV light source and an EUV mask inspection apparatus are provided. The method includes directing light along a light path from the EUV light source toward a collector. A first buffer gas from a buffer gas injector is injected through a plurality of through holes in the collector. The first buffer gas is directed away from a surface of the collector. A second buffer gas is injected from a ring manifold arranged peripherally to the collector and arranged a first distance toward the light path in relation to the collector. The second buffer gas is directed away from the surface of the collector. The first distance corresponds to a distance from the collector where the first buffer gas merges into a single flow.

Method and apparatus for EUV mask inspection

A broadband light source is disclosed. The broadband light source includes a rotatable gas containment structure. The broadband light source includes a rotational drive system configured to rotate the rotatable gas containment structure about the horizontal axis of rotation of the rotatable gas containment structure. The broadband light source includes a pump source configured to generate pump illumination and a reflector element configured to direct a portion of the pump illumination into the gas to sustain a plasma. The reflector is configured to collect a portion of broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Rotating lamp for laser-sustained plasma illumination source

A system for generating pump illumination for laser sustained plasma (LSP) is disclosed. In embodiments, the system includes an illumination source and a beam shaper. The illumination source can be configured to output illumination having a first pupil power distribution. In embodiments, the beam shaper is configured to receive the illumination having the first pupil power distribution from the illumination source and is further configured to output pump illumination having a second pupil power distribution that is different from the first pupil power distribution.

Growing community of inventors

Moscow, Russia

Andrey Evgenievich Stepanov