Cymer, Inc.

Edward Siqi Luo

Walter Dale Gillespie

Yzzer Roman Gutierrez

Dinesh Adinath Kanawade

Richard C Ujazdowski

Joshua Jon Thornes

Thomas D Steiger

Rahul Ahlawat

Gamaralalage G Padmabandu

Andrew Jay Effenberger, Jr

Mohammad Amin Khamehchi

Shuang Xu

A pulsed-discharge radiation source includes a gas chamber, a window, and a conduit system. The conduit system includes a refill path and a conduit. The pulsed-discharge radiation source generates radiation. The gas chamber confines a gas and contaminants produced during the generation of radiation. The window isolates the gas from an environment external to the gas chamber and allows the radiation to travel between the gas chamber and the environment. The refill path allows a replacement of the gas. The conduit circulates the gas to or from the gas chamber during the generating. The conduit system directs a flow of one of a refill gas, the gas, or the refill gas and the gas at least during a refill operation to prevent the contaminant from contacting the window, whereby the conduit system increases the usable lifetime of at least the window.

Conduit system, radiation source, lithographic apparatus, and methods thereof

A gas recycle system includes a gas purifier system; a gas analysis system; a gas blending system that prepares a recycled gas mixture; and a control system configured to: determine whether a measured amount of at least one intended gas component is within a first range of acceptable values; and determine whether a measured amount of the at least one impurity gas component is within a second range of acceptable values. If the measured amount of the at least one intended gas component is not within the first range of acceptable values, the control system causes the gas blending system to add an additional gas component to the purified gas mixture to prepare the recycled gas mixture; and if the measured amount of the at least one impurity gas is not within the second range of acceptable values, the control system generates an error signal.

Gas management system

A gas chamber supply system includes a gas source configured to fluidly connect to a gas chamber and to supply a gas mixture to the gas chamber, the gas source including: a pre-prepared gas supply including a gas mixture, the gas mixture including a plurality of gas components and lacking a halogen; a recycled gas supply including the gas mixture; and a fluid flow switch connected to the pre-prepared gas supply and to the recycled gas supply. The gas chamber supply also includes a control system configured to: determine if the relative concentration between the gas components within the recycled gas supply is within an acceptable range; and provide a signal to the fluid flow switch to thereby select one of the pre-prepared gas supply and the recycled gas supply to as the gas source based on the determination.

An apparatus includes: a gas maintenance system having a gas supply system fluidly connected to one or more gas discharge chambers; a detection apparatus fluidly connected to each gas discharge chamber; and a control system connected to the gas maintenance system and the detection apparatus. The detection apparatus includes: a vessel defining a reaction cavity that houses a metal oxide and is fluidly connected to the gas discharge chamber for receiving mixed gas including fluorine from the gas discharge chamber in the reaction cavity, the vessel enabling a reaction between the fluorine of the received mixed gas and the metal oxide to form a new gas mixture including oxygen; and an oxygen sensor fluidly connected to the new gas mixture to sense an amount of oxygen within the new gas mixture. The control system is configured to estimate a concentration of fluorine in the received mixed gas.

Fluorine detection in a gas discharge light source

Disclosed is a laser discharge chamber in which useful lifetime is extended by local electrical tuning using one or a combination of design of the chamber internal geometry, placement and distribution of components within the chamber such as electrodes, current returns, and capacitors, and selective electrical isolation of portions of the components.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Edward Siqi Luo