Cymer, Inc.

German E Rylov

Richard L Sandstrom

William N Partlo

Alexander Igorevich Ershov

Daniel J W Brown

Igor Vladimirovich Fomenkov

Robert A Bergstedt

Richard M Ness

Richard C Ujazdowski

Herve A Besaucele

Eckehard D Onkels

David S Knowles

David Wayne Myers

William G Hulburd

Scott T Smith

J Martin Algots

Robert Jay Rafac

Robert N Jacques

Thomas Hofmann

Thomas A Yager

Walter Dale Gillespie

Vladimir B Fleurov

Timothy S Dyer

Rajasekhar Rao

Scot T Smith

Brian Strate

Vladimir A Kulgeyko

Daniel J Reiley

Christian J Wittak

Walter Crosby

Michael Wyatt

Edward Arriola

Robin Swain

Ed Danielewicz

John Fitzgerald

Brian D Strate

Martin J Algots

An apparatus is disclosed which may comprise a grating receiving light, a first prism moveable to coarsely select an angle of incidence of the light on the grating, and a second prism moveable to finely select an angle of incidence of the light on the grating. In one application, the apparatus may be used as a line narrowing module for a laser light source.

Line narrowing module

In a first aspect, a lithography apparatus may comprise a mask designed using optical proximity correction (OPC), a pulsed laser source, and an active bandwidth control system configured to increase the bandwidth of a subsequent pulse in response to a measured pulse bandwidth that is below a predetermined bandwidth range and increase a bandwidth of a subsequent pulse in response to a measured pulse bandwidth that is above the predetermined bandwidth range. In another aspect an active bandwidth control system may include an optic for altering a wavefront of a laser beam in a laser cavity of the laser source to selectively adjust an output laser bandwidth in response to the control signal. In yet another aspect, the bandwidth of a laser having a wavelength variation across an aperture may be actively controlled by an aperture blocking element that is moveable to adjust a size of the aperture.

Active bandwidth control for a laser

An apparatus and method which may comprise a pulsed gas discharge laser which may comprise a seed laser portion; an amplifier portion receiving the seed laser output and amplifying the optical intensity of each seed pulse; a pulse stretcher which may comprise: a first beam splitter operatively connected with the first delay path and a second pulse stretcher operatively connected with the second delay path; a first optical delay path tower containing the first beam splitter; a second optical delay path tower containing the second beam splitter; one of the first and second optical delay paths may comprise: a plurality of mirrors defining the respective optical delay path including mirrors located in the first tower and in the second tower; the other of the first and second optical delay paths may comprise: a plurality of mirrors defining the respective optical delay path including mirrors only in one of the first tower and the second tower.

Immersion lithography laser light source with pulse stretcher

A line narrowing method and module for a narrow band DUV high power high repetition rate gas discharge laser producing output laser light pulse beam pulses in bursts of pulses, the module having a nominal optical path are disclosed which may comprise: a dispersive center wavelength selection optic moveably mounted within an optical path of the line narrowing module, selecting at least one center wavelength for each pulse determined at least in part by the angle of incidence of the laser light pulse beam containing the respective pulse on the dispersive wavelength selection optic; a first tuning mechanism operative in part to select the angle of incidence of the laser light pulse beam containing the respective pulse upon the dispersive center wavelength selection optic, by selecting an angle of transmission of the laser light pulse beam containing the pulse toward the dispersive center wavelength selection optic; a second tuning mechanism operative in part to select the angle of incidence of the laser light pulse beam containing the respective pulse by changing the position of the dispersive center wavelength selection optic relative to the nominal optical path of the line narrowing module; wherein the second tuning mechanism coarsely selects a value for the center wavelength and the first tuning mechanism more finely selects the value for the center wavelength. The apparatus and method may further comprise at least one beam expanding and redirecting prism in the optical path of the line narrowing module; the first tuning mechanism selecting an angle of incidence of the at least a first spatially defined portion of the laser light pulse beam by changing the position of the at least one beam expanding prism relative to the nominal optical path of the line narrowing module. The first and second tuning mechanisms may be controlled by a center wavelength controller during a burst based upon feedback from a center wavelength detector detecting the center wavelength of at least one other pulse in the burst of pulses and the controller providing the feedback based upon an algorithm employing the detected center wavelength for the at least one other pulse in the burst. The first tuning mechanism may comprise an electro-mechanical course positioning mechanism and a fine positioning mechanism comprising an actuatable material that changes position or shape when actuated.

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 are provided, one of which is a part of a master oscillator producing a very narrow band seed beam which is amplified 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 a Flaser 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 providing sufficient gas flow to permit operation at pulse rates of 4000 Hz or greater by clearing debris from the discharge region in less time than the approximately 0.25 milliseconds between pulses. The master oscillator is equipped with a line selection package for selecting the strongest Fspectral line.

[object Object]

An apparatus and method are disclosed for operating a narrow band short pulse duration gas discharge laser output light pulse beam producing system, producing a beam comprising laser output light pulses at a selected pulse repetition rate, which may comprise: a dispersive center wavelength selection optic selecting at least one center wavelength for each pulse determined at least in part by the angle of incidence of the laser light pulse beam containing the respective pulse on the dispersive wavelength selection optic; a tuning mechanism operative to select at least one angle of incidence of a first spatially defined portion of the laser light pulse beam containing the respective pulse upon the dispersive center wavelength selection optic; and, the tuning mechanism comprising a variably refractive optical element defining a plurality of refractive angular displacements of the first spatially defined portion of the laser light pulse beam passing through the variably refractive optical element at one of a plurality of positions of incidence of the laser light pulse beam on the variably refractive optical element. The variably refractive optical element may comprise: a first generally flat face defining a surface of incidence for the laser light pulse beam; and, a second multifaceted or curved face defining a plurality of generally flat surfaces of exit or a continuously varying surface of exit for the laser light beam. Other aspects of pulse parameter metrology and pulse modulation control, including in response to signals from the utilization tool are disclosed, e.g., relating to proper dose control with differing center wavelength spectra.

Relax gas discharge laser lithography light source

Line selected F2 two chamber laser system

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 are provided, one of which is a part of a master oscillator producing a very narrow band seed beam which is amplified 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 a F 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 providing sufficient gas flow to permit operation at pulse rates of 4000 Hz or greater by clearing debris from the discharge region in less time than the approximately 0.25 milliseconds between pulses. The master oscillator is equipped with a line selection package for selecting the strongest F spectral line.

The present invention provides 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 to 10 mJ or greater for integrated outputs of about 20 to 40 Watts or greater. Two separate discharge chambers are provided, one of which is a part of a master oscillator producing a very narrow band seed beam which is amplified in the second discharge chamber. The parameters chamber can be controlled separately permitting optimization of wavelength parameters in the master oscillator and optimization of pulse energy parameters in the amplifying chamber. A preferred embodiment is a F laser system configured as a MOPA and specifically designed for use as a light source for integrated circuit lithography. In this preferred embodiment, both of the chambers and the laser optics are mounted on a vertical optical table within a laser enclosure. In the preferred MOPA embodiment, each chamber comprises a single tangential fan providing sufficient gas flow to permit operation at pulse rates of 4000 Hz or greater by clearing debris from the discharge region in less time than the approximately 0.25 milliseconds between pulses. The master oscillator is operated with a fluorine partial pressure and total gas pressure within specified ranges in order to reduce the intensity of the weak line to less than 0.01% of the strong line. Therefore, the need for line selection optical equipment is avoided.

Two chamber F2 laser system with F2 pressure based line selection

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Poway, CA, United States of America

German E Rylov