Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho

Noritoshi Ito

Osamu Wakabayashi

Yoshiho Amada

Hakaru Mizoguchi

Masahiko Kowaka

Junichi Fujimoto

Koichi Kajiyama

Yasuhiro Nozue

Kaoru Saito

Yasao Itakura

A malfunction signal indicating that a laser device is malfunctioning is output from a misfire detector when the oscillation of a laser beam is detected by a laser oscillation detector in an event that no laser oscillation command is detected by a laser oscillation command detector. Another malfunction signal indicating that the laser device is malfunctioning is output from the malfunction detector when no oscillation of a laser beam is detected by the laser oscillation detector at a prescribed time after a laser oscillation command has been detected by the laser oscillation command detector. The troubled part (thyratron or charging circuit) in the laser device is located based on the detection results of the malfunction detector.

Device for detecting malfunctions in laser devices

Output controller for laser device

A laser device is capable reducing fluctuation of the beam width of the output laser beam due to abrasion of its discharge electrodes. A part of the contour shape of a section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the chamber of the laser device in at least one of the electrodes, which part confronts the other one of the electrodes, has a shape of a circular arc having a predetermined radius. The width of at least one of the two electrode may be substantially equal to the width of electric discharge taken place between the electrodes. Further, a conductor member may be disposed on each side of the electrode along its longitudinal axis to reduce electric field strength therearound.

Laser device having an electrode with auxiliary conductor members

Laser device

An apparatus used for elimination of the influence of spiking in an excimer laser device. The values of predetermined parameters which contribute to the spiking such as oscillation suspension time in a successive pulse oscillation are obtained. Discharge voltage for each of the successive laser beam pulses is changed on the basis of the obtained parameter values such that subsequent successive laser beam pulses have the same energy. The discharge voltage is stored according to time elapsed after the start of the successive pulse oscillation, and discharge voltage is controlled such that stored discharge voltage corresponds to the measured elapsed time. During the time when a stepper is not performing processing using the laser beam, the laser beam pulse is oscillated under predetermined conditions and the energy of the resulting pulses is detected. The stored discharge voltage is corrected on the basis of the detected magnitude of the pulse energy, a desired magnitude of the pulse energy and the predetermined conditions. The discharge voltage is controlled such that the corrected discharge voltage is obtained during the time when the stepper performs the processing using the laser beam.

Apparatus for controlling output of an excimer laser device

Apparatus for controlling output from an excimer laser device

Multi-mode narrow-band oscillation excimer laser

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Noritoshi Ito