Cymer, Inc.

Raymond F Cybulski

William N Partlo

Richard L Sandstrom

Igor Vladimirovich Fomenkov

Alexander Igorevich Ershov

John Martin Algots

Palash P Das

Peter Clarke Newman

Xiaojiang Jason Pan

Jesse D Buck

John T Melchior

William G Hulburd

James K Howey

Alex P Ivaschenko

Clay C Titus

Richard G Morton

Richard M Ness

Richard C Ujazdowski

Tom A Watson

Robert A Bergstedt

Scott T Smith

Thomas A Yager

Eckehard D Onkels

Thomas D Steiger

Paul C Melcher

Stuart L Anderson

Curtis L Rettig

Gamaralalage G Padmabandu

Robert A Shannon

Ronald L Spangler

Shahryar Rokni

Paolo Zambon

Holger K Glatzel

Robert B Saethre

Mark Branham

David M Johns

Joshua C Brown

Christian J Wittak

John Dunlop

Jerome A Emilo

Sunjay Phatak

Holzer K Glatzel

Danilo K Richardson

Michael S Lysik

Gon Wang

Firas F Putris

A line narrowed gas discharge laser system and method of operating same is disclosed which may comprise a dispersive center wavelength selective element; a beam expander comprising a plurality of refractive elements; a refractive element positioning mechanism positioning at least one of the refractive elements to modify an angle of incidence of a laser light beam on the dispersive center wavelength selection element; each of the dispersive center wavelength selection element and the beam expander being aligned with each other and with a housing containing at least the dispersive center wavelength selection element; a housing positioning mechanism positioning the housing with respect to an optical axis of the gas discharge laser system. The dispersive element may comprise a grating and the beam expander may comprise a plurality of prisms. The housing may contain the dispersive center wavelength selective element and the beam expander. The housing positioning element may comprise a position locking mechanism.

Gas discharge laser line narrowing module

A high power narrow band, high repetition rate laser light source optical improvement apparatus and methods are disclosed with a fast angularly positionable mirror having a mirror mounting frame, a reflective optic with a coefficient different from that of the mounting frame, at least one flexure mount fromed in the mounting frame that is flexible having flexure arm attached the flexture to the mounting frame. The apparatus may include a flexure force mechanism having an elongated rod. The force mechanism may pre-stress the flexure. The mirror maybe a grating which includes a substrate with metallic layer formed on the substrate, and a protective coating made of silica formed on the reflective metallic layer. The grating maybe actively tuned using an electro- or magneto-sensitive element. Oxides of the metal in the reflective layer may be removed by a hydrogen purge system exposed to deep ultraviolet radiation.

DUV light source optical element improvements

A helium purge for a grating based line narrowing device for minimizing thermal distortions in line narrowed lasers producing high energy laser beams at high repetition rates. Applicants have shown substantial improvement in performance with the use of helium purge as compared to prior art nitrogen purges. In preferred embodiments a stream of helium gas is directed across the face of the grating. In other embodiments the purge gas pressure is reduced to reduce the optical effects of the hot gas layer.

High power gas discharge laser with helium purged line narrowing unit

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 5 mJ or greater. A preferred embodiment 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.

Four KHz gas discharge laser system

The present invention provides a gas discharge ultraviolet laser capable of producing a high quality pulsed ultraviolet laser beam at pulse rates greater than 2000 Hz at pulse energies at 5 mJ or greater and having an enclosed beam path at least a portion of which comprises an oxidation agent. In a preferred embodiment a portion of the beam path comprises a sealed chamber containing a gas comprising a small concentration of oxygen. In one preferred embodiment the sealed chamber is an etalon chamber and the contained gas is nitrogen with an oxygen concentration of between 1.6 and 2.4 percent. In another preferred embodiments a small concentration of oxygen is added to the purge gas of a special purge compartment containing optical components exposed to high intensity output laser beam.

Gas discharge ultraviolet laser with enclosed beam path with added oxidizer

An excimer laser with a purged beam path capable of producing a high quality pulsed laser beam at pulse rates in excess of 2,000 Hz at pulse energies of about 5 mJ or greater. The entire purged beam path through the laser system is sealed to minimize contamination of the beam path. A preferred embodiment comprises a thermally decoupled LNP aperture element to minimize thermal distortions in the LNP. This preferred embodiment is an ArF excimer laser specifically designed as a light source for integrated circuit lithography. An improved wavemeter is provided with a special purge of a compartment exposed to the output laser beam.

Gas discharge laser with improved beam path

High power gas discharge laser with line narrowing unit

Line narrowing unit with flexural grating mount

The present invention includes a system and method for characterizing the wavelength of a beam of radiation using a known reference transition. The invention comprises a vapor including a material having a transition which absorbs radiation of a known wavelength, the vapor being contained in a container. The container includes an optical path along which the beam of radiation can propagate through the vapor. A dispersive optical element is aligned along the optical path. A detector is aligned along the optical path after the dispersive element. Wavelength information about the beam of radiation is determined from the position of a dip in the detector signal that is correlated to the known reference transition. This method is most useful when the laser bandwidth substantially exceeds the transition bandwidth.

Wavelength reference for laser

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Raymond F Cybulski