Cymer, Inc.

Active Control Experts, Inc.

Other

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Robert N Jacques

William N Partlo

John A Rule

Igor Vladimirovich Fomenkov

Alexander Igorevich Ershov

Richard L Sandstrom

Jacob P Lipcon

Kenneth B Lazarus

John Martin Algots

Jeffrey W Moore

Toshihiko Ishihara

Richard M Ness

Paul C Melcher

Daniel J W Brown

Farla M Russo

Ivan Lalovic

Armen Kroyan

Fedor Trintchouk

Kevin M O'Brien

Herve A Besaucele

Rajasekhar Rao

Marco Giovanardi

David J Warkentin

Robert A Bergstedt

Norbert R Bowering

Matthew Graham

Thomas D Steiger

Edward F Crawley

Stuart L Anderson

Vladimir B Fleurov

David Wayne Myers

Robert P Akins

I Roger Oliver

Ronald L Spangler

Wayne J Dunstan

John P Fallon

Emanuele Bianchini

Jonathan C Allen

John Meisner

Ronald Spangler

Frederick A Palenschat

Carl Prestia

David Gilbert

Mansour Ashtiani

German E Rylov

Baruch Pletner

James H Crouch

John Viatella

Kenneth Alan Gassman

Jun Song

George J Everage

Andrew Liu

Huckleberry B Dorn

Ian Roger Oliver

Elizabeth Marsh

Christian J Wittak

John Fitzgerald

Ed Danielewicz

Robin Swain

Edward Arriola

Michael Wyatt

Walter Crosby

Betsy Marsh

Aravind Ratnam

Rale Richard Wolf

Rajasekhar M Rao

Martin J Algots

Fedor B Trintchouk

Described herein are embodiments of a method to control energy dose output from a laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet light system by adjusting timing of fired laser beam pulses. During stroboscopic firing, pulses are timed to lase droplets until a dose target of EUV has been achieved. Once accumulated EUV reaches the dose target, pulses are timed so as to not lase droplets during the remainder of the packet, and thereby prevent additional EUV light generation during those portions of the packet. In a continuous burst mode, pulses are timed to irradiate droplets until accumulated burst error meets or exceeds a threshold burst error. If accumulated burst error meets or exceeds the threshold burst error, a next pulse is timed to not irradiate a next droplet. Thus, the embodiments described herein manipulate pulse timing to obtain a constant desired dose target that can more precisely match downstream dosing requirements.

Method of timing laser beam pulses to regulate extreme ultraviolet light dosing

A method and apparatus are disclosed for controlling bandwidth in a multi-portion laser system comprising a first line narrowed oscillator laser system portion providing a line narrowed seed pulse to an amplifier laser system portion, may comprise utilizing a timing difference curve defining a relationship between a first laser system operating parameter other than bandwidth and the timing difference and also a desired point on the curve defining a desired timing difference, wherein each unique operating point on the curve corresponds to a respective bandwidth value; determining an actual offset from the timing difference at the desired point on the curve to an actual operating point on the curve; determining an error between the actual offset and a desired offset corresponding to a desired bandwidth; modifying the firing differential timing to remove the error between the actual offset and the desired offset.

Multi-chamber gas discharge laser bandwidth control through discharge timing

According to aspects of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, a line narrowed high average power high pulse repetition laser micro-photolithography light source bandwidth control method and apparatus are disclosed which may comprise a bandwidth metrology module measuring the bandwidth of a laser output light pulse beam pulse produced by the light source and providing a bandwidth measurement; a bandwidth error signal generator receiving the bandwidth measurement and a bandwidth setpoint and providing a bandwidth error signal; an active bandwidth controller providing a fine bandwidth correction actuator signal and a coarse bandwidth correction actuator signal responsive to the bandwidth error. The fine bandwidth correction actuator and the coarse bandwidth correction actuator each may induce a respective modification of the light source behavior that reduces bandwidth error. The coarse and fine bandwidth correction actuators each may comprise a plurality of bandwidth correction actuators.

Active spectral control of DUV laser light source

The present invention provides a control system for a modular high repetition rate two discharge chamber ultraviolet gas discharge laser. In preferred embodiments, the laser is a production line machine with a master oscillator producing a very narrow band seed beam which is amplified in the second discharge chamber. Feedback timing control techniques are provided for controlling the relative timing of the discharges in the two chambers with an accuracy in the range of about 2 to 5 billionths of a second even in burst mode operation. This MOPA system is capable of output pulse energies approximately double the comparable single chamber laser system with greatly improved beam quality.

Control system for a two chamber gas discharge laser system

According to aspects of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, a line narrowed high average power high pulse repetition laser micro-photolithography light source bandwidth control method and apparatus are disclosed which may comprise a bandwidth metrology module measuring the bandwidth of a laser output flight pulse beam pulse produced by the light source and providing a bandwidth measurement; a bandwidth error signal generator receiving the bandwidth measurement and a bandwidth setpoint and providing a bandwidth error signal; an active bandwidth controller providing a fine bandwidth correction actuator signal and a coarse bandwidth correction actuator signal responsive to the bandwidth error. The fine bandwidth correction actuator and the coarse bandwidth correction actuator each may induce a respective modification of the light source behavior that reduces bandwidth error. The coarse and fine bandwidth correction actuators each may comprise a plurality of bandwidth correction actuators.

Active spectral control of DUV light source

A method and apparatus are disclosed which may comprise predicting the gas lifetime for a gas discharge laser light source for a photolithography process, the light source comprising a halogen containing lasing gas may comprise: utilizing at least one of a plurality of laser operating input and/or output parameters; utilizing a set of at least one parameter of utilization in the photolithography process to determine a gas use model in relation to the respective input or output parameter; predicting the end of gas life based upon the model and a measurement of the respective input or output parameter. The parameter may comprise a pulse utilization pattern. The method and apparatus may comprise performing gas management for a gas discharge laser light source for a photolithography process, the light source comprising a halogen containing lasing gas comprising: utilizing periodic and frequent partial gas refills comprising an inject comprising a mixture of halogen gas and bulk gas in generally the same ration as the premix ratio provided to the laser in a full gas refill, and in an amount less than two percent of the total gas pressure prior to the injection.

Laser gas injection system

A method and apparatus is disclosed which may comprise: a gas discharge laser system energy controller which may comprise: a laser system energy controller providing a first laser operating parameter control signal based on an error signal related to a value of the output energy of the laser system compared to a target value for output energy and an energy controller model of the value of the first laser operating parameter necessary to change the value of the laser system output energy to the target value; a first laser system operating parameter control signal modifier providing a modification to the first laser system operating parameter control signal based upon a controller signal modification model of the impact of a second laser system operating parameter on the value of the first laser system operating parameter necessary to change the value of the output energy to the target value.

Ultraviolet laser light source pulse energy control system

According to aspects of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, method and apparatus are disclose that may comprise adjusting a differential timing between gas discharges in the seed laser and amplifier laser for bandwidth control, based on the error signal, or for control of another laser operating parameter other than bandwidth, without utilizing any beam magnification control, or adjusting a differential timing between gas discharges in the seed laser and amplifier laser for bandwidth control, based on the error signal, or for control of another laser operating parameter other than bandwidth, while utilizing beam magnification control for other than bandwidth control, and adjusting a differential timing between gas discharges in the seed laser and amplifier laser for bandwidth control, based on the error signal, or for control of another laser operating parameter other than bandwidth, while utilizing beam magnification control for bandwidth control based on the error signal.

Method and apparatus for stabilizing and tuning the bandwidth of laser light

A laser control system contains an oscillator gas chamber and an amplifier gas chamber. A first voltage input is operatively connected to deliver electrical pulses to a first pair of electrodes within the oscillator gas chamber and a second pair of electrodes within the amplifier gas chamber. An output of the gas chambers is an energy dose calculated by a trapezoidal window. A control circuit connects to the first voltage input for modifying the first voltage input. A feedback control loop communicates an output of the gas chambers to the control circuit for modifying the first voltage input.

Method and apparatus for laser control in a two chamber gas discharge laser

A multi-chambered excimer or molecular halogen gas discharge laser system comprising at least one oscillator chamber and at least one amplifier chamber producing oscillator output laser light pulses that are amplified in the at least one power chamber, having a fluorine injection control system and a method of using same is disclosed, which may comprise: a halogen gas consumption estimator: estimating the amount of halogen gas that has been consumed in one of the at least one oscillator chamber based upon at least a first operating parameter of one of the least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and the difference between a second operating parameter of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and estimating the amount of halogen gas that has been consumed in the other of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber based upon at least a third operating parameter of the other of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and producing an output representative of an estimated halogen gas consumption in the at least one oscillator chamber and of the halogen gas consumption in the at least one amplifier chamber, and a halogen gas injection controller determining the amount of halogen gas injection for the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber based upon the estimated fluorine consumption outputs from the fluorine consumption estimator and a cost function comprising a plurality of weighted injection decision determinations.

Multi-chambered excimer or molecular fluorine gas discharge laser fluorine injection control

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 gas discharge laser system bandwidth control mechanism and method of operation for controlling bandwidth in a laser output light pulse generated in the gas discharge laser system is disclosed which may comprise a bandwidth controller which may comprise an active bandwidth adjustment mechanism; a controller actively controlling the active bandwidth adjustment mechanism utilizing an algorithm implementing bandwidth thermal transient correction based upon a model of the impact of laser system operation on the wavefront of the laser light pulse being generated and line narrowed in the laser system as it is incident on the bandwidth adjustment mechanism. The controller algorithm may comprises a function of the power deposition history in at least a portion of an optical train of the gas discharge laser system, e.g., a linear function, e.g., a combination of a plurality of decay functions each comprising a respective decay time constant and a respective coefficient.

Method and apparatus for gas discharge laser bandwidth and center wavelength control

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Andover, MA, United States of America

Robert N Jacques