Cymer, Inc.

Other

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Advanced Pulse Power Technologies, Inc.

Tom A Watson

Richard C Ujazdowski

Palash P Das

Richard G Morton

Richard L Sandstrom

William N Partlo

Igor Vladimirovich Fomenkov

R Kyle Webb

Thomas Hofmann

Robert A Shannon

Alex P Ivaschenko

Paolo Zambon

Alexander Igorevich Ershov

Richard M Ness

Thomas Patrick Duffey

Donald G Larson

Thomas D Steiger

Timothy S Dyer

Bryan George Moosman

Curtis L Rettig

Gamaralalage G Padmabandu

James K Howey

Jason R Carlesi

Muljadi Tantra

Herve A Besaucele

Paul S Thompson

Daniel Anthony Rothweil

Robert G Ozarski

Shahryar Rokni

James H Azzola

Joseph Conway

Mengxiong Gong

David J Tammadge

Parthiv S Patel

Jeffrey W Moen

Roger L Green

Christopher G Rowan

Robert E Weeks

John P Quitter

Mark R Lewis

Tibor Juhasz

Walter Dean Gillespie

Peter Clarke Newman

Daniel L Birx

Xiaojiang Jason Pan

John Martin Algots

Steven Merrill Harrington

Thomas A Yager

Anthony John De Ruyter

Walter Dale Gillespie

Paul C Melcher

Toshihiko Ishihara

David S Knowles

David Wayne Myers

John A Rule

I Roger Oliver

Raymond F Cybulski

Frederick A Palenschat

Dmitry Berger

Michael P C Watts

Joshua C Brown

Michael C Binder

Carl E Tedesco, Ii

Daniel G Patterson

Philip J Marusek

Peter J Bailey

John Dunlop

Firas F Putris

Omez S Mesina

Weijie Zheng

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

The present invention relates to a fluorine gas discharge laser system and control of replenishment of fluorine gas as the gas discharge laser operates and consumes fluorine.

Method and apparatus for controlling the output of a gas discharge laser system

A system for a monitoring lithography lasers at integrated circuit fabrication plants. Each laser at each fabrication plant has associated with it a terminal server. With respect to each fabrication plant a central control server unit is in communication with each of the lasers through a local area network. Information from the lasers is collected by the central control server unit and the information is used to provide summary information which is made available in a web site format to interested parties having access authorization.

Process monitoring system for lithography lasers

The present invention provides a gas discharge laser having at least one long-life elongated electrode for producing at least 12 billion high voltage electric discharges in a fluorine containing laser gas. In a preferred embodiment at least one of the electrodes is comprised of a first material having a relatively low anode erosion rate and a second anode material having a relatively higher anode erosion rate. The first anode material is positioned at a desired anode discharge region of the electrode. The second anode material is located adjacent to the first anode material along at least two long sides of the first material. During operation of the laser erosion occurs on both materials but the higher erosion rate of the second material assures that any tendency of the discharge to spread onto the second material will quickly erode away the second material enough to stop the spread of the discharge. In a preferred embodiment the anode is as described above and the cathode is also a two-material electrode with the first material at the discharge region being C26000 brass and the second material being C36000 brass. A pulse power system provides electrical pulses at rates of at least 1 KHz. A blower circulates laser gas between the electrodes at speeds of at least 5 m/s and a heat exchanger is provided to remove heat produced by the blower and the discharges.

High rep-rate laser with improved electrodes

Methods and apparatus are provided for cleaning and passivating laser discharge chambers with plasmas. In one embodiment, an oxygen based plasma is formed in a plasma source external to the laser discharge chamber by applying a radiofrequency signal to oxygen containing gases. The oxygen based plasma is drawn into the laser discharge chamber, where it reacts with contaminants and cleans internal surfaces. After cleaning, a fluorine based plasma is formed in the plasma source and drawn into the laser discharge chamber to passivate internal surfaces. In another embodiment, cleaning with the oxygen based plasma is not used since some level of cleaning is accomplished with the fluorine based plasma. In another embodiment, oxygen based plasmas and fluorine based plasmas are formed in the laser discharge chamber by applying a radiofrequency signal to a laser discharge chamber electrode. Plasma cleaning and passivation of laser discharge chambers is safer, more efficient, and more effective than conventional thermal cleaning and passivation processes.

Laser discharge chamber passivation by plasma

The present invention provides gas discharge laser systems capable of reliable long-term operation in a production line capacity at repetition rates in the range of 6,000 to 10,0000 pulses power second. Preferred embodiments are configured as KrF, ArF and Flasers used for light sources for integrated circuit lithography. Improvements include a modified high voltage power supply capable for charging an initial capacitor of a magnetic compression pulse power system to precise target voltages 6,000 to 10,0000 times per second and a feedback control for monitoring pulse energy and determining the target voltages on a pulse-by-pulse basis. Several techniques are disclosed for removing discharge created debris from the discharge region between the laser electrodes during the intervals between discharges. In one embodiment the width of the discharge region is reduced from about 3 mm to about 1 mm so that a gas circulation system designed for 4,000 Hz operation could be utilized for 10,000 Hz operation. In other embodiments the gas flow between the electrodes is increased sufficiently to permit 10,000 Hz operation with a discharge region width of 3 mm. To provide these substantial increased gas flow rates, Applicants have disclosed preferred embodiments utilize tangential forms of the prior art but with improved and more powerful motors and novel bearing designs. New bearing designs include both ceramic bearings and magnetic bearings. In other embodiments, some or all of the gas circulation power is provided with a blower located outside the laser chamber. The outside blower can be located in the laser cabinet or in separate location.

Six to ten KHz, or greater gas discharge laser system

An electric discharge laser with an associated programmable controller which (1) will permit an operator to specify beam quality parameters based on historical data (2) will monitor those parameters and (3) will provide a notification signal to the operator informing him when the beam quality is adequate for integrated circuit fabrication. The controller is programmed to indicate an out-of-control condition when one or more quality parameters exhibit certain specified non-random behavior such as two out of three quality measurements deviating by more than 4 standard deviations and/or three out of four quality measurements deviating by more three standard deviations. In a preferred embodiment the program is designed to detect poor quality by looking for these &ldquo;runs&rdquo; of bad quantity data and to produce false indication of system out of control, on the average, no more than once each two months.

Laser lithography quality alarm system

A lithograph quality optimization process for controlling laser beam parameters when changing operating modes. The laser is programmed to automatically conduct an optimization procedure preferably in less than one minute to adjust laser operating parameters such as blower speed, total gas pressure and F partial pressure in order to optimize beam quality parameters.

Control technique for microlithography lasers

Energy efficient lithography laser

An excimer laser system with a real time fluorine monitor and an automatic fluorine control system to permit precise control of the fluorine concentration within the laser chamber. Cleaned laser gas is extracted from the laser chamber and directed through an F,sample cell prior to returning to the chamber through one of the chamber window housings. A UV light beam is directed through the F,sample cell and the amount of absorption of the light is measured. In preferred embodiments the absorption is measured by detecting with a photo detector the amount of light which passes through the cell. The photo detector provides a feedback signal which is used by a laser controller to automatically control fluorine concentration in the chamber to within desired ranges. In another preferred embodiment an acoustic detector detects acoustic signals resulting from absorbed light pulses. This invention provides a substantially real time measurement of fluorine concentration.

Fluorine control system with fluorine monitor

A line narrowed ultraviolet laser having a line narrowing system which includes a grating and an all reflective beam expander. In a preferred embodiment, the beam expander consists of a relatively small circular cylindrical mirror and relatively larger elliptical cylindrical mirror and the grating is an eschelle grating mounted in a Littrow configuration.

Beam expander for ultraviolet lasers

Growing community of inventors

Carlsbad, CA, United States of America

Tom A Watson