Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho

Komatsu Corporation

Yoshiho Amada

Osamu Wakabayashi

Hakaru Mizoguchi

Noritoshi Ito

Junichi Fujimoto

Hiroshi Komori

Masahiko Kowaka

Yukio Kobayashi

Tatsuo Mimura

Gas laser

Laser appartus

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

An excimer laser apparatus is provided with a compact high efficiency dust particle removal means which is capable of maintaining the windows clean with only a small volume of purging gas, and which prevents deterioration of aperture masks without having to increase the cavity length or risking the possibility of leakage from piping connections. The excimer laser apparatus uses, as dust particle removal means, filters (13a and 13b) made of metal or ceramic which is non-reactive with fluorine. A ground potential dust collector can be provided at a downstream side of a static dust particle remover, having an anode and a cathode, for collecting any dust particles which have passed through the static dust particle remover. In addition, clean laser medium gas can be introduced into subchambers (14a and 14b) through gas introducing passages (11a and 11b) provided in the walls of the housing (1) and then into the laser chamber (12) through labyrinths (8a and 8b) without disturbing the clean gas which stays near the internal surfaces of the windows (6a and 6b).

Excimer laser apparatus

A gas laser apparatus in which a gas medium in a case and a lubricant for bearings supporting a blower for circulating the gas medium are isolated from each other, so that the lubricant can be prevented from mixing into the gas medium while no substantially large resistance is applied to the blower drive. To isolate the gas medium and the lubricant, magnetic fluid shaft seals (10, 11) are used for sealing between the lubricant for the bearings (6) for supporting rotation shafts (3a, 3b) of the blower (3) and the gas medium in the case (1).

Gas laser apparatus

Laser wavelength control apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Yoshiho Amada