CYMER, LLC Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20150355025 | Estimation of Spectral Feature of Pulsed Light Beam - A method is described for estimating a spectral feature of a pulsed light beam produced by an optical source and directed toward a wafer of a lithography apparatus. The method includes receiving a set of N optical spectra of pulses of the light beam; saving the received N optical spectra to a saved set; transforming the optical spectra in the saved set to form a set of transformed optical spectra; averaging the transformed optical spectra to form an averaged spectrum; and estimating a spectral feature of the pulsed light beam based on the averaged spectrum. | 12-10-2015 |
20150230325 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR LASER PRODUCED PLASMA EUV LIGHT SOURCE - A system for producing EUV light using a drive laser beam to irradiate a stream of material droplets. There is included a monitoring system for monitoring at least one of drive laser beam reflection from the drive laser beam and EUV radiation pulses and producing a detector signal, the detector signal being a pulse train. There is also included an arrangement for analyzing the detector signal to ascertain whether there exists at least one satellite droplet in the stream of material droplets. | 08-13-2015 |
20150156855 | APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF SOURCE MATERIAL DELIVERY IN A LASER PRODUCED PLASMA EUV LIGHT SOURCE - A device and method are disclosed in which gas is caused to flow parallel to a flow of source material to form a gas shroud. The gas shroud may protect flow of source material from being disrupted by a cross flow of gas. The gas shroud may also limit heating of a physical shroud through which the source material passes and limit accumulation of source material on the physical shroud by deforming a plasma bubble formed during irradiation of the source material so that the plasma bubble does not come too near the physical shroud. A device and method are also disclosed for establishing an additional transverse flow of gas so that the gas shroud does not cause source material contamination of an optic used to collect light generated during irradiation of the source material. | 06-04-2015 |
20150138631 | Systems and Methods to More Accurately Estimate a Fluorine Concentration in a Source Laser - In master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) systems for generating laser light, a fluorine concentration in each of the master oscillator and power amplifier chambers is maintained. While sensors at the chambers can measure certain values of some variables, the sensors do not directly measure fluorine concentration. As a further complication, the values received from the sensors are known to be affected by various specified variables. To estimate the effect on the received values, an RLS algorithm and covariance matrix are used. To ensure that the RLS algorithm is responsive to recent changes in a specified variable, portions of the covariance matrix are reset to more quickly and more heavily weight the more recent values. | 05-21-2015 |
20150137011 | System and Method for Correcting the Focus of a Laser Beam - Focus of a laser optical system can be corrected using a variable radius mirror having a focusing cavity and a separate cooling cavity. Pressure of a focusing material at a sufficiently low mass flow in the focusing cavity deforms a reflective surface mounted to the focusing cavity, changing its radius. Cooling material provided to the cooling cavity cools the variable radius mirror. A laser beam is reflected by the deformed reflecting surface to focusing optics, focusing the reflected laser beam on an EUV-emitting target, and minimizing a laser focus error by one or more of: maximizing a measured EUV power or minimizing a measured laser beam divergence. Providing focusing material at a deformation pressure and at a sufficiently low mass flow, and providing a separate cooling cavity, avoids perturbations in the reflective surface which would otherwise affect laser beam focus. | 05-21-2015 |
20150083936 | System and Method for Creating and Utilizing Dual Laser Curtains From a Single Laser in an LPP EUV Light Source - A method and apparatus for creating and utilizing dual laser curtains from a single laser source in a laser produced plasma (LPP) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light system is disclosed. A polarizing beam splitter creates two beams of orthogonal polarization from a single laser, and the beams are used to generate two laser curtains. Sensors detect flashes from droplets of target material as they pass through the curtains. One sensor may detect the position of the droplets relative to a desired trajectory to the irradiation site so that the orientation of a droplet generator may be adjusted to direct subsequent droplets to the irradiation site, as in the prior art. A second sensor may detect each droplet as it passes through a curtain to determine when a source laser should generate a pulse so that the pulse will arrive at the irradiation site at the same time as the droplet, so that a signal may be sent to the source laser to fire at the correct time. | 03-26-2015 |
20150062544 | APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION IN HIGH POWER FOCUSING SYSTEM FOR EUV LPP SOURCE - Apparatus for and method of temperature compensating a focusing system in having at least one transmissive optical element with a thermal lens. A reflective optical element is introduced having a thermal lens complementary to the thermal lens of the transmissive optical element so that the combined optical characteristics of the two optical elements are substantially temperature independent. Provision can also be made for a change in the absorption of the transmissive optical element over time. The focusing system is especially applicable to systems for generating EUV light for use in semiconductor photolithography. | 03-05-2015 |
20150041659 | System and Method for Return Beam Metrology with Optical Switch - Extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) is produced in a laser-produced plasma (LPP) EUV light source when laser light strikes a target. Measuring reflected light from the target by a Return Beam Diagnostics (RBD) module provides data on EUV production, including but not limited to target position, target focus, target shape, and target profile. In a RBD module, a controller sequences an optical switch to direct the reflected light between a blocking element and a sensing device, providing greater flexibility in measuring the reflected light during different aspects of the EUV generation process, such as different power levels and duty cycles of the laser light striking the target. | 02-12-2015 |
20140146387 | Master Oscillator-Power Amplifier Drive Laser With Pre-Pulse for EUV Light Source - A device is described herein which may comprise an optical amplifier having a gain band including wavelengths λ | 05-29-2014 |
20140145096 | EUV Light Source With Subsystem(s) For Maintaining LPP Drive Laser Output During EUV Non-Output Periods - A device is disclosed herein which may comprise a droplet generator producing droplets of target material; a sensor providing an intercept time signal when a droplet reaches a preselected location; a delay circuit coupled with said sensor, the delay circuit generating a trigger signal delayed from the intercept time signal; a laser source responsive to a trigger signal to produce a laser pulse; and a system controlling said delay circuit to provide a trigger signal delayed from the intercept time by a first delay time to generate a light pulse that is focused on a droplet and a trigger signal delayed from the intercept time by a second delay time to generate a light pulse which is not focused on a droplet. | 05-29-2014 |
20140110609 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OPTICS CLEANING IN AN EUV LIGHT SOURCE - An extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) light source is described herein comprising an optic; a primary EUV light radiator generating an EUV light emitting plasma and producing a deposit on said optic; and a cleaning system comprising a gas and a secondary light radiator, the secondary light radiator generating a laser produced plasma and producing a cleaning species with the gas. | 04-24-2014 |
20140103229 | System, Method and Apparatus for Aligning and Synchronizing Target Material for Optimum Extreme Ultraviolet Light Output - An extreme ultraviolet light system and method includes a drive laser, a chamber including an extreme ultraviolet light collector and a target material dispenser including an adjustable target material outlet capable of outputting multiple portions of target material along a target material path. Also included: a drive laser steering device, a detection system including at least one detector and a controller coupled to the target material dispenser, the detector system and the drive laser steering device. The controller includes logic for detecting a location of the first portion of target material from the first light reflected from the first portion of target material and logic for adjusting the target material dispenser outlet to output a subsequent portion of target material to a waist of the focused drive laser. A system and a method for optimizing an extreme ultraviolet light output is also disclosed. | 04-17-2014 |
20140077104 | DRIVE LASER DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR EUV LIGHT SOURCE - An EUV light source is disclosed herein which may comprise a droplet generator producing a stream of target material droplets, a first optical gain medium amplifying light on a first beam path without a seed laser providing a seed laser output to the first beam path, a second optical gain medium amplifying light on a second beam path without a seed laser providing a seed laser output to the second beam path, and a beam combiner combining light from the first beam path and the second beam path for interaction with a target material droplet to produce EUV light emitting plasma. | 03-20-2014 |
20140048099 | System, Method and Apparatus for Laser Produced Plasma Extreme Ultraviolet Chamber with Hot Walls and Cold Collector Mirror - A system and method for an extreme ultraviolet light chamber comprising a collector mirror, a cooling system coupled to a backside of the collector mirror operative to cool a reflective surface of the collector mirror and a buffer gas source coupled to the extreme ultraviolet light chamber. | 02-20-2014 |
20140042343 | LASER PRODUCED PLASMA EUV LIGHT SOURCE - Methods and apparatus for producing EUV from plasma are disclosed. The apparatus includes a plasma generating system comprising a source of target material droplets and a laser producing a beam irradiating the droplets at an irradiation region. The plasma produces EUV radiation, wherein the droplet source comprises a nozzle having an orifice configured for ejecting a fluid and a sub-system having an electro-actuable element producing a disturbance in the fluid to cause at least some of the droplets to coalesce prior to being irradiated. The electro-actuable element is coupled to nozzle using an adhesive that has a high modulus at the nozzle operating temperature. Improvements also include tuning the nozzle assembly to more closely match the modulation waveform frequency with one of the resonance frequencies of the nozzle assembly by optimizing one of a mass, a shape, or material composition of at least one component in the nozzle assembly. | 02-13-2014 |
20130321901 | DRIVE LASER FOR EUV LIGHT SOURCE - A device comprising a laser source producing a continuous output on a beam path and an amplifier is disclosed. The device further includes a partially transmissive, partially reflective optic disposed on said beam path between said laser source and said amplifier. The device further includes a droplet generator positioned to deliver a droplet moving on a path intersecting said beam path, the droplet reflecting light to establish an optical cavity with said optic. | 12-05-2013 |