Excimer laser chamber device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10050403-B2
Application number	US-201715680474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2017
Priority date	Mar 11, 2015
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

An excimer laser chamber device may include: a the laser chamber; a first electrode provided in the laser chamber; a second electrode provided in the laser chamber to face the first electrode; an electrode holder provided in the laser chamber to be connected to a high voltage; at least one connecting terminal including a first anchored portion anchored to the first electrode and a second anchored portion anchored to the electrode holder, the at least one connecting terminal being configured to electrically connect the first electrode and the electrode holder; a guide member held by the electrode holder, the guide member being configured to position the first electrode in a direction substantially perpendicular to both a direction of electric discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode and a longitudinal direction of the first electrode; and an electrode-gap-varying unit configured to move the first electrode in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of electric discharge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An excimer laser chamber device comprising:
a laser chamber having an opening;
an electrical insulator configured to seal the opening;
a first electrode provided in the laser chamber;
a second electrode provided in the laser chamber to face the first electrode and to be connected to a ground potential;
an electrode holder provided in the laser chamber to be connected to a high voltage via a conductive element penetrating the electrical insulator;
at least one connecting terminal including a first anchored portion anchored to the first electrode and a second anchored portion anchored to the electrode holder, the at least one connecting terminal being configured to electrically connect the first electrode and the electrode holder;
a guide member held by the electrode holder, the guide member being configured to position the first electrode in a direction substantially perpendicular to both a direction of electric discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode and a longitudinal direction of the first electrode; and
an electrode-gap-varying unit penetrating the electrical insulator and configured to move the first electrode in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of electric discharge.

2. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first electrode is located in a position distanced from a position of the second electrode in a direction substantially parallel to a direction of gravity, and
the at least one connecting terminal is configured to flexibly support the first electrode in a direction opposite to the direction of gravity.

3. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one connecting terminal includes a metal plate.

4. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 3 , wherein the metal plate includes copper or nickel.

5. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one connecting terminal includes a mesh-shaped metal wire.

6. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first anchored portion is anchored to a side surface of the first electrode in surface contact, and
the second anchored portion is anchored to the electrode holder in surface contact.

7. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide member positions the first electrode by contacting the first electrode on at least three locations in the side surface of the first electrode.

8. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 7 , wherein the guide member includes copper or nickel.

9. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide member positions the first electrode by sandwiching the first electrode from both side surfaces of the first electrode at a plurality of locations arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first electrode.

10. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein
the guide member has electrical conductivity, and
the guide member has a form to ease electric field in a space other than a discharge space between the first electrode and the second electrode.

11. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 10 , further comprising
an electrically insulating member overlapping a lower surface of the guide member.

12. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one connecting terminal includes a plurality of connecting terminals arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first electrode.

13. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first anchored portion is anchored to a top surface of the first electrode, and
the second anchored portion is anchored to the electrode holder.

14. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one connecting terminal includes a slope portion between the first anchored portion and the second anchored portion.

15. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 14 , wherein the first anchored portion is located higher than the second anchored portion.

16. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 15 , wherein difference in height between the first anchored portion and the second anchored portion is equal to or less than a stroke of the first electrode moved by the electrode-gap-varying unit.

17. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one connecting terminal includes two second anchored portions, and the first anchored portion is located between the two second anchored portions.

18. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one connecting terminal includes at least one of brass, copper, an alloy of beryllium and copper, and phosphor bronze.

19. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one connecting terminal has a plurality of apertures.

20. The excimer laser chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein an upper portion of the first electrode has a width that is larger than a width of a lower portion of the first electrode.

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Katsuumi Hisakazu
• Takezawa Kazuya
• Kakizaki Kouji
• Tsushima Hiroaki
• Asayama Takeshi

Classifications

• H01S3/0971

  transversely excited (H01S3/0975 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/036

  Means for obtaining or maintaining the desired gas pressure within the tube, e.g. by gettering, replenishing; Means for circulating the gas, e.g. for equalising the pressure within the tube {(H01S3/031 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01S3/038 Primary

  Electrodes, e.g. special shape, configuration or composition · CPC title

• H01S3/225

  comprising an excimer or exciplex · CPC title

• H01S3/0381

  Anodes or particular adaptations thereof · CPC title