Broadband light source including transparent portion with high hydroxide content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10522340-B2
Application number	US-201816042887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2018
Priority date	Apr 30, 2014
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A laser-sustained plasma light source includes a plasma lamp configured to contain a volume of gas and receive illumination from a pump laser in order to generate a plasma. The plasma lamp includes one or more transparent portions transparent to illumination from the pump laser and at least a portion of the broadband radiation emitted by the plasma. The one or more transparent portions are formed from a transparent material having elevated hydroxide content above 700 ppm.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A broadband light source comprising:
a lamp configured to contain a volume of gas, the lamp including one or more transparent portions being at least partially transparent to at least a portion of broadband radiation generated within a volume of the lamp, wherein the one or more transparent portions are formed from a transparent material having a hydroxide (OH) content above 1200 ppm.

2. The broadband light source of claim 1 , wherein the transparent portion of the lamp is formed from at least one of fused silica glass or quartz glass.

3. The broadband light source of claim 1 , wherein the gas comprises:
at least one of an inert gas, a non-inert gas and a mixture of two or more gases.

4. The broadband light source of claim 1 , wherein the transparent portion of the lamp is formed from a transparent material having an OH content between 1200 and 2000 ppm.

5. The broadband light source of claim 1 , wherein the transparent portion of the lamp is formed from a transparent material having an OH content above 2000 ppm.

6. A laser-sustained plasma light source comprising:
a plasma lamp configured to contain a volume of gas, the plasma lamp configured to receive illumination from a pump laser in order to generate a plasma within the volume of gas, wherein the plasma emits broadband radiation, the plasma lamp including one or more transparent portions being at least partially transparent to at least a portion of the illumination from the pump laser and at least a portion of the broadband radiation emitted by the plasma, wherein the one or more transparent portions are formed from a transparent material having a hydroxide (OH) content above 1200 ppm.

7. The laser-sustained plasma light source of claim 6 , wherein the gas comprises:
at least one of an inert gas, a non-inert gas and a mixture of two or more gases.

8. The laser-sustained plasma light source of claim 6 , wherein the plasma lamp comprises:
a plasma bulb.

9. The laser-sustained plasma light source of claim 6 , wherein the plasma lamp comprises:
a plasma cell.

10. The laser-sustained plasma light source of claim 9 , wherein the plasma cell comprises:
a transmission element; and
one or more flanges disposed at one or more openings of the transmission element, the one or more flanges configured to enclose an internal volume of the transmission element in order to contain a volume of the gas within the transmission element.

11. The laser-sustained plasma light source of claim 6 , wherein the transparent portion of the plasma lamp is formed from at least one of fused silica glass or quartz glass.

12. The laser-sustained plasma light source of claim 6 , wherein the transparent portion of the plasma lamp is formed from a transparent material having an OH content above 2000 ppm.

13. The laser-sustained plasma light source of claim 6 , wherein the transparent portion of the plasma lamp is formed from a transparent material having an OH content between 1200 and 2000 ppm.

14. A broadband light source comprising:
a discharge lamp configured to contain a volume of gas, wherein the discharge lamp comprises:
a set of electrodes configured to generate a discharge within the volume of gas; and
one or more transparent portions being at least partially transparent to at least a portion of broadband radiation associated with the discharge, wherein the one or more transparent portions are formed from a transparent material having a hydroxide (OH) content above 1200 ppm.

15. The broadband light source of claim 14 , wherein the gas comprises:
at least one of an inert gas, a non-inert gas and a mixture of two or more gases.

16. The broadband light source of claim 14 , wherein the transparent portion of the discharge lamp is formed from a transparent material having an OH content above 2000 ppm.

17. The broadband light source of claim 14 , wherein the discharge lamp comprises:
an arc lamp.

18. The broadband light source of claim 14 , wherein the transparent portion of the discharge lamp is formed from at least one of fused silica glass or quartz glass.

19. The broadband light source of claim 14 , wherein the transparent portion of the discharge lamp is formed from a transparent material having an OH content between 1200 and 2000 ppm.

20. A broadband light source comprising:
a lamp configured to contain a volume of gas, the lamp including one or more transparent portions being at least partially transparent to at least a portion of broadband radiation generated within a volume of the lamp, wherein the one or more transparent portions are formed from a transparent material having a hydroxide (OH) content above 1000 ppm to suppress formation of one or more color centers in at least one of ultraviolet, deep ultraviolet, vacuum ultraviolet, or extreme ultraviolet portions of a electromagnetic spectrum in the one or more transparent portions of the lamp.

Assignees

• Kla Tencor Corp

Inventors

• Wilson Lauren
• Chimmalgi Anant
• Panzer Matthew
• Bezel Ilya

Classifications

• H01J65/04

  Lamps in which a gas filling is excited to luminesce by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation, e.g. for indicating {plasma display panels} · CPC title

• H01J61/302 Primary

  characterised by the material of the vessel · CPC title

• H01J61/025

  Associated optical elements · CPC title

• H05G2/008

  involving an energy-carrying beam in the process of plasma generation · CPC title

• H01J61/0732

  characterised by the construction of the electrode · CPC title