Laser chamber with metal damper member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10965085-B2
Application number	US-201815864017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2018
Priority date	Aug 5, 2015
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A laser chamber may include a first discharge electrode, a second discharge electrode, a fan making a laser gas flow through a discharge space between the first and second discharge electrodes, a first insulating member disposed on upstream side and downstream side of the first discharge electrode in the laser gas flow, a first metal damper member disposed on upstream side of the second discharge electrode and a second insulating member disposed on downstream side of the second discharge electrode in the laser gas flow, and a second metal damper member disposed on downstream side of the second insulating member in the laser gas flow. In a boundary portion between the second metal damper member and the second insulating member, a first discharge space side surface of the second metal damper member may be located further toward the opposite side to the discharge space than a second discharge space side surface of the second insulating member. A first corner formed by the first surface and a first side surface of the second metal damper member, the first side surface being on the side of the second insulating member, may be in contact with a second side surface of the second insulating member, the second side surface being on the side of the second metal damper member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser chamber of a discharge excitation type gas laser apparatus, comprising:
a first discharge electrode disposed in the laser chamber;
a second discharge electrode disposed as facing the first discharge electrode in the laser chamber;
a fan configured to make a laser gas flow along a flow path in a flow direction through a discharge space between the first and second discharge electrodes, the flow direction being perpendicular to a central axis of the discharge space extending from the first discharge electrode to the second discharge electrode;
a first insulating member disposed in positions upstream and downstream from the first discharge electrode in the flow direction;
a first metal damper member disposed in a position upstream from the second discharge electrode in the flow direction;
a second insulating member disposed in a position downstream from the second discharge electrode in the flow direction; and
a second metal damper member disposed in a position downstream from the second insulating member in the flow direction, wherein,
the second metal damper member includes a first surface facing the flow path of the laser gas between the second metal damper member and the first insulating member, a first side surface being on an upstream side of the second metal damper member in the flow direction, and a first corner formed by the first surface and the first side surface,
the second insulating member includes a second surface facing the flow path of the laser gas between the second insulating member and the first insulating member, a second side surface being on a downstream side of the second insulating member in the flow direction, and a second corner formed by the second surface and the second side surface,
the first corner is in contact with the second side surface, and
the second corner is positioned farther from the second discharge electrode than the first corner in the flow direction.

2. The laser chamber set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first surface is inclined such that a distance from the first insulating member to the first surface in a direction transverse to the flow direction increases as a distance from the second discharge electrode to the first surface in the flow direction increases, and the second surface is inclined such that a distance from the first insulating member to the second surface in a direction transverse to the flow direction increases as a distance from the second discharge electrode to the second surface in the flow direction increases.

3. The laser chamber set forth in claim 2 , wherein the sum of the angle of the first corner and the angle of the second corner is smaller than 180°.

4. A laser chamber of a discharge excitation type gas laser apparatus, comprising:
a first discharge electrode disposed in the laser chamber;
a second discharge electrode disposed as facing the first discharge electrode in the laser chamber;
a fan configured to make a laser gas flow in a flow direction through a discharge space between the first and second discharge electrodes;
a first insulating member disposed in positions upstream and downstream from the first discharge electrode in the flow direction;
a first metal damper member disposed in a position upstream from the second discharge electrode in the flow direction;
a second insulating member disposed in a position downstream from the second discharge electrode in the flow direction, the second insulating member being directly adjacent to a side surface on a downstream side of the second discharge electrode in the flow direction; and
a second metal damper member disposed in a position downstream from the second insulating member in the flow direction, wherein,
the second metal damper member includes a first surface facing the flow path of the laser gas between the second metal damper member and the first insulating member, a first side surface being on an upstream side of the second metal damper member in the flow direction, and a first corner formed by the first surface and the first side surface,
the second insulating member includes a second surface facing the flow path of the laser gas between the second insulating member and the first insulating member, a second side surface being on a downstream side of the second insulating member in the flow direction, and a second corner formed by the second surface and the second side surface, and
the first corner is in contact with the second side surface such that the first corner divides the second side surface into a first portion exposed to the flow path and a second portion separated from the flow path.

5. The laser chamber set forth in claim 4 , wherein the first surface is inclined such that a distance from the first insulating member to the first surface in a direction transverse to the flow direction increases as a distance from the second discharge electrode to the first surface in the flow direction increases, and the second surface is inclined such that a distance from the first insulating member to the second surface in a direction transverse to the flow direction increases as a distance from the second discharge electrode to the second surface in the flow direction increases.

6. The laser chamber set forth in claim 5 , wherein the sum of the angle of the first corner and the angle of the second corner is smaller than 180°.

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Katsuumi Hisakazu
• Tsushima Hiroaki

Classifications

• H10P72/0474

  comprising at least one lithography chamber · CPC title

• G03F7/70025 Primary

  by lasers · CPC title

• G03F7/2053

  using a laser (ablative removal B41C) · CPC title

• H01S3/225

  comprising an excimer or exciplex · 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