Pulsed light generation device, pulsed light generation method, exposure apparatus having pulsed light generation device and inspection apparatus having pulsed light generation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11757247-B2
Application number	US-202117555901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2021
Priority date	May 26, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

A pulsed light generation device, includes: a first optical fiber through which first pulsed light and second pulsed light, having an intensity that decreases while an intensity of the first pulsed light increases, and increases while the intensity of the first pulsed light decreases, having been multiplexed and entered therein, are propagated; and a second optical fiber at which the first pulsed light, having exited the first optical fiber and entered therein, is amplified while being propagated therein, wherein: at the first optical fiber, phase modulation occurs in the first pulsed light due to cross phase modulation caused by the second pulsed light; and self-phase modulation occurring in the first pulsed light at the second optical fiber is diminished by the phase modulation having occurred at the first optical fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light amplification device, comprising:
a first optical fiber to receive first pulsed light and second pulsed light, the second pulsed light having a peak intensity greater than a peak intensity of the first pulsed light; and
a second optical fiber to receive the first pulsed light from the first optical fiber and to amplify the first pulsed light, wherein
nonlinearity of the first optical fiber is greater than nonlinearity of the second optical fiber, and
a length of the first optical fiber is longer than a length of the second optical fiber.

2. A light generation device, comprising:
the light amplification device according to claim 1 ; and
a light source unit that generates the first pulsed light and the second pulsed light which enter the first optical fiber of the light amplification device.

3. The light amplification device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first optical fiber includes silica glass; and
the second optical fiber is an Ytterbium Doped Fiber Amplifier.

4. The light amplification device according to claim 1 , wherein:
an intensity of the second pulsed light decreases while an intensity of the first pulsed light increases, and the intensity of the second pulsed light increases while the intensity of the first pulsed light decreases.

5. The light amplification device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the intensity of second pulsed light has a maximum value at time points both before and after a time point at which the intensity of the first pulsed light peaks.

6. The light amplification device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a separation element disposed between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, which separates the first pulsed light and the second pulsed light from each other.

7. The light amplification device according to claim 6 , wherein:
wavelength of the first pulsed light and wavelength of the second pulsed light are different from each other; and
the separation element includes a wavelength selection filter that allows light with a wavelength of the first pulsed light to be transmitted and absorbs light with a wavelength of the second pulsed light.

8. The light amplification device according to claim 6 , wherein:
polarization direction of the first pulsed light and polarization direction of the second pulsed light are different from each other; and
the separation element includes a polarization beam splitter that changes a propagation direction of the first pulsed light or a propagation direction of the second pulsed light so that the second pulsed light propagates in a direction other than a direction toward an entering end of the second optical fiber.

9. The light amplification device according to claim 1 , wherein:
a peak intensity of the second pulsed light entering the second optical fiber is lower than a peak intensity of the first pulsed light entering the second optical fiber or is zero.

10. The light amplification device according to claim 1 , wherein:
a sign of phase modulation generated in the first pulsed light through propagating in the first optical fiber and a sign of phase modulation generated in the first pulsed light through propagating in the second optical fiber are opposite from each other.

11. A light amplification device, comprising:
a first optical fiber to receive first pulsed light and second pulsed light, the second pulsed light having a peak intensity greater than a peak intensity of the first pulsed light; and
a second optical fiber to receive the first pulsed light from the first optical fiber and to amplify the first pulsed light, wherein
a mode field diameter of the first optical fiber is smaller than a mode field diameter of the second optical fiber, and
a length of the first optical fiber is longer than a length of the second optical fiber.

12. A light generation device, comprising:
the light amplification device according to claim 2 ; and
a light source unit that generates the first pulsed light and the second pulsed light which enter the first optical fiber of the light amplification device.

13. The light amplification device according to claim 11 , wherein:
the first optical fiber includes silica glass; and
the second optical fiber is an Ytterbium Doped Fiber Amplifier.

14. The light amplification device according to claim 11 , wherein:
an intensity of the second pulsed light decreases while an intensity of the first pulsed light increases, and the intensity of the second pulsed light increases while the intensity of the first pulsed light decreases.

15. The light amplification device according to claim 11 , wherein:
the intensity of second pulsed light has a maximum value at time points both before and after a time point at which the intensity of the first pulsed light peaks.

16. The light amplification device according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a separation element disposed between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, which separates the first pulsed light and the second pulsed light from each other.

17. The light amplification device according to claim 16 , wherein:
wavelength of the first pulsed light and wavelength of the second pulsed light are different from each other; and
the separation element includes a wavelength selection filter that allows light with a wavelength of the first pulsed light to be transmitted and absorbs light with a wavelength of the second pulsed light.

18. The light amplification device according to claim 16 , wherein:
polarization direction of the first pulsed light and polarization direction of the second pulsed light are different from each other; and
the separation element includes a polarization beam splitter that changes a propagation direction of the first pulsed light or a propagation direction of the second pulsed light so that the second pulsed light propagates in a direction other than a direction toward an entering end of the second optical fiber.

19. The light amplification device according to claim 11 , wherein:
a peak intensity of the second pulsed light entering the second optical fiber is lower than a peak intensity of the first pulsed light entering the second optical fiber or is zero.

20. The light amplification device according to claim 11 , wherein:
a sign of phase modulation generated in the first pulsed light through propagating in the first optical fiber and a sign of phase modulation generated in the first pulsed light through propagating in the second optical fiber are opposite from each other.

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Tokuhisa Akira

Classifications

• G02F1/3532 Primary

  Arrangements of plural nonlinear devices for generating multi-colour light beams, e.g. arrangements of SHG, SFG, OPO devices for generating RGB light beams · CPC title

• G02F1/1365 Primary

  in which the switching element is a two-electrode device {(G02F1/136277 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01S3/10023 Primary

  by functional association of additional optical elements, e.g. filters, gratings, reflectors · CPC title

• G02F1/3551

  Crystals · CPC title

• H01S5/4012

  Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms · CPC title