Electromagnetic shield for a sealing mechanism of a laser chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12245409-B2
Application number	US-202118026874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

An apparatus for a light source includes: an electrical insulator that defines a channel; a gasket that surrounds at least a portion of the electrical insulator; and a shield between the channel and the gasket. The channel is configured to receive an electrical conductor. The gasket includes a non-metallic material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for a light source, the apparatus comprising:
an electrical insulator that defines a channel, the channel configured to receive an electrical conductor;
a gasket that surrounds at least a portion of the electrical insulator, the gasket comprising a non-metallic material; and
a shield between the channel and the gasket.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shield is configured to reduce a magnetic field produced by an electrical current in the electrical conductor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shield comprises a magnetic metal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shield comprises a mu-metal and the gasket comprises an elastomer material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrical insulator comprises a base portion and a stem portion that extends from the base portion, and the channel passes through the stem portion and the base portion, wherein the shield surrounds a portion of an outer side of the stem portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shield comprises a ferrite or an iron alloy.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shield comprises a cylindrical portion.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the shield comprises a flange that extends radially outward from the cylindrical portion.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the cylindrical portion and the channel extend in a first direction.

10. A discharge chamber comprising:
a housing;
an electrode in the housing;
an electrical conductor that passes through the housing in a first direction and is electrically connected to the electrode;
an electrical insulator that surrounds a portion of the electrical conductor;
a gasket that surrounds the electrical insulator; and
a shield around the electrical insulator, wherein the shield extends along the first direction and is configured to attenuate a magnetic field.

11. The discharge chamber of claim 10 , wherein the shield is disposed between the electrical insulator and the gasket.

12. The discharge chamber of claim 10 , wherein the gasket comprises an electrically insulating material.

13. The discharge chamber of claim 10 , wherein the housing comprises an inner wall, and the inner wall comprises an electrically conductive material.

14. The discharge chamber of claim 10 , further comprising a second electrode in the housing and wherein the housing contains a gaseous gain medium.

15. The discharge chamber of claim 14 , wherein the gaseous gain medium comprises fluorine and the gasket comprises a fluorinated material.

16. The discharge chamber of claim 10 , wherein the chamber comprises:
N electrical insulators;
N gaskets; and
N electrical conductors, wherein
N is an integer number greater than one,
each of the N electrical insulators surrounds one of the N electrical conductors, each of the N gaskets surrounds one of the N electrical insulators, and
at least one of the N gaskets is entirely metallic.

17. The discharge chamber of claim 10 , wherein the gasket is in a groove, and the shield is between the electrical insulator and the groove.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the shield is configured to block the magnetic field.

19. A deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source comprising:
a first chamber configured to produce a first pulsed DUV light beam, the first chamber comprising:
a first housing;
a first electrode assembly in the first housing;
a first insulator comprising a first channel extending along a first direction and configured to receive a first electrical conductor, wherein the first electrical conductor is configured to electrically connect to the first electrode assembly;
a first gasket that surrounds a portion of the first insulator; and
a first shield that surrounds a portion of the first channel and extends along the first direction, wherein the first shield is configured to attenuate magnetic fields.

20. The DUV light source of claim 19 , further comprising a second chamber configured to produce a second pulsed DUV light beam, the second chamber comprising:
a second housing;
a second electrode assembly in the second housing;
a second insulator comprising a second channel configured to receive a second electrical conductor, wherein the second electrical conductor is configured to electrically connect to the second electrode assembly;
a second gasket that surrounds a portion of the second insulator; and
a second shield that surrounds a portion of the second channel, wherein the first shield is configured to attenuate magnetic fields.

21. The DUV light source of claim 20 , wherein the first pulsed DUV light beam comprises a seed light beam, the second chamber is positioned to receive the seed light beam, and the second pulsed DUV light beam is based on the seed light beam.

22. The DUV light source of claim 20 , wherein the first pulsed DUV light beam and the second pulsed DUV light beam are emitted toward a common beam combiner.

23. The DUV light source of claim 20 , wherein the first electrode assembly comprises a first anode and a first cathode, and the first electrical conductor is configured to electrically connect to the first cathode.

24. The DUV light source of claim 20 , wherein the first shield is concentrically disposed between the first gasket and the first insulator and the second shield is disposed concentrically between the second gasket and the first insulator.

25. The deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source of claim 20 , wherein the first shield and the second shield are configured to block magnetic fields.

26. The deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source of claim 20 , wherein the second channel and the second shield extend along the first direction.

27. A discharge chamber comprising:
a housing;
an electrode in the housing;
an electrical conductor that passes through the housing and is electrically connected to the electrode;
an electrical insulator that surrounds a portion of the electrical conductor;
a gasket that surrounds the electrical insulator; and
a shield around the electrical insulator, wherein the shield is configured to block or attenuate a magnetic field, and the shield is disposed between the electrical insulator and the gasket.

28. A discharge chamber comprising:
a housing;
an electrode in the housing;
an electrical conductor that passes through the housing and is electrically connected to the electrode;
an electrical insulator that surrounds a portion of the electrical conductor;
a gasket that surrounds the electrical insulator; and
a shield around the electrical insulator, wherein the shield is configured to block or attenuate a magnetic field; and the gasket is in a groove, and the shield is between the electrical insulator and the groove.

29. A light source comprising:
a discharge chamber;
an electrode in the discharge chamber;
an electrically insulating structure comprising:
a base portion in the discharge chamber, wherein the base portion extends between the electrode and an external wall of the discharge chamber; and
a plurality of stem portions extending from the base portion and through the external wall of the discharge chamber, wherein each stem portion comprises a channel that passes through the stem portion and the base portion, and each channel is configured to receive an electrical conductor that electrically connects to the electrod

Assignees

• Cymer LLC

Inventors

• Khamehchi Mohammad Amin

Classifications

• H05K9/0075

  Magnetic shielding materials · CPC title

• H01S3/225

  comprising an excimer or exciplex · CPC title

• H01S3/10092

  Coherent seed, e.g. injection locking · CPC title

• H01S3/0382

  Cathodes or particular adaptations thereof · CPC title

• H01S3/097

  by gas discharge of a gas laser · CPC title