Extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus and electronic device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12512641-B2
Application number	US-202318186662-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2023
Priority date	May 25, 2022
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus includes a first light source outputting first excitation light, a laser oscillator including an active medium and performing laser oscillation by irradiating the active medium with the first excitation light to output the laser light, a measurement instrument measuring a pulse energy and a pulse time width of the laser light, a temperature regulator that adjusts a temperature of a cooling medium that cools the first light source, and a processor. The processor controls the temperature regulator to adjust the temperature of the cooling medium so that the pulse energy measured by the measurement instrument falls within a target range of the pulse energy, and adjust a current value of a current supplied to the first light source so that the pulse time width measured by the measurement instrument falls within a target range of the pulse time width.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus configured to generate extreme ultraviolet light by irradiating a droplet target with laser light, comprising:
a first light source configured to output first excitation light; a laser oscillator including an active medium and configured to perform laser oscillation by irradiating the active medium with the first excitation light to output the laser light; a measurement instrument configured to measure a pulse energy and a pulse time width of the laser light; a temperature regulator that adjusts a temperature of a cooling medium that cools the first light source; and a processor, the processor being configured to control the temperature regulator to adjust the temperature of the cooling medium so that the pulse energy measured by the measurement instrument falls within a target range of the pulse energy, and adjust a current value of a current supplied to the first light source so that the pulse time width measured by the measurement instrument falls within a target range of the pulse time width.

2 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor controls the temperature regulator to lower the temperature of the cooling medium when the pulse energy measured by the measurement instrument is smaller than the target range of the pulse energy.

3 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor decreases the current value when the pulse time width measured by the measurement instrument is smaller than the target range of the pulse time width, and increases the current value when the pulse time width is larger than the target range of the pulse time width.

4 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor adjusts the current value after controlling the temperature regulator which adjusts the temperature of the cooling medium.

5 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the processor controls again the temperature regulator which adjusts the temperature of the cooling medium after adjusting the current value.

6 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cooling medium also cools the laser oscillator.

7 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second light source configured to output second excitation light; and an amplifier which amplifies, with the second excitation light, the laser light output from the laser oscillator, wherein the cooling medium also cools the second light source.

8 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the measurement instrument measures the pulse energy and the pulse time width of the laser light output from the amplifier.

9 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the amplifier is a slab-type amplifier.

10 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a monitor configured to measure a divergence angle of the laser light output from the amplifier,
wherein the processor adjusts a current value of a current supplied to the second light source so that the divergence angle of the laser light measured by the monitor falls within a target range of the divergence angle of the laser light.

11 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the cooling medium also cools the amplifier.

12 . The extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cooling medium is water.

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Suganuma Takashi

Classifications

• H05G2/0084

  Control of the laser beam · CPC title

• H01S3/11

  Mode locking; Q-switching; Other giant-pulse techniques, e.g. cavity dumping · CPC title

• H01S3/1305

  Feedback control systems · CPC title

• H01S3/0606

  with polygonal cross-section, e.g. slab, prism (H01S3/0604 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/0014

  Monitoring arrangements not otherwise provided for (photometry G01J1/00, e.g. G01J1/4257; radiation pyrometry G01J5/00; measuring coherence of light G01J9/00; measuring wavelength of light G01J9/00, e.g. G01J9/0246; measuring optical pulses G01J11/00; calorimetrically measuring power of laser beams G01K17/003) · CPC title