Time imparting method and laser apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025309604-A1
Application number	US-202519232668-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 9, 2025
Priority date	Jan 20, 2023
Publication date	Oct 2, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A time imparting method for imparting a time to two or more pieces of pulse data of a laser apparatus that burst-oscillates a pulse laser beam, includes causing a first processor including a real-time system to receive a first light emission trigger signal from a laser irradiation device and to measure a time interval between a previously received second light emission trigger signal and the first light emission trigger signal in the real-time system, and causing a second processor to receive the time interval from the first processor, and when the time interval is smaller than a set value, to impart a time obtained by adding the time interval to a time imparted to pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the second light emission trigger signal, to pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A time imparting method for imparting a time to two or more pieces of pulse data of a laser apparatus that burst-oscillates a pulse laser beam, the time imparting method comprising:
causing a first processor including a real-time system to receive a first light emission trigger signal from a laser irradiation device and to measure a time interval between a second light emission trigger signal received immediately before the first light emission trigger signal and the first light emission trigger signal in the real-time system; and causing a second processor to receive the time interval from the first processor, and when the time interval is smaller than a set value, to impart a time obtained by adding the time interval to a time imparted to pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the second light emission trigger signal, to pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal.

2 . The time imparting method according to claim 1 , wherein
the second processor acquires the pulse data for each pulse.

3 . The time imparting method according to claim 1 , wherein
the pulse data includes at least one of pulse energy, a wavelength, and a spectral linewidth.

4 . The time imparting method according to claim 1 , wherein
the second processor receives the pulse data from the first processor.

5 . The time imparting method according to claim 1 , wherein
the second processor includes a non-real-time OS, the second processor receives the pulse data of the pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal from the first processor, and when the time interval is equal to or larger than the set value, the non-real-time OS imparts a time at which the pulse data is received to the pulse data of the pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal.

6 . The time imparting method according to claim 1 , wherein
the set value ranges from 2 seconds to 85 seconds.

7 . The time imparting method according to claim 1 , wherein
the laser irradiation device is an exposure apparatus or a laser machining device.

8 . The time imparting method according to claim 1 , wherein
when a burst delimiter of the burst oscillation is detected, the second processor creates burst data including at least one of an oscillation start time and an oscillation end time of the burst oscillation, an average value, a maximum value, and a minimum value of pulse energy, and an average value, a maximum value, and a minimum value of a wavelength from pulse data of a pulse group in an oscillation period of the burst oscillation.

9 . A time imparting method for imparting a time to two or more pieces of pulse data of a laser apparatus that burst-oscillates a pulse laser beam, the time imparting method comprising:
causing a first processor including a real-time system to receive a first light emission trigger signal from a laser irradiation device and to measure a time interval between a second light emission trigger signal received immediately before the first light emission trigger signal and the first light emission trigger signal in the real-time system; and causing a second processor to receive the time interval from the first processor, and when a time imparting signal is not received from the laser irradiation device, to impart a time obtained by adding the time interval to a time of pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the second light emission trigger signal, to pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal.

10 . The time imparting method according to claim 9 , wherein
the second processor acquires the pulse data for each pulse.

11 . The imparting method according to claim 9 , wherein
the pulse data includes at least one of pulse energy, a wavelength, and a spectral linewidth.

12 . The time imparting method according to claim 9 , wherein
the second processor receives the pulse data from the first processor.

13 . The time imparting method according to claim 9 , wherein
the second processor includes a non-real-time OS, the second processor receives the pulse data of the pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal from the first processor, and when the time imparting signal is received, the non-real-time OS imparts a time at which the pulse data is received to the pulse data of the pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal.

14 . The time imparting method according to claim 9 , wherein
the laser irradiation device is an exposure apparatus or a laser machining device.

15 . A laser apparatus that outputs a pulse laser beam in response to a light emission trigger signal received from a laser irradiation device, the laser apparatus comprising:
a first processor including a real-time system and configured to receive a first light emission trigger signal from the laser irradiation device and to measure a time interval between a second light emission trigger signal received immediately before the first light emission trigger signal and the first light emission trigger signal in the real-time system; and a second processor configured to receive the time interval from the first processor and, when the time interval is smaller than a set value, to impart a time obtained by adding the time interval to a time of pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the second light emission trigger signal, to pulse data of a pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal.

16 . The laser apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the second processor acquires the pulse data for each pulse.

17 . The laser apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the pulse data includes at least one of pulse energy, a wavelength, and a spectral linewidth.

18 . The laser apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the second processor includes a non-real-time OS, the second processor receives the pulse data of the pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal from the first processor, and when the time interval is equal to or larger than the set value, the non-real-time OS imparts a time at which the pulse data is received to the pulse data of the pulse laser beam corresponding to the first light emission trigger signal.

19 . The laser apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the set value ranges from 2 seconds to 85 seconds.

20 . The laser apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the laser irradiation device is an exposure apparatus or a laser machining device.

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Igarashi Yutaka
• Fujii Yusuke

Classifications

• H01S3/08009

  using a diffraction grating · CPC title

• H01S3/134

  in gas lasers · CPC title

• H01S3/225

  comprising an excimer or exciplex · CPC title

• H01S3/09702 Primary

  Details of the driver electronics and electric discharge circuits · CPC title

• G03F7/70041

  by pulsed sources, e.g. multiplexing, pulse duration, interval control or intensity control · CPC title