Robert R Jacques

US Patent:

7087914, Aug 8, 2006

Filed:

Mar 17, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/803526

Inventors:

Robert P. Akins - Escondido CA, US
Richard L. Sandstrom - Encinitas CA, US
William N. Partlo - Poway CA, US
Igor V. Fomenkov - San Diego CA, US
John Martin Algots - San Diego CA, US
Robert N. Jacques - La Jolla CA, US
Frederick Palenschat - Lemon Grove CA, US
Jun Song - San Diego CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer, INC - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01J 35/20

US Classification:

250504R, 2504931, 378119

Abstract:

An EUV light source apparatus and method are disclosed, which may comprise a pulsed laser providing laser pulses at a selected pulse repetition rate focused at a desired target ignition site; a target formation system providing discrete targets at a selected interval coordinated with the laser pulse repetition rate; a target steering system intermediate the target formation system and the desired target ignition site; and a target tracking system providing information about the movement of target between the target formation system and the target steering system, enabling the target steering system to direct the target to the desired target ignition site. The target tracking system may provide information enabling the creation of a laser firing control signal, and may comprise a droplet detector comprising a collimated light source directed to intersect a point on a projected delivery path of the target, having a respective oppositely disposed light detector detecting the passage of the target through the respective point, or a detector comprising a linear array of a plurality of photo-sensitive elements aligned to a coordinate axis, the light from the light source intersecting a projected delivery path of the target, at least one of the which may comprise a plane-intercept detection device. The droplet detectors may comprise a plurality of droplet detectors each operating at a different light frequency, or a camera having a field of view and a two dimensional array of pixels imaging the field of view. The apparatus and method may comprise an electrostatic plasma containment apparatus providing an electric plasma confinement field at or near a target ignition site at the time of ignition, with the target tracking system providing a signal enabling control of the electrostatic plasma containment apparatus.

US Patent:

7116695, Oct 3, 2006

Filed:

Sep 28, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/953249

Inventors:

Robert N. Jacques - San Diego CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer, Inc. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01S 3/223

US Classification:

372 58, 372 55

Abstract:

An apparatus and method for producing laser output light pulses in bursts of pulses, at a selected pulse repetition rate, forming a laser output light beam, separated by an off time is disclosed, which may comprise a laser output light pulse beam parameter adjustment system, which may comprise a laser output light pulse beam parameter error detector providing a beam parameter error signal representative of the difference between the beam parameter and a selected target value for the beam parameter; a beam parameter adjustment mechanism; a beam parameter adjustment mechanism controller providing a beam parameter adjustment signal to the beam parameter adjustment mechanism based upon the value of the beam parameter error signal; a slow transient compensator providing a slow transient inversion signal modifying the beam parameter adjustment signal based upon the value of the beam parameter error signal. The apparatus and method may further comprise a beam parameter error scaling mechanism providing a normalized beam parameter error signal determined from the value of the beam parameter error signal; and the beam parameter adjustment mechanism controller and the slow transient controller providing, respectively, the beam parameter adjustment signal and the slow transient inversion signal based upon the normalized beam parameter error signal. The beam parameter adjustment mechanism controller may provide the beam parameter adjustment signal based upon a controller function that minimizes the average actual wavelength error or a windowed standard deviation of the actual wavelength error.

US Patent:

7164144, Jan 16, 2007

Filed:

Jul 27, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/900839

Inventors:

William N. Partlo - Poway CA, US
Norbert Bowering - San Diego CA, US
Alexander I. Ershov - San Diego CA, US
Igor V. Fomenkov - San Diego CA, US
David W. Myers - Poway CA, US
Ian Roger Oliver - San Diego CA, US
John Viatella - San Diego CA, US
Robert N. Jacques - La Jolla CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer Inc. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01J 35/20

US Classification:

250504R, 2504931, 378119

Abstract:

A laser produced plasma (“LPP”) extreme ultraviolet (“EUV”) light source control system comprises a target delivery system adapted to deliver moving plasma initiation targets and an EUV light collection optic having a focus defining a desired plasma initiation site, a target tracking and feedback system comprising: at least one imaging device providing as an output an image of a target stream track, and a stream track error detector detecting an error in the position of the target stream track in at least one axis generally perpendicular to the target stream track from a desired stream track intersecting the desired plasma initiation site.

US Patent:

7643522, Jan 5, 2010

Filed:

Oct 20, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/254282

Inventors:

Fedor B. Trintchouk - San Diego CA, US
Robert N. Jacques - San Diego CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer, Inc. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01S 3/10
H01S 3/13
H01S 3/00
H01S 3/04
H01S 3/22
H01S 3/223
H01S 3/08

US Classification:

372 2902, 372 25, 372 2901, 372 29011, 372 29016, 372 29023, 372 32, 372 33, 372 34, 372 381, 372 3801, 372 3802, 372 3809, 372 55, 372 98, 372 99, 372102

Abstract:

A gas discharge laser system bandwidth control mechanism and method of operation for controlling bandwidth in a laser output light pulse generated in the gas discharge laser system is disclosed which may comprise a bandwidth controller which may comprise an active bandwidth adjustment mechanism; a controller actively controlling the active bandwidth adjustment mechanism utilizing an algorithm implementing bandwidth thermal transient correction based upon a model of the impact of laser system operation on the wavefront of the laser light pulse being generated and line narrowed in the laser system as it is incident on the bandwidth adjustment mechanism. The controller algorithm may comprises a function of the power deposition history in at least a portion of an optical train of the gas discharge laser system, e. g. , a linear function, e. g. , a combination of a plurality of decay functions each comprising a respective decay time constant and a respective coefficient.

US Patent:

7643528, Jan 5, 2010

Filed:

Oct 10, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/973671

Inventors:

William N. Partlo - Poway CA, US
Alexander I. Ershov - San Diego CA, US
German Rylov - Poway CA, US
Igor V. Fomenkov - San Diego CA, US
Daniel J. W. Brown - San Diego CA, US
Christian J. Wittak - San Diego CA, US
Rajasekhar M. Rao - San Diego CA, US
Robert A. Bergstedt - Carlsbad CA, US
John Fitzgerald - San Diego CA, US
Richard L. Sandstrom - Encinitas CA, US
Vladimir B. Fleurov - Escondido CA, US
Robert N. Jacques - San Diego CA, US
Ed Danielewicz - Carlsbad CA, US
Robin Swain - Trabuco Canyon CA, US
Edward Arriola - Huntington Beach CA, US
Michael Wyatt - Santa Margarita CA, US
Walter Crosby - Los Alamitos CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer, Inc. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01S 3/22

US Classification:

372 55, 372 56, 372 57

Abstract:

An apparatus and method which may comprise a pulsed gas discharge laser which may comprise a seed laser portion; an amplifier portion receiving the seed laser output and amplifying the optical intensity of each seed pulse; a pulse stretcher which may comprise: a first beam splitter operatively connected with the first delay path and a second pulse stretcher operatively connected with the second delay path; a first optical delay path tower containing the first beam splitter; a second optical delay path tower containing the second beam splitter; one of the first and second optical delay paths may comprise: a plurality of mirrors defining the respective optical delay path including mirrors located in the first tower and in the second tower; the other of the first and second optical delay paths may comprise: a plurality of mirrors defining the respective optical delay path including mirrors only in one of the first tower and the second tower.

US Patent:

7720120, May 18, 2010

Filed:

Oct 21, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/255367

Inventors:

Robert N. Jacques - San Diego CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer, Inc. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01S 3/00
H01S 3/13
H01S 3/22

US Classification:

372 3807, 372 29014, 372 29015, 372 55

Abstract:

A laser control system contains an oscillator gas chamber and an amplifier gas chamber. A first voltage input is operatively connected to deliver electrical pulses to a first pair of electrodes within the oscillator gas chamber and a second pair of electrodes within the amplifier gas chamber. An output of the gas chambers is an energy dose calculated by a trapezoidal window. A control circuit connects to the first voltage input for modifying the first voltage input. A feedback control loop communicates an output of the gas chambers to the control circuit for modifying the first voltage input.

US Patent:

7741639, Jun 22, 2010

Filed:

Sep 29, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/953100

Inventors:

Herve A. Besaucele - San Diego CA, US
Wayne J. Dunstan - San Diego CA, US
Toshihiko Ishihara - San Diego CA, US
Robert N. Jacques - San Diego CA, US
Fedor B. Trintchouk - San Diego CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer, Inc. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01S 3/22

US Classification:

257 55, 372 57, 372 58, 372 86

Abstract:

A multi-chambered excimer or molecular halogen gas discharge laser system comprising at least one oscillator chamber and at least one amplifier chamber producing oscillator output laser light pulses that are amplified in the at least one power chamber, having a fluorine injection control system and a method of using same is disclosed, which may comprise: a halogen gas consumption estimator: estimating the amount of halogen gas that has been consumed in one of the at least one oscillator chamber based upon at least a first operating parameter of one of the least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and the difference between a second operating parameter of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and estimating the amount of halogen gas that has been consumed in the other of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber based upon at least a third operating parameter of the other of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and producing an output representative of an estimated halogen gas consumption in the at least one oscillator chamber and of the halogen gas consumption in the at least one amplifier chamber, and a halogen gas injection controller determining the amount of halogen gas injection for the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber based upon the estimated fluorine consumption outputs from the fluorine consumption estimator and a cost function comprising a plurality of weighted injection decision determinations.

US Patent:

7751453, Jul 6, 2010

Filed:

Oct 21, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/255385

Inventors:

Robert N. Jacques - San Diego CA, US

Assignee:

Cymer, Inc. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01S 3/00
H01S 3/22
H01S 3/223

US Classification:

372 3807, 372 55

Abstract:

A laser control system contains an oscillator gas chamber and an amplifier gas chamber. A first voltage input is operatively connected to deliver electrical pulses to a first pair of electrodes within the oscillator gas chamber and a second pair of electrodes within the amplifier gas chamber. An output of the gas chambers is an energy dose calculated by a trapezoidal window. A control circuit connects to the first voltage input for modifying the first voltage input. A feedback control loop communicates an output of the gas chambers to the control circuit for modifying the first voltage input.