Predictive calibration scheduling apparatus and method
AssigneeCymer, Inc.
InventorsMohammad Taghi Mohebbi, Spencer Ryan Williams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is performed for scheduling a calibration relating to an optical device in a light source. The method can be performed by a calibration system including a calibration apparatus and a prediction controller. The method includes: receiving a property associated with the optical device while the optical device is being calibrated; calculating a current degradation metric based at least on the optical device property, the degradation metric modeling behavior of the optical device; estimating when a degradation of the optical device would exceed a threshold based on the current degradation metric; and scheduling a calibration of the optical device based at least in part on the estimate of optical device degradation.
Claims30
A method for calibrating an optical device in a light source, the method comprising:
- measuring a property associated with the optical device while the optical device is being calibrated;
- calculating a current degradation metric based at least on the measured optical device property, the degradation metric modeling behavior of the optical device;
- estimating when a degradation of the optical device would exceed a threshold based on the current degradation metric;
- scheduling a calibration of the optical device based at least in part on the estimate of optical device degradation;
- and
- calibrating the optical device based on the scheduling.
A prediction apparatus comprising:
- an input module configured to receive from an optical device a measured property associated with a measured aspect of a light beam, the measured property measured while the optical device is being calibrated;
- an adaptive module configured to:
- receive the measured property from the input module;
- calculate a current degradation metric based at least on the measured property, the degradation metric modeling behavior of the optical device;
- and estimate when a degradation of the optical device would exceed a threshold based on the current degradation metric;
- and
- an output module configured to schedule a calibration of the optical device based on the estimate from the adaptive module and to provide instructions to calibrate the optical device based on the schedule.
A calibration system comprising:
- a calibration apparatus configured to calibrate an optical device configured to measure an aspect relating to a light beam produced by a light source;
- and a prediction controller in communication with the calibration apparatus, the prediction controller comprising:
- an input module configured to receive from the optical device a measured property associated with the optical device measured while the optical device is being calibrated;
- an adaptive module configured to:
- receive the measured property from the input module;
- calculate a current degradation metric based at least on the measured property, the degradation metric modeling behavior of the optical device;
- and estimate when a degradation of the optical device would exceed a threshold based on the current degradation metric;
- and
- an output module configured to:
- schedule a calibration of the optical device based on the estimate from the adaptive module;
- and instruct the calibration apparatus to calibrate the optical device based on the schedule.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.