Mitigating long-term energy decay of laser devices
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChih-Ping Yen, Yen-Shuo Su, Jui-Pin Wu, Chun-Lin Chang, Han-Lung Chang, Heng-Hsin Liu
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Abstract
An apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors includes a power amplifier to power a laser, a catalyst disposed in the power amplifier, an inlet port, and an exhaust port. The inlet port introduces a mixing gas to an interior of the power amplifier during a cleaning operation so that the mixing gas contacts a surface of the catalyst having a build-up thereon. The mixing gas reacts with and removes the build-up by generating gaseous by-products. The exhaust port removes the gaseous by-products from the power amplifier.
Claims20
An apparatus for processing a semiconductor device, comprising:
- a power amplifier having a catalyst disposed in the power amplifier;
- an inlet configured to supply a gas to the power amplifier during a cleaning operation so that the gas contacts a surface of the catalyst having a build-up thereon,
- whereby the gas reacts with and removes the build-up by generating gaseous by-products;
- and
- an exhaust configured to remove the gaseous by-products from the power amplifier.
A method comprising:
- supplying a mixing gas to an interior of a power amplifier for a laser, the power amplifier having a catalyst;
- reacting the mixing gas with contaminants present on a surface of the catalyst to produce gaseous by-products;
- and
- evacuating the gaseous by-products from the power amplifier.
A method for processing a power amplifier of a laser, comprising:
- supplying a gas into the power amplifier during processing of the power amplifier, the power amplifier having a catalyst;
- generating gaseous by-products by reaction of the gas with contamination build-up on a surface of the catalyst;
- and
- removing the gas and the gaseous by-products from the power amplifier after processing the power amplifier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.