Increasing pulse-to-pulse radiation beam uniformity
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsOscar Franciscus Jozephus Noordman, Erik Petrus Buurman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system is used to substantially reduce divergence of a beam traveling between master and power oscillators, for example in a laser beam source. The system comprises the first and second oscillators and a beam conditioning device. The first oscillator is configured to generate a radiation beam. The beam conditioning device is configured to stabilize a position, a direction, a size, or a divergence of the radiation beam to produce a conditioned beam. The second oscillator configured to amplify the conditioned beam to produce an amplified beam.
Claims33
A system, comprising:
- a first oscillator configured to generate a radiation beam;
- a beam conditioning device configured to stabilize the radiation beam to produce a conditioned beam;
- and
- a second oscillator configured to amplify the conditioned beam to produce an amplified beam having substantially less divergence than the radiation beam,
- wherein a divergence of the conditioned beam, as received at the second oscillator, is substantially equivalent to a divergence of the radiation beam, as transmitted from the first oscillator.
A lithography system, comprising:
- an illumination system configured to generate an illumination beam of radiation, comprising,
- a first oscillator configured to generate a radiation beam having a first divergence;
- a beam conditioning device configured to stabilize the radiation beam to produce a conditioned beam having a second divergence substantially equivalent to the first divergence;
- and
- a second oscillator configured to amplify the conditioned beam to produce an illumination beam of radiation having a third divergence, the third divergence being substantially smaller than the first divergence and the second divergence;
- a patterning device that patterns the illumination beam of radiation;
- and
- a projection system that projects the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate.
A method, comprising:
- (a) generating a radiation beam using a first oscillator;
- (b) maintaining a divergence of the radiation beam to produce a conditioned beam having a divergence substantially equivalent the divergence of the radiation beam;
- and
- (c) amplifying the conditioned beam using a second oscillator such that an amplified beam has substantially less divergence than the radiation beam.
A laser, comprising:
- a first oscillator configured to generate a radiation beam;
- a beam conditioning device configured to stabilize the radiation beam to produce a conditioned beam;
- and
- a second oscillator configured to amplify the conditioned beam to produce an amplified beam having substantially less divergence than the radiation beam,
- wherein a divergence of the conditioned beam, as received at the second oscillator, is substantially equivalent to a divergence of the conditioned beam, as transmitted from the first oscillator.
An illuminator, comprising:
- a first oscillator configured to generate a radiation beam having a first divergence;
- a beam conditioning device configured to stabilize the radiation beam to produce a conditioned beam having a second divergence substantially equivalent to the first divergence;
- a second oscillator configured to amplify the conditioned beam to produce an amplified beam having a third divergence, the third divergence being substantially smaller than the first divergence and the second divergence;
- and
- an optical system configured to process the amplified beam to produce a processed beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.