Smart gas temperature control in laser sources

Abstract

The laser source includes a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam and a second laser chamber configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam. The laser source also includes a first temperature actuator and a second temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of gas in the first laser chamber and a second temperature of gas in the second laser chamber, respectively. The laser source also includes a temperature control system configured to receive data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator and determine thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator based on the received data. The thresholds are used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 62 / 925,811, filed on October 25, 2019, entitled “SMART GAS TEMPERATURE CONTROL INA LASER SOURCE,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for controlling gas temperature in laser sources used, for example, in lithographic apparatus and systems. Background Art

[0004] A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern to a substrate (usually to a target portion of the substrate). A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In this case, a pattern forming device (or referred to as a mask or reticle) can be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on a single layer of the IC. The pattern can be transferred to a target portion (e.g., a portion comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer). The transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) disposed on the substrate. Typically, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are patterned continuously. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire pattern to the target portion at once; and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern with a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning" direction) while simultaneously scanning the target portion parallel or antiparallel to the scanning direction. The pattern can also be transferred from the pattern forming device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.

[0005] Laser sources can be used with lithographic apparatus, for example, to generate illumination radiation for illuminating a patterning device. Laser sources can use gases to generate laser light for use with lithographic apparatus. Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods for controlling the temperature and other aspects of gases in laser sources that affect the radiation generated by the lasers. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Embodiments of gas temperature control systems and methods are described in this disclosure.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a laser source comprising: a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam; and a second laser chamber configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam. The laser source also comprises: a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber; and a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of a gas in the second laser chamber. The laser source also comprises a temperature control system configured to receive data from the first and second temperature actuators and, based on the received data, determine thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators. The thresholds are used by the first and second temperature actuators to control the first and second temperatures.

[0008] In some embodiments, each of the first and second temperature actuators includes a cooling system and a heating system, and the data from the first and second temperature actuators includes data associated with the corresponding cooling system, and the threshold includes a threshold associated with the heating system.

[0009] In some embodiments, the cooling system comprises a water cooling system, and the data associated with the cooling system comprises position data associated with one or more valves of the water cooling system. In some embodiments, the threshold value associated with the heating system comprises a lower threshold value for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold value for turning off the heating system.

[0010] In some embodiments, the temperature control system is configured to: monitor position data associated with one or more valves of the water cooling system during a first time period; determine a state of the laser source during the first time period; and when the state of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in an on state, determine first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with the one or more valves of the water cooling system.

[0011] In some embodiments, the temperature control system is further configured to determine second filtered data by filtering out outliers from the first filtered data. The outliers are determined based on one or more data thresholds. The temperature control system is further configured to determine envelope data based on the second filtered data; determine filtered envelope data by applying a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data; and determine a lower threshold and an upper threshold based on the filtered envelope data.

[0012] In some embodiments, a first temperature actuator includes a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with a first laser chamber. A second temperature actuator includes a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with a second laser chamber. Data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator include data associated with the first cooling system and the second cooling system, respectively. The thresholds include a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system. The first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature, and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0013] In some embodiments, the temperature control system is configured to: determine a chamber shot count associated with a first laser chamber. In response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than a first count threshold, the temperature control system is configured to communicate thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator. In response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than the second count threshold and less than or equal to the first count threshold, the temperature control system is configured to modulate the thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to determine modulated thresholds, wherein the modulated thresholds achieve a desired duty cycle. The temperature control system is configured to communicate the modulated thresholds to the first temperature actuator. In response to determining that the chamber shot count is less than or equal to the second count threshold, the temperature control system is configured to communicate with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to use default thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator.

[0014] In some embodiments, to determine the threshold values, the temperature control system is configured to: determine a first lower threshold value and a first upper threshold value associated with a first temperature actuator based on the received data. The temperature control system is further configured to: determine a second lower threshold value and a second upper threshold value associated with a second temperature actuator based on the received data. The first lower threshold value and the first upper threshold value are used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature. The second lower threshold value and the second upper threshold value are used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a lithographic apparatus comprising: an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; and a projection system configured to project a pattern imparted to the radiation beam onto a substrate. The illumination system comprises a laser source. The laser source comprises: a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam; and a second laser chamber configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam. The laser source further comprises: a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber; and a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of a gas in the second laser chamber. The laser source further comprises a temperature control system configured to receive data from the first and second temperature actuators and, based on the received data, determine thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators. The thresholds are used by the first and second temperature actuators to control the first and second temperatures.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method comprising: generating a first laser beam at a first laser chamber; and amplifying the first laser beam at a second laser chamber to generate a second laser beam. The method further comprises: controlling a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber using a first temperature actuator; and controlling a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber using a second temperature actuator. The method further comprises: receiving data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator at a temperature control system; and determining, using the temperature control system, threshold values ​​associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator based on the received data. The threshold values ​​are used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include receiving position data associated with one or more valves of a water cooling system of a laser source during a first time period. The operations also include determining a state of the laser source during the first time period, and when the state of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in an on state, generating first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with the one or more valves of the water cooling system. The method also includes generating second filtered data by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data; and determining envelope data based on the second filtered data. The method also includes determining filtered envelope data by applying a low-pass filter to the envelope data; and determining first and second thresholds associated with a heating system of the laser source based on the filtered envelope data. The first and second thresholds are used to control the temperature of a gas in at least one laser chamber.

[0018] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus. The apparatus includes a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of gas in a first laser cavity; and a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of gas in a second laser cavity. The apparatus also includes a temperature control system configured to receive data from the first and second temperature actuators and, based on the received data, determine thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators. The thresholds are used by the first and second temperature actuators to control the first and second temperatures.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first laser chamber is configured to generate a first laser beam, and the second laser chamber is configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate the second laser beam.

[0020] Another aspect of the present invention provides a laser source comprising: a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam; and a second laser chamber configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam. The laser source also comprises: a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber; and a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of a gas in the second laser chamber. The laser source also comprises a temperature control system. The temperature control system is configured to receive data from the first and second temperature actuators and, based on the received data, determine a first lower threshold and a first upper threshold associated with the first temperature actuator. The temperature control system is further configured to determine a second lower threshold and a second upper threshold associated with the second temperature actuator based on the received data. The first lower threshold and the first upper threshold are used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature, and the second lower threshold and the second upper threshold are used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus comprising: a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of gas in a first chamber; and a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of gas in a second chamber. The apparatus also includes a temperature control system. The temperature control system is configured to receive data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator; and based on the received data, determine a first threshold associated with the first temperature actuator. The first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature. The temperature control system is further configured to determine a second threshold associated with the second temperature actuator based on the received data. The second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0022] Other features, structures, and operations of various embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. The embodiments presented herein are for illustrative purposes only. Additional embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art based on the teachings contained herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the relevant art to make and use the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a reflective lithography apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a transmissive lithography apparatus according to an example embodiment.

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a lithography cell according to an example embodiment.

[0027] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of a laser source with a temperature control system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 4B A heating system status based on position data associated with one or more valves of a cooling system is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 5 An exemplary graph depicting position data and associated filtered envelope data associated with one or more valves of a cooling system during a time period is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 6A and Figure 6B An exemplary graph depicting position data associated with one or more valves of a cooling system and lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with a heating system during a time period is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for determining lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with a heating system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for determining lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with a heating system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for communicating lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with a heating system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 10A An exemplary graph depicting the status of a laser source during a time period is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 10B An exemplary graph depicting the status of the heating system during the time period is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 11 is an example computer system for implementing some embodiments or portion(s) thereof.

[0037] Features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numerals generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and / or structurally similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. Additionally, typically, the leftmost digit(s) in a reference numeral identifies the drawing in which the reference numeral first appears. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings provided throughout this disclosure should not be construed as being drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] This specification discloses one or more embodiments that incorporate features of the present invention. The disclosed embodiment(s) merely illustrate the present invention. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment(s). The breadth and scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0039] The described embodiment(s) and references in the specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment(s) may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it should be understood that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect that feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0040] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "below," "beneath," "above," "upper," and the like may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0041] As used herein, the term "about" indicates a value of a given amount that can vary based on a particular technology. Based on a particular technology, the term "about" can represent a value of a given amount that varies within, for example, 10-30% of a value (e.g., ±10%, ±20%, or ±30% of a value).

[0042] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example, a machine-readable medium may include a read-only memory (ROM); a random access memory (RAM); a magnetic disk storage medium; an optical storage medium; a flash memory device; an electrical, optical, acoustic, or other form of propagation signal (e.g., a carrier wave, an infrared signal, a digital signal, etc.), etc. In addition, firmware, software, routines, and / or instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions. However, it should be understood that this description is for convenience only, and that such actions are actually generated by a computing device, processor, controller, or other device that executes the firmware, software, routines, instructions, etc.

[0043] Before describing these embodiments in more detail, however, it is beneficial to provide an example environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0044] Example lithography system

[0045] Figure 1 and Figure 2Schematic diagrams of lithographic apparatus 100 and lithographic apparatus 100' are shown, respectively, in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The lithographic apparatus 100 and lithographic apparatus 100' each include the following: an illumination system (illuminator) IL configured to condition a radiation beam B (e.g., deep ultraviolet (DUV) radiation); a support structure (e.g., a mask table) MT configured to support a patterning device (e.g., a mask, a reticle, or a dynamic patterning device) MA and connected to a first positioner PM configured to precisely position the patterning device MA; and a substrate holder (such as a substrate stage, e.g., a wafer stage) WT configured to hold a substrate (e.g., a wafer coated with resist) W and connected to a second positioner PW configured to precisely position the substrate W. The lithographic apparatus 100 and 100' also have a projection system PS configured to project a pattern imparted to the radiation beam B by the patterning device MA onto a target portion (e.g., comprising one or more dies) C of the substrate W. In lithographic apparatus 100, patterning device MA and projection system PS are reflective. In lithographic apparatus 100', patterning device MA and projection system PS are transmissive.

[0046] The illumination system IL may include various types of optical components for directing, shaping or controlling the radiation beam B, such as refractive, reflective, catadioptric, magnetic, electromagnetic, electrostatic or other types of optical components, or any combination thereof.

[0047] The support structure MT holds the patterning device MA in a manner that depends on the orientation of the patterning device MA relative to the reference frame, the design of at least one of the lithographic apparatuses 100 and 100', and other conditions, such as whether the patterning device MA is held in a vacuum environment. The support structure MT can use mechanical, vacuum, electrostatic, or other clamping techniques to hold the patterning device MA. The support structure MT can be, for example, a frame or a table that can be fixed or movable as desired. By using sensors, the support structure MT can ensure that the patterning device MA is in a desired position, for example, relative to the projection system PS.

[0048] The term "patterning device" MA should be broadly interpreted as referring to any device that can be used to impart a pattern in the cross-section of a radiation beam B so as to create a pattern in a target portion C of the substrate W. The pattern imparted to the radiation beam B may correspond to a specific functional layer in the device being created in the target portion C to form an integrated circuit.

[0049] The patterning device MA may be transmissive (e.g. Figure 2 lithographic apparatus 100') or reflective (as in Figure 1lithographic apparatus 100). Examples of patterning devices MA include reticles, masks, programmable mirror arrays, or programmable LCD panels. Masks are well known in lithography and include mask types such as binary, alternating phase shift, or attenuated phase shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. An example of a programmable mirror array employs a matrix arrangement of small mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted to reflect an incident radiation beam in different directions. The tilted mirrors impart a pattern in the radiation beam B, which is reflected by the matrix of small mirrors.

[0050] The term "projection system" PS may include any type of projection system, including refractive, reflective, catadioptric, magnetic, electromagnetic and electrostatic optical systems, or any combination thereof, appropriate to the exposure radiation used, or to other factors, such as the use of an immersion liquid or the use of a vacuum on the substrate W. A vacuum environment may thus be provided to the entire beam path by means of vacuum walls and a vacuum pump.

[0051] The lithographic apparatus 100 and / or the lithographic apparatus 100' may be of a type having two (dual stage) or more substrate tables WT (and / or two or more mask tables). In such a "multi-stage" machine, the additional substrate tables WT may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be performed on one or more tables while one or more other substrate tables WT are being used for exposure. In some cases, the additional tables may not be substrate tables WT.

[0052] The lithographic apparatus may also be of a type in which at least a portion of the substrate may be covered with a liquid having a relatively high refractive index, such as water, to fill the space between the projection system and the substrate. Immersion liquid may also be applied to other spaces in the lithographic apparatus, such as the space between the mask and the projection system. Immersion techniques are well known in the art and are used to increase the numerical aperture of the projection system. The term "immersion" as used herein does not mean that structures such as the substrate are necessarily immersed in the liquid, but only means that the liquid is located between the projection system and the substrate during exposure.

[0053] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the illuminator IL receives a radiation beam from a radiation source SO. For example, when the source SO is an excimer laser, the source SO and the lithographic apparatus 100, 100' may be separate physical entities. In this case, the source SO is not considered to form part of the lithographic apparatus 100 or 100', and the radiation beam B is delivered to the lithographic apparatus 100 or 100' by means of a beam delivery system BD (in the embodiment of FIG. 1 ) comprising, for example, suitable directing mirrors and / or a beam expander. Figure 2In some embodiments, the lithographic apparatus 100 and 100 ′ may be a photolithographic apparatus 100 , 100 ′. The photo ...

[0054] The illuminator IL may comprise an adjuster AD (at Figure 2 In general, at least the outer and / or inner radial extent of the intensity distribution in a pupil plane of the illuminator (commonly referred to as "σ-outer" and "σ-inner", respectively) can be adjusted. In addition, the illuminator IL may include various other components (in Figure 2 ), such as an integrator IN and a condenser CO. The illuminator IL can be used to condition the radiation beam B so as to have a desired uniformity and intensity distribution in its cross-section.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 , a radiation beam B is incident on a patterning device (e.g., a mask) MA held on a support structure (e.g., a mask table) MT and is patterned by the patterning device MA. In the lithographic apparatus 100, the radiation beam B is reflected from the patterning device (e.g., a mask) MA. After being reflected from the patterning device (e.g., a mask) MA, the radiation beam B passes through a projection system PS, which focuses the radiation beam B onto a target portion C of a substrate W. With the aid of a second positioner PW and a position sensor IF2 (e.g., an interferometric device, a linear encoder, or a capacitive sensor), the substrate table WT can be precisely moved (e.g., in order to position a different target portion C in the path of the radiation beam B). Similarly, a first positioner PM and a further position sensor IF1 can be used to precisely position the patterning device (e.g., a mask) MA relative to the path of the radiation beam B. The patterning device (e.g., mask) MA and the substrate W can be aligned using mask alignment marks M1, M2 and substrate alignment marks P1, P2.

[0056] Reference Figure 2 , radiation beam B is incident on a patterning device (e.g., mask MA) held on a support structure (e.g., mask table MT) and is patterned by the patterning device. After passing through mask MA, radiation beam B passes through projection system PS, which focuses the beam onto a target portion C of substrate W. The projection system has a pupil PPU that is conjugate to an illumination system pupil IPU. Portions of the radiation emanate from the intensity distribution at illumination system pupil IPU and pass through the mask pattern without being affected by diffraction at the mask pattern, producing an image of the intensity distribution at illumination system pupil IPU.

[0057] The projection system PS projects an image MP' of the mask pattern MP onto a photoresist layer coated on the substrate W, wherein the image MP' is formed by a diffraction beam generated from the marking pattern MP by radiation from an intensity distribution. For example, the mask pattern MP may comprise an array of lines and spaces. The diffraction of the radiation at the array is different from the zeroth order diffraction, generating a steered diffraction beam with a change of direction in a direction perpendicular to the lines. The undiffracted beam, the so-called zeroth order diffraction beam, passes through the pattern without any change in the propagation direction. The zeroth order diffraction beam passes through an upper lens or an upper lens group in the projection system PS upstream of a pupil conjugate PPU of the projection system PS to reach the pupil conjugate PPU. The part of the intensity distribution in the plane of the pupil conjugate PPU and associated with the zeroth order diffraction beam is an image of the intensity distribution in the illumination system pupil IPU of the illumination system IL. The aperture device PD is, for example, arranged or substantially arranged at a plane including the pupil conjugate PPU of the projection system PS.

[0058] The projection system PS is configured to capture not only the zeroth-order diffraction beam but also the first-order or first-and-higher-order diffraction beams (not shown) via a lens or lens group L. In some embodiments, dipole illumination for imaging a line pattern extending in a direction perpendicular to the line can be used to exploit the resolution enhancement effect of dipole illumination. For example, a first-order diffraction beam interferes with the corresponding zeroth-order diffraction beam at the level of the wafer W to create an image of the line pattern MP at the highest possible resolution and process window (i.e., the available depth of focus combined with tolerable exposure dose deviations).

[0059] With the help of a second positioner PW and a position sensor IF (e.g. an interferometric device, a linear encoder or a capacitive sensor), the substrate table WT can be precisely moved (e.g. to position a different target portion C in the path of the radiation beam B). Similarly, the first positioner PM and another position sensor ( Figure 2 ) can be used to accurately position the mask MA relative to the path of the radiation beam B (eg after mechanical retrieval from a mask library or during scanning).

[0060] Typically, movement of the mask table MT may be achieved with the aid of a long-stroke module (coarse positioning) and a short-stroke module (fine positioning), which form part of the first positioner PM. Similarly, movement of the substrate table WT may be achieved using a long-stroke module and a short-stroke module, which form part of the second positioner PW. In the case of a stepper (as opposed to a scanner), the mask table MT may be connected to the short-stroke actuator only or may be fixed. Mask MA and substrate W may be aligned using mask alignment marks M1, M2 and substrate alignment marks P1, P2. Although the substrate alignment marks (as shown) occupy dedicated target portions, they may be located in the space between target portions (called lane alignment marks). Similarly, where more than one die is provided on the mask MA, the mask alignment marks may be located between the dies.

[0061] The mask table MT and patterning device MA can be in a vacuum chamber V, where an in-vacuum robot IVR can be used to move the patterning device (e.g., mask) into and out of the vacuum chamber. Alternatively, when the mask table MT and patterning device MA are outside the vacuum chamber, an out-of-vacuum robot can be used for various transport operations, similar to the in-vacuum robot IVR. Both the in-vacuum and out-of-vacuum robots need to be calibrated for smooth transfer of any payload (e.g., mask) to the fixed kinematic support of the transfer station.

[0062] The lithographic apparatuses 100 and 100 ′ may be used in at least one of the following modes:

[0063] 1. In step mode, the support structure (e.g. mask table) MT and substrate table WT are held substantially stationary while an entire pattern imparted to the radiation beam B is projected at once onto a target portion C (i.e. a single static exposure). The substrate table WT is then shifted in the X and / or Y direction so that a different target portion C can be exposed.

[0064] 2. In scan mode, the support structure (e.g. mask table) MT and substrate table WT are scanned synchronously while a pattern imparted to the radiation beam B is projected onto a target portion C (i.e. single dynamic exposure). The speed and direction of the substrate table WT relative to the support structure (e.g. mask table) MT may be determined by the (de)magnification and image reversal characteristics of the projection system PS.

[0065] 3. In another mode, the support structure (e.g., mask table) MT is held substantially stationary to hold the programmable patterning device, and the substrate table WT is moved or scanned while a pattern imparted to the radiation beam B is projected onto a target portion C. A pulsed radiation source SO may be employed, and the programmable patterning device updated as required after each movement of the substrate table WT or between successive radiation pulses during a scan. This mode of operation can be readily applied to maskless lithography utilizing a programmable patterning device (e.g., a programmable mirror array).

[0066] Combinations and / or variations of the described modes of use or entirely different modes of use may also be employed.

[0067] Exemplary Lithography Cell

[0068] Figure 3 A lithocell 300 is shown, sometimes also referred to as a lithocell or cluster. The litho apparatus 100 or 100' may form part of the lithocell 300. The lithocell 300 may also include one or more devices for performing pre-exposure and post-exposure processes on the substrate. Conventionally, these include a spin coater SC for depositing a resist layer, a developer DE for developing the exposed resist, a cooling plate CH, and a baking plate BK. A substrate handler or robot RO picks up substrates from input / output ports I / O1, I / O2, moves them between different processing devices, and transfers them to a loading bay LB of the litho apparatus 100 or 100'. These devices, generally referred to as tracks, are under the control of a track control unit TCU, which is itself controlled by a supervisory control system SCS, which also controls the litho apparatus via a litho control unit LACU. Thus, different devices may be operated to maximize throughput and processing efficiency.

[0069] Exemplary Temperature Control Systems and Methods

[0070] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of a laser source 400 with a temperature control system 430 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, the laser source 400 can be used as part of the source SO of the lithographic apparatus 100 or 100', or can also be used as a source in addition to the source SO of the lithographic apparatus 100 or 100'. Additionally or alternatively, the laser source 400 can be used to generate DUV radiation for use in the lithographic apparatus 100 or 100' or other DUV lithographic apparatus.

[0071] like Figure 4AAs shown, laser source 400 may include a dual-chamber laser source. For example, laser source 400 may include a first laser chamber 403a and a second laser chamber 403b. In an exemplary embodiment, first laser chamber 403a may include a master oscillator or a portion of a master oscillator. For example, laser source 400 may include a master oscillator, wherein the master source includes first laser chamber 403a. In this example, second laser chamber 403b may include a power amplifier or a portion of a power amplifier. For example, the laser source may include a power amplifier, wherein the power amplifier includes second laser chamber 403b. Although some embodiments are discussed with respect to a dual-chamber laser source, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to a laser source having one chamber or a laser source having multiple laser chambers.

[0072] According to some embodiments, first chamber 403a generates first laser beam 409, which is directed to second laser chamber 403b, where first laser beam 409 is amplified to produce second laser beam 411. Second laser beam 411 is output to a lithographic apparatus (e.g., lithographic apparatus 100 and / or 110').

[0073] According to some embodiments, each laser chamber 403a and 403b contains a gas mixture. For example, in an excimer laser source, the first laser chamber 403a and the second laser chamber 403b can contain a halogen (e.g., fluorine) and other gases, such as argon, neon, and possibly other gases, with different partial pressures that add up to a total pressure. Laser chambers 403a and 403b can include other gases for generating and amplifying the laser beam. Laser chambers 403a and 403b can include the same or different gas mixtures.

[0074] In some embodiments, laser source 400 may include (or may be coupled to) gas sources (e.g., gas cylinders) 420a and 420b. For example, gas source 420a may be coupled to first laser chamber 403a to provide a gas mixture for generating first laser beam 409. Additionally, gas source 420b may be coupled to second laser chamber 403b to provide a gas mixture for generating second laser beam 411. In some examples, gas sources 420a and 420b may be coupled to laser chambers 403a and 403b, respectively, via valves (not shown). A control system (e.g., control system 410) may be used to control the valves for routing gas from gas sources 420a and 420b to laser chambers 403a and 403b.

[0075] In some embodiments, gas source 420a may include a gas mixture including, but not limited to, fluorine, argon, and neon. According to some embodiments, gas source 420b may include a mixture of argon, neon, and / or other gases, but not fluorine. However, other gas mixtures may be used in gas sources 420a and 420b.

[0076] According to some embodiments, the temperature of the gas in laser chambers 403a and 403b can be controlled using one or more temperature actuators. In some examples, the one or more temperature actuators can include heating systems 405a and 405b (collectively, heating system 405) and cooling systems 407a and 407b (collectively, cooling system 407). Figure 4A In the illustrated embodiment, first laser chamber 403a includes a first temperature actuator comprising a heating system 405a and a cooling system 407a. The first temperature actuator, comprising heating system 405a and cooling system 407a, can control the temperature of the gas within first laser chamber 403a. Similarly, second laser chamber 403b includes a second temperature actuator, comprising heating system 405b and cooling system 407b. The second temperature actuator, comprising heating system 405b and cooling system 407b, can control the temperature of the gas within first laser chamber 403b.

[0077] In some embodiments, the temperature actuator (e.g., heating system 405 and cooling system 407) can control the gas temperature in first laser chamber 403a based on the gas temperature in first laser chamber 403a and independently of the gas temperature in second laser chamber 403b. Alternatively, the temperature actuator (e.g., heating system 405 and cooling system 407) can control the gas temperature in first laser chamber 403a based on the gas temperature in second laser chamber 403b, or vice versa. In some embodiments, the temperature actuator can control the gas temperature in one of the laser chambers based on the gas temperature in both laser chambers.

[0078] According to some embodiments, heating system 405 may include one or more coils configured to heat the gas within the corresponding laser chamber. In some examples, one or more coils may be resistive loads that generate heat proportional to the square of the voltage applied to the coil(s). However, other heating systems may also be used. According to some embodiments, cooling system 407 may include a water cooling system to cool the gas within the corresponding laser chamber. In some examples, the water cooling system may include a pipe or series of pipes that can transport cold water across the corresponding laser chamber, allowing conductive heat transfer to occur, simultaneously (or substantially simultaneously) heating the water and cooling the laser chamber. The heated water is then drained from the system and replaced with fresh cold water. The amount of cooling may be proportional to the flow rate of water entering the pipe(s), which is controlled by a valve or set of valves.

[0079] According to some embodiments, control system 410 is used to control the gas temperature in laser chambers 403a and 403b (collectively, laser chamber 403). For example, control system 410 can be connected to one or more temperature sensors in laser chamber 403 to detect the gas temperature. Depending on, for example, set points set for the gas temperature in laser chamber 403 and the sensed temperature, control system 410 is configured to control heating system 405 and / or cooling system 407.

[0080] In some examples, cooling systems 407a and 407b are the primary actuators in the temperature actuators. In these examples, cooling system 407 maintains the gas temperature in its corresponding laser chamber (e.g., cooling system 407a for first laser chamber 403a and cooling system 407b for first laser chamber 403b) within a set point threshold. In a non-limiting example, cooling system 407 maintains the gas temperature in its corresponding laser chamber within approximately 1°C of the set point. However, other set point thresholds may also be used. In some examples, cooling system 407 is controlled to gradually increase or decrease the temperature. Additionally, in some examples, heating system 405 may be a process actuator in the temperature actuators. In these examples, heating system 405 may be configured to keep its corresponding laser chamber sufficiently hot so that cooling system 407 has sufficient headroom to operate properly. In some examples, heating system 405 is turned on (e.g., to its maximum capacity) or off.

[0081] In some examples, the on / off state of each heating system in heating system 405 is determined based on the state of its corresponding cooling system 407. In some embodiments, cooling system 407 may include a water cooling system. When cooling system 407 includes a water cooling system, the state of cooling system 407 (e.g., data associated with cooling system 407) may include position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407. The valves of cooling system 407 may be monitored and controlled by control system 410. For example, the valves of cooling system 407 may be monitored and controlled by control system 410 to gradually open or close. According to some embodiments, the position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407 may indicate how the one or more valves are open. For example, the position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407 may indicate the valve opening (e.g., in percentage) of the one or more valves.

[0082] As mentioned above, the on / off state of each heating system in the heating system 405 is determined based on the state of its corresponding cooling system 407 (e.g., position data associated with one or more valves of the cooling system 407). For example, if the state of the cooling system 407a is approaching one of its limits, the heating system 405a can change state to compensate. For example, if the control system 410 determines that the monitored position data associated with one or more valves of the cooling system 407a is less than a lower valve position threshold (one or more valves are almost fully closed), the control system 410 can instruct the heating system 405a to turn on. This is because the control system 410 has determined that the first laser chamber 403a is relatively cool.

[0083] This is for example Figure 4B Shown in. Figure 4B Graph 450 shows the state of a heating system based on position data associated with one or more valves of a cooling system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Graph 450 includes an x-axis representing valve opening 451 (as a percentage—e.g., position data associated with one or more valves of the cooling system) and a y-axis representing the state of a heating system 453 (e.g., on or off). In one example, if control system 410 determines that monitored position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407 (e.g., valve opening 451) is less than a lower valve position threshold 455, control system 410 can instruct heating system 405 to turn on.

[0084] In another example, if the control system 410 determines that the monitored position data associated with one or more valves of the cooling system 407a exceeds an upper valve position threshold (the one or more valves are almost fully open), the control system 410 can instruct the heating system 405a to shut down. This is because the control system 410 has determined that the first laser chamber 403a is relatively hot. In some examples, the control system 410 provides such hysteresis control for controlling the heating system 405 and / or the cooling system 407. For example, Figure 4B As shown, if control system 410 determines that monitored position data (eg, valve opening 451 ) associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407 exceeds upper valve position threshold 457 , control system 410 may instruct heating system 405 to shut down.

[0085] In some examples, lower valve position threshold 455 and upper valve position threshold 457 may be fixed default values. For example, the lower valve position threshold may be approximately 30% valve opening, and the upper valve position threshold may be approximately 70% valve opening. However, these are exemplary thresholds, and other values ​​may be used for these lower and upper valve position thresholds. In some examples, using fixed default lower and upper valve position thresholds may result in wasted energy. For example, laser chamber 403 may be heated beyond the amount necessary to provide sufficient headroom for cooling system 407. In some systems (e.g., high-utilization systems), the wasted energy may be even higher because a chamber blower (not shown) and a high firing rate may generate sufficient heat within laser chamber 403.

[0086] According to some embodiments, a temperature control system 430 associated with the control system 410 is configured to dynamically adjust the lower valve position threshold 455 and the upper valve position threshold 457. In these embodiments, the temperature control system 430 is configured to monitor the gas temperature of the laser chamber 403, the performance of the cooling system 407, the status of the laser source 400, and / or the performance of the laser source 400 to dynamically control one or more thresholds (e.g., the lower valve position threshold and the upper valve position threshold) associated with the heating system 405. According to some embodiments, by dynamically controlling one or more thresholds associated with the heating system 405, the heating system 405 can be shut down when not needed, thereby saving energy and power consumption of the laser source 400.

[0087] According to some embodiments, the temperature control system 430 is configured to receive data from a temperature actuator (e.g., the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator discussed above). As discussed above, the first temperature actuator may include a heating system 405a and a cooling system 407a, and the second temperature actuator may include a heating system 405b and a cooling system 407b. In some embodiments, the temperature control system 430 is configured to receive data from the temperature actuator via the control system 410 (e.g., via connection 433). Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control system 430 may receive data directly from the temperature actuator.

[0088] In some embodiments, the data received from the temperature actuator may include data associated with the cooling system 407. For example, the data associated with the cooling system 407 may include position data (e.g., valve opening data) associated with one or more valves of the cooling system 407. In some embodiments, the position data associated with the one or more valves of the cooling system 407 includes position data monitored by the temperature control system 430 (and / or the control system 410) over a period of time. The period of time may include approximately several hours, approximately one day, approximately 10 days, approximately one month, approximately one year, etc. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples, and other time periods may be used to monitor the position data associated with the one or more valves of the cooling system 407.

[0089] According to some embodiments, using data received from a temperature actuator (e.g., position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407), temperature control system 430 is configured to determine one or more thresholds associated with the temperature actuator. The temperature actuator can use the determined thresholds to control the temperature of the gas in laser chamber 403. For example, temperature control system 430 is configured to determine one or more thresholds associated with heating system 405 of the temperature actuator. The one or more thresholds may include the lower valve position threshold and the upper valve position threshold discussed above. For example, the lower threshold may include a threshold for turning on heating system 405 (e.g., the lower valve position threshold discussed above). The upper threshold may include a threshold for turning off heating system 405 (e.g., the upper valve position threshold discussed above).

[0090] In some exemplary embodiments, both heating systems 405a and 405b use the same lower threshold (e.g., the lower valve position threshold discussed above) and the same upper threshold (e.g., the upper valve position threshold discussed above). In other words, even though the first laser chamber 403a / cooling system 405a may have different requirements, measurements, and performance than the second laser chamber 403b / cooling system 407b, heating systems 405a and 405b use the same threshold. Alternatively, heating systems 405a and 405b may use different first and second thresholds. In some embodiments, there is a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system, where the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature. In some embodiments, the first threshold includes the lower and upper thresholds associated with heating system 405a, while the second threshold includes the lower and upper thresholds associated with heating system 405b.

[0091] According to some embodiments, temperature control system 430 is configured to use the state of laser source 400, in addition to data received from the temperature actuator (e.g., position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407), to determine one or more thresholds associated with heating system 405 of the temperature actuator. In this example, temperature control system 430 is configured to determine (e.g., generate) first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the received data (e.g., a portion of the position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407) when the state of laser source 400 indicates that laser source 400 is not in the on state. In other words, according to some embodiments, when laser source 400 is in the off or standby state, temperature control system 430 does not consider the position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407. According to some embodiments, laser source 400 can have multiple states. For example, laser source 400 can be in an on state (e.g., "laser on"), a standby state, or an off state (e.g., "laser off"). In some embodiments, during the standby state and / or the off state, the first chamber 403a does not generate the first laser beam 409 and / or the second laser chamber 403b does not generate the second laser beam 411. The temperature control system 430 may filter out data associated with the off state and the standby state.

[0092] Figure 5An exemplary graph depicting position data and associated filtered envelope data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407 during a time period according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Graph 500 includes a y-axis 501 indicating valve opening as a percentage and an x-axis 503 indicating time. Graph 500 illustrates position data 509 associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407.

[0093] In this exemplary embodiment, as discussed above, according to some embodiments, when laser source 400 is not in an on state (e.g., in an off or standby state), temperature control system 430 does not consider position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407. This position data is shown as data point 513 on graph 500.

[0094] According to some embodiments, after the temperature control system 430 determines (e.g., generates) the first filtered data by filtering out the portion of the data received when the laser source 400 is not in the on state, the temperature control system 430 further determines (e.g., generates) the second filtered data by filtering out the outlier portion of the first filtered data. In some examples, the temperature control system 430 is configured to determine the outlier portion based on one or more data thresholds. Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control system 430 is configured to perform one or more outlier filtering methods to filter out the outlier portion of the first filtered data. In some examples, determining the outlier portion can include: ignoring values ​​above a data threshold, ignoring values ​​that are outside a certain number of standard deviations relative to the mean, using an average of several data points to reduce the impact of a single outlier, ignoring values ​​that represent unrealistic or physically impossible events (e.g., percentages that are not between 0 and 100), etc. For example, as Figure 5 As shown in graph 500 , the temperature control system 430 is configured to filter out outlier data points 511 .

[0095] According to some embodiments, after determining the second filtered data, temperature control system 430 is configured to determine envelope data based on the second filtered data. In some examples, envelope data is data that outlines the second filtered data and can summarize the concept of the amplitude of the second filtered data. For example, envelope data is determined (by temperature control system 430) to span from the bottom of the second filtered data to just below the top of the second filtered data. According to some embodiments, because temperature control system 430 determines envelope data based on the second filtered data, the envelope data excludes portions of data received from temperature actuators (e.g., position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407) when the laser source is in an off state or in a standby state, and also excludes outlier data.

[0096] In some embodiments, after determining the envelope data, the temperature control system 430 further determines filtered envelope data by applying a filter to the envelope data. For example, the temperature control system 430 applies the filter to the envelope data so that the filtered envelope data can be robust and insensitive to temporary deviations in performance, and the filtered envelope data can be robust and insensitive to noise on the data within the filtered envelope data. In some examples, the temperature control system 430 applies a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data. However, embodiments of the present disclosure may include other filters applied to the envelope data to make the filtered envelope data more robust to noise and performance fluctuations. For example, the temperature control system 430 is configured to generate the following: Figure 5 Filtered envelope data 505 and 507 are shown. In this example, the filtered envelope data includes a lower limit value (eg, edge) 505 and a lower limit value (eg, edge) 507.

[0097] According to some embodiments, using the determined filtered envelope data, temperature control system 430 is configured to determine one or more thresholds for temperature actuators (eg, a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold associated with heating system 405 ).

[0098] As discussed above, the upper valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405 can be a heating system shutoff threshold. In other words, when the valve position associated with the cooling system 407 is greater than the upper valve position threshold, the heating system 405 is shut off. In one embodiment, the temperature control system 430 is configured to determine (e.g., set) the upper valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405 (e.g., the heating system shutoff threshold) to be just below the lower limit value (e.g., edge) of the filtered envelope data. This is, for example, Figure 6A and / or Figure 6B Shown in.

[0099] Figure 6A and Figure 6B An exemplary graph depicting position data associated with one or more valves of the cooling system 407 and lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with the heating system 405 during a time period is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0100] Graph 600 (or 620 ) includes a y-axis 601 (or 621 ) indicating valve opening in percentage and an x-axis 603 (or 623 ) indicating time. Graph 600 (or 620 ) shows position data 609 (or 629 ) associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407 .

[0101] In this example, the graph 600 (or 620) also shows an upper valve position threshold (e.g., heating system off threshold) 607 (or 627) associated with the heating system 405. Furthermore, the graph 600 (or 620) also shows a lower valve position threshold (e.g., heating system on threshold) 605 (or 625) associated with the heating system 405. In one embodiment, the temperature control system 430 is configured to determine (e.g., set) the upper valve position threshold 607 (or 627) associated with the heating system 405 to be just below the lower limit (e.g., edge) of the filtered envelope data (e.g., Figure 5 The lower limit value is 505).

[0102] It can be seen that in Figure 6A and Figure 6B , the lower valve position thresholds 605, 625 are the same, and the upper valve position thresholds 607, 627 are also the same. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the lower valve position thresholds 605, 625 can be different, and in some embodiments, the upper valve position thresholds 607, 627 can be different. Thus, there can be a lower threshold and an upper threshold associated with the first laser chamber 403a and the first heating system 405a, and separate lower thresholds and upper thresholds associated with the second laser chamber 403b and the second heating system 405b.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control system 430 is configured to determine (e.g., set) a lower valve position threshold 605 (or 625) associated with the heating system 405 such that the heating system 405 is turned on when the laser source 400 transitions to the off or standby state. As discussed above, the lower valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405 can be a heating system turn-on threshold. In other words, when the valve position associated with the cooling system 407 is less than the lower valve position threshold, the heating system 405 is turned on.

[0104] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to this method, and that other methods may be used by the temperature control system 430, which is configured to determine one or more thresholds for the temperature actuator based on the determined filtered envelope data. For example, the temperature control system 430 may use the filtered data envelope (e.g., Figure 5 The upper limit valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405 (e.g., heating system off threshold) is determined based on an upper limit value (e.g., edge) of the filtered data envelope 507. For example, the temperature control system 430 may determine (e.g., set) the upper limit valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405 to be equal to or greater than the upper limit value (e.g., edge) of the filtered data envelope.

[0105] like Figure 6A and Figure 6BAs shown, temperature control system 430 can receive two sets of data from a temperature actuator—a first set of data associated with cooling system 407a of first laser chamber 403a (e.g., position data 609) and a second set of data associated with cooling system 407b of second laser chamber 403b (e.g., position data 629). In some embodiments, temperature control system 430 can determine a first lower valve position threshold and a first upper valve position threshold for first laser chamber 403a, and a second lower valve position threshold and a second upper valve position threshold for second laser chamber 403b. In these examples, temperature control system 430 can use the first set of thresholds and the second set of thresholds to determine the lower valve position threshold and the upper valve position threshold. For example, temperature control system 430 can determine the upper valve position threshold as the minimum of the first upper valve position threshold and the second upper valve position threshold. Furthermore, as an example, temperature control system 430 can determine the lower valve position threshold as the minimum of the first lower valve position threshold and the second lower valve position threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the first lower valve position threshold and the first upper valve position threshold are used to control the gas temperature in the first laser chamber 403 a, while the second lower valve position threshold and the second upper valve position threshold are used to control the gas temperature in the second laser chamber 403 a. In some examples, the first lower valve position threshold and the first upper valve position threshold are the same as the second lower valve position threshold and the second upper valve position threshold. Alternatively, the first lower valve position threshold and the first upper valve position threshold are different from the second lower valve position threshold and the second upper valve position threshold.

[0106] After determining the lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with heating system 405, temperature control system 430 can communicate these thresholds to control system 410 (e.g., via connection 431). Control system 410 uses these thresholds to control the gas temperature in first laser chamber 403a and second laser chamber 403b. Alternatively or additionally, temperature control system 430 can communicate directly with the temperature actuators (including heating system 405 and cooling system 407) to monitor (e.g., receive) data and send control data / instructions. According to some embodiments, by dynamically controlling one or more thresholds associated with heating system 405, energy and power consumption in laser source 400 can be conserved.

[0107] According to some embodiments, the temperature control system 430 is configured to periodically determine the lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with the heating system 405. In one example, the time period for determining the lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with the heating system 405 can be set by a user at the temperature control system 430. In another example, the temperature control system 430 can analyze data associated with the temperature actuator and, based on changes in the data, can set or change the time period for determining the lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with the heating system 405. In other embodiments, the time period for determining the lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with the heating system 405 can be a fixed time period or a variable time period. In some embodiments, the temperature control system 430 can determine the lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with the heating system 405 based on instructions received from a user, from the control system 401, and / or other components of the lithographic apparatus 100 and / or 100'.

[0108] Figure 7 An example method 700 for determining a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold associated with a heating system 405 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience and not limitation, Figure 7 You can refer to Figure 1 6. Method 700 may represent the operation of temperature control system 403 for determining a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold associated with heating system 405. Method 700 may be performed by Figure 4A Temperature control system 403 and / or Figure 11 However, the method 700 is not limited to the specific embodiments shown in these figures, and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, other systems may be used to perform the method. It should be understood that not all operations are required, and that these operations may not be performed in the same manner. Figure 7 The same sequence as shown is executed.

[0109] At 702, data associated with a first cooling system of a first laser chamber of a laser source is monitored during a first time period. For example, temperature control system 430 (directly and / or via control system 410) monitors valve position data associated with cooling system 407a (e.g., a water cooling system) of first laser chamber 403a of laser source 400 during the first time period.

[0110] At 704, data associated with a second cooling system of a second laser chamber of the laser source is monitored during a first time period. For example, temperature control system 430 (directly and / or via control system 410) monitors valve position data associated with cooling system 407b (e.g., a water cooling system) of second laser chamber 403b of laser source 400 during the first time period.

[0111] At 706, the state of the laser source during the first time period is determined. For example, temperature control system 430 (directly and / or via control system 410) determines whether and / or when laser source 400 is in an on state, an off state, or a standby state during the first time period.

[0112] At 708, one or more thresholds associated with a first heating system of the first laser chamber and a second heating system of the second laser chamber are determined based on the monitored data and the status of the laser source. For example, the temperature control system 430 uses the monitored valve position data associated with the cooling system 405 and the status of the laser source 400 to determine a lower valve position threshold (e.g., a heating system on threshold) for the heating system 407 and an upper valve position threshold (e.g., a heating system off threshold) for the heating system 407.

[0113] According to some embodiments, temperature control system 430 uses the monitored valve position data associated with cooling system 405a and the state of laser source 400 to determine a first lower valve position threshold and a first upper valve position threshold for heating system 407a. In this example, temperature control system 430 uses the monitored valve position data associated with cooling system 405b and the state of laser source 400 to determine a second lower valve position threshold and a second upper valve position threshold for heating system 407b. Temperature control system 430 then uses the first and second lower and upper valve position thresholds to determine lower and upper valve position thresholds for both heating systems 407a and 407b. However, other methods for determining lower and upper valve position thresholds discussed in this disclosure may also be used.

[0114] According to some embodiments, after determining one or more thresholds (e.g., a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold), these thresholds are communicated to the control system 410 and used to control the heating system 407 for controlling the temperature of the gas in the laser chamber 403. There may be different thresholds for the respective laser systems, or there may be a single set of upper and lower thresholds for both laser systems.

[0115] Figure 8An example method 800 for determining a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold associated with a heating system 405 is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience and not limitation, reference may be made to Figures 1 to 7 Elements to describe Figure 8 Method 800 may represent the operation of temperature control system 403 to determine a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold associated with heating system 405. Method 800 may be performed by Figure 4A Temperature control system 403 and / or Figure 11 However, the method 800 is not limited to the specific embodiments shown in these figures, and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, other systems may be used to perform the method. It should be understood that not all operations are required, and these operations may not be performed in the same manner. Figure 8 Execute in the same order as shown.

[0116] According to some embodiments, method 800 may be Figure 7 708 of method 700. In some embodiments, at 802, when the status of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in the on state (e.g., it is in the off state or in the standby state), first filtered data is determined by filtering out a portion of the data associated with the first cooling system and / or the second cooling system. As discussed above, in one example, the data associated with the first cooling system and / or the second cooling system includes valve position data associated with cooling system 407. At 802, for example, when the status of laser source 400 indicates that laser source 400 is not in the on state, temperature control system 430 determines (e.g., generates) the first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the received data (e.g., a portion of the valve position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407). In other words, according to some embodiments, when laser source 400 is in the off state or in the standby state, temperature control system 430 does not consider valve position data associated with one or more valves of cooling system 407.

[0117] At 804, second filtered data is determined by filtering out outliers from the first filtered data. For example, the temperature control system 430 further determines (e.g., generates) the second filtered data by filtering out outliers from the first filtered data. In some examples, the temperature control system 430 is configured to determine the outliers based on one or more data thresholds. Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control system 430 is configured to perform one or more outlier filtering methods to filter out outliers from the first filtered data.

[0118] At 806, envelope data based on the second filtered data is determined. For example, temperature control system 430 determines the envelope data based at least in part on the second filtered data. In some examples, the envelope data is data that outlines the second filtered data and can provide a general idea of ​​the magnitude of the second filtered data. For example, the envelope data is determined (by temperature control system 430) to span from the bottom of the second filtered data to just below the top of the second filtered data.

[0119] At 808, filtered envelope data is determined by applying a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data. For example, the temperature control system 430 applies a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data. While some embodiments are discussed using a low-pass moving average filter, embodiments of the present disclosure may include other filters applied to the envelope data to make the filtered envelope data more robust to noise and performance fluctuations.

[0120] At 810, one or more thresholds are determined based at least in part on the filtered envelope data. For example, the temperature control system 430 determines the one or more thresholds based at least in part on the filtered envelope data. In one example, the one or more thresholds include a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405. In one embodiment, the temperature control system 430 determines (e.g., sets) an upper valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405 (e.g., a heating system off threshold) to be just below a lower value (e.g., an edge) of the filtered envelope data. Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control system 430 determines (e.g., sets) the lower valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405 so that the heating system 405 turns on when the laser source 400 transitions to the off or standby mode.

[0121] Figure 9 An example method 900 for communicating a lower valve position threshold and an upper valve position threshold associated with a heating system 405 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience and not limitation, Figure 9 You can refer to Figures 1 to 8 Method 900 may represent the operation of the temperature control system 403 for communicating a lower limit valve position threshold and an upper limit valve position threshold associated with the heating system 405. Method 900 may be performed by Figure 4A Temperature control system 403 and / or Figure 11 However, the method 900 is not limited to the specific embodiments shown in these figures, and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, other systems may be used to perform the method. It should be understood that not all operations are required, and that these operations may not be performed in the same manner. Figure 9 Execute in the same order as shown.

[0122] According to some embodiments, in addition to determining the lower and upper valve position thresholds associated with heating system 405, temperature control system 430 can also be configured to control heating system 405 (via control system 410) based on the age of laser chamber 403. In some embodiments, the age of laser chamber 403 can be determined based on a chamber shot count associated with the laser chamber.

[0123] For example, for a laser chamber at an early chamber age, temperature control system 430 may instruct control system 410 to use default lower and upper valve position thresholds rather than the lower and upper valve position thresholds determined by temperature control system 430 .

[0124] For the laser chamber at an intermediate chamber lifetime, the temperature control system 430 can instruct the control system 410 to use the modulated lower and upper valve position thresholds determined by the temperature control system 430. According to some examples, the temperature control system 430 is configured to modulate the lower and upper valve position thresholds to generate the modulated thresholds to achieve a desired duty cycle.

[0125] According to some embodiments, for laser chambers below an intermediate chamber age, temperature control system 430 may instruct control system 410 to use the lower and upper valve position thresholds determined by temperature control system 430 .

[0126] According to some embodiments, at 902, a chamber shot count associated with a first laser chamber and / or a second laser chamber of a laser source is determined. For example, temperature control system 430 may determine a first chamber shot count associated with first laser chamber 403a of laser source 400 and a second chamber shot count associated with second laser chamber 403b of laser source 400. In some examples, the chamber shot count may indicate the number of laser shots generated in a chamber since the chamber was installed in the laser source.

[0127] At 904, the determined chamber shot count is compared to a first count threshold. For example, the temperature control system 430 compares the determined chamber shot count to the first count threshold. A separate first count threshold may be associated with each laser chamber in the laser chamber, or there may be a first count threshold associated with both laser chambers combined. If the determined chamber shot count is greater than the first count threshold, the temperature control system 430 may determine that the laser chamber is past mid-life. In this example, the method may continue to 906, where the temperature control system 430 communicates one or more of the lower valve position threshold and the upper valve position threshold determined by the temperature control system 430 to the control system 410. Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control system 430 instructs the control system 410 to use one or more of the lower valve position threshold and the upper valve position threshold. In some examples, the first count threshold may be a value of approximately or greater than 10 billion pulses (Bps). In some examples, the first count threshold may be a value of approximately or greater than 15 Bps. In some examples, the first count threshold may be a value of approximately or greater than 18 Bps. In some examples, the first count threshold may be a value of approximately 20 Bps. However, these values ​​for the first count threshold are provided as examples, and other values ​​may be used.

[0128] If it is determined at 908 that the determined chamber shot count is not greater than the first count threshold, method 900 moves to 908. At 908, it is determined whether the determined chamber shot count is greater than a second count threshold. For example, temperature control system 430 determines whether the determined chamber shot count is greater than the second count threshold. If temperature control system 430 determines that the determined chamber shot count is less than the second count threshold, temperature control system 430 may determine that the laser chamber is in the early stages of its life. In this example, method 900 moves to 910.

[0129] At 910, temperature control system 430 communicates with control system 410 so that control system 410 uses default / original threshold(s) instead of the lower and upper valve position thresholds determined by temperature control system 430. In one example, temperature control system 430 may communicate one or more of the lower and upper valve position thresholds determined by temperature control system 430 to control system 410, but may instruct control system 410 not to use them and instead use the default / original threshold(s). Alternatively, temperature control system 430 does not communicate one or more of the lower and upper valve position thresholds determined by temperature control system 430 and control system 410 to control system 410, and control system 410 uses the default / original threshold(s).

[0130] According to some embodiments, by using default / original thresholds rather than lower and upper valve position thresholds determined by temperature control system 430, temperature control system 430 can avoid or ameliorate cold start risks. Cold start risk can refer to a temporary loss of system efficiency after an extended period of laser idle time, which may be related to laser chamber gas temperature and / or laser chamber aging. In some examples, the second count threshold can be a value of approximately or greater than 0.5 Bps. In some examples, the second count threshold can be a value of approximately or greater than 1 Bps. In some examples, the second count threshold can be a value of approximately 2 Bps. However, these values ​​for the second count threshold are provided as examples, and other values ​​may be used.

[0131] If it is determined at 908 that the determined chamber shot count is between the second count threshold and the first count threshold, the temperature control system 430 can determine that the laser chamber is mid-life. In this example, the method 900 moves to 912. At 912, the temperature control system 430 is configured to modulate the lower valve position threshold to generate a modulated lower valve position threshold. The temperature control system 430 is configured to modulate the upper valve position threshold to generate a modulated upper valve position threshold. The temperature control system 430 is configured to generate the modulated lower valve position threshold and the upper valve position threshold to achieve the desired duty cycle. At 914, the temperature control system 430 communicates one or more of the modulated lower valve position threshold and the upper valve position threshold determined by the temperature control system 430 to the control system 410.

[0132] According to some embodiments, the control system 410 uses the modulated lower and upper valve position thresholds to switch control of the heating system 405 between (multiple) default / original thresholds and (multiple) thresholds determined by the temperature control system 430 (e.g., the thresholds before modulation). In other words, the temperature control system 430 is configured to communicate a new set of thresholds at a certain frequency to achieve a duty cycle. For example, the set of thresholds includes: (1) the determined lower and upper valve position thresholds and (2) the default / original lower and upper valve position thresholds. The temperature control system 430 switches between (1) the determined lower and upper valve position thresholds and (2) the default / original lower and upper valve position thresholds at this frequency to achieve a duty cycle. For example, for a duty cycle value of 50%, the control system 410 may use the default / original thresholds 50% of the time and the thresholds determined by the temperature control system 430 the other 50% of the time for controlling the heating system 405. In this example, temperature control system 430 and / or control system 410 may modulate the threshold(s) determined by temperature control system 430 to maintain an effective duty cycle.

[0133] As another example, to achieve a 40% duty cycle, the temperature control system 430 and / or the control system 410 may modulate the threshold(s) determined by the temperature control system 430 such that the heating system 405 is on for 10 minutes, then off for 15 minutes, on for 10 minutes, etc. This example is shown in FIG. Figure 10A and Figure 10B Shown in.

[0134] Figure 10A An exemplary diagram depicting the status of the laser source 400 during a period of time is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 10B An exemplary graph depicting the state of the heating system 405 during a time period according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Graph 1000 includes a y-axis indicating the laser state 1001 of the laser source 400 and an x-axis 1003 indicating time. Graph 1000 illustrates a time period 1005 during which the laser source 400 is in an off state or in a standby state. Similarly, graph 1020 includes a y-axis indicating the heating system state 1021 of the heating system 405 and an x-axis 1023 indicating time.

[0135] Graph 1020 shows heating system states 1021 for heating system 405a (e.g., a heating system associated with first laser chamber 403a, which is associated with, for example, a master oscillator (MO)) and heating system 405b (e.g., a heating system associated with second laser chamber 403b, which is associated with, for example, a power amplifier (PA)). Graph 1020 shows a time period 1025 in which the heating systems are on. Time period 1025 corresponds to Figure 10A The laser source 400 is in an off state or in a standby state for a period of time 1005. In addition to the period of time 1025, the threshold(s) determined by the temperature control system 430 are modulated to achieve a 40% duty cycle, wherein the heating system 405 is on for 10 minutes, then off for 15 minutes, on for 10 minutes, and so on.

[0136] According to some embodiments, the duty cycle value is provided by a user to the temperature control system 430. Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control system 430 determines the duty cycle value based on, for example, a chamber shot count of the laser chamber. By modulating the threshold value determined by the temperature control system 430, the temperature control system 430 can avoid or ameliorate the risk of cold starts.

[0137] According to some embodiments, method 900 is performed on first laser chamber 403a and second laser chamber 403b. In some examples, first laser chamber 403a and second laser chamber 403b may be in the same life cycle. For example, both are in the early life cycle, both are in the middle life cycle, or both are after the middle life cycle. In other examples, first laser chamber 403a and second laser chamber 403b may be in different life cycles. According to some embodiments, if first laser chamber 403a and second laser chamber 403b are in different life cycles, method 900 may be performed conservatively. For example, method 900 may be performed based on the laser chamber with the lower chamber shot count. Alternatively, in some instances, method 900 may be performed based on the laser chamber with the higher chamber shot count.

[0138] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example, a machine-readable medium may include a read-only memory (ROM); a random access memory (RAM); a magnetic disk storage medium; an optical storage medium; a flash memory device; an electrical, optical, acoustic, or other form of propagated signal, etc. In addition, firmware, software, routines, and / or instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions. However, it should be understood that such descriptions are for convenience only, and that such actions are actually generated by a computing device, processor, controller, or other device that executes the firmware, software, routines, and / or instructions.

[0139] For example, you can use Figure 11 Various embodiments may be implemented using one or more computer systems such as the computer system 1100 shown. The computer system 1100 may be any known computer capable of performing the functions described herein, such as Figure 4A The control system 410 or the temperature control system 430 of the computer system 1100 is shown. The computer system 1100 includes one or more processors (also called central processing units or CPUs), such as processor 1104. The processor 1104 is connected to a communication infrastructure 1106 (e.g., a bus). The computer system 1100 also includes (multiple) user input / output devices 1103, such as a display, keyboard, pointing device, etc., that communicate with the communication infrastructure 1106 through (multiple) user input / output interfaces 1102. The computer system 1100 also includes a main or primary memory 1108, such as random access memory (RAM). The main memory 1108 can include one or more levels of cache. Control logic (e.g., computer software) and / or data are stored in the main memory 1108.

[0140] Computer system 1100 may also include one or more secondary storage devices or memories 1110. Secondary storage 1110 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 1112 and / or a removable storage device or drive 1114. Removable storage drive 1114 may be a floppy disk drive, a tape drive, an optical disk drive, an optical storage device, a tape backup device, and / or any other storage device / drive.

[0141] The removable storage drive 1114 can interact with a removable storage unit 1118. The removable storage unit 1118 comprises a computer-usable or readable storage device having computer software (control logic) and / or data stored thereon. The removable storage unit 1118 can be a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, a compact disk, a DVD, an optical storage disk, and / or any other computer data storage device. The removable storage drive 1114 reads from and / or writes to the removable storage unit 1118 in a known manner.

[0142] According to some embodiments, secondary memory 1110 may include other components, tools, or other methods that allow computer system 1100 to access computer programs and / or other instructions and / or data. Such components, tools, or other methods may include, for example, a removable storage unit 1122 and an interface 1120. Examples of removable storage unit 1122 and interface 1120 may include a program cartridge and a cartridge interface (such as found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and an associated socket, a memory stick and a USB port, a memory card and an associated memory card slot, and / or any other removable storage unit and associated interface.

[0143] The computer system 1100 may also include a communication or network interface 1124. The communication interface 1124 enables the computer system 1100 to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, and the like (individually and collectively represented by reference numeral 1128). For example, the communication interface 1124 may allow the computer system 1100 to communicate with a remote device 1128 via a communication path 1126, which may be wired and / or wireless and may include any combination of a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, and the like. Control logic and / or data may be transmitted to and from the computer system 1100 via the communication path 1126.

[0144] The operations in the foregoing embodiments can be implemented in a variety of configurations and architectures. Therefore, some or all of the operations in the foregoing embodiments can be performed in hardware, software, or both. In some embodiments, a tangible, non-transient device or article includes a tangible, non-transient computer-usable or readable medium having control logic (software) stored thereon, which is also referred to herein as a computer program product or program storage device. This includes, but is not limited to, computer system 1100, main memory 1108, auxiliary memory 1110, and removable storage units 1118 and 1122, as well as tangible articles embodying any combination of the foregoing. When executed by one or more data processing devices (such as computer system 1100), such control logic causes such data processing devices to operate as described herein.

[0145] Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the relevant art how to use different Figure 11 It is obvious that the data processing devices, computer systems and / or computer architectures shown can be used to make and use the embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, the embodiments can be operated with software, hardware and / or operating system implementations other than those described herein.

[0146] Although specific reference may be made herein to the use of lithographic apparatus in the manufacture of ICs, it will be appreciated that the lithographic apparatus described herein may have other applications, such as in the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, flat panel displays, LCDs, thin film heads, and the like. One skilled in the art will appreciate that in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms "wafer" or "die" herein may be considered synonymous with the more general terms "substrate" or "target portion", respectively. The substrate referred to herein may be processed, before or after exposure, in, for example, a tracking unit (a tool which typically applies a layer of resist to a substrate and develops the exposed resist), a metrology unit, and / or an inspection unit. Where applicable, the disclosure herein may be applied to such and other substrate processing tools. Furthermore, a substrate may be processed more than once, for example to create a multi-layer IC, so that the term substrate as used herein may also refer to a substrate which already contains multiple processed layers.

[0147] It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation, so that the phraseology or terminology of the present disclosure should be interpreted by those skilled in the relevant art based on the teachings herein.

[0148] As used herein, the term "substrate" describes a material onto which a layer of material is added. In some embodiments, the substrate itself can be patterned, and the material added on top of it can also be patterned, or can remain unpatterned.

[0149] The following examples illustrate but do not limit embodiments of the present disclosure. Other suitable modifications and adaptations of the various conditions and parameters normally encountered in the art (which will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art) are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0150] Although specific reference may be made herein to the use of the apparatus and / or system according to the embodiments in IC manufacturing, it should be clearly understood that such an apparatus and / or system has many other possible applications. For example, it may be employed in the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, LCD panels, thin film magnetic heads, etc. Those skilled in the art will understand that in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms "mask," "wafer," or "die" herein should be considered to be replaced by the more general terms "mask," "substrate," and "target portion," respectively.

[0151] While specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as described. This description is not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0152] It should be understood that the Detailed Description section, rather than the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary embodiments contemplated by the inventors, and thus, are not intended to limit the present embodiments and the appended claims in any way.

[0153] Some embodiments have been described above with the aid of functional building blocks that illustrate the implementation of specific functions and their relationships. For ease of description, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined in this article. Alternative boundaries may be defined as long as the specified functions and their relationships are properly performed.

[0154] The above description of the specific embodiments will fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments, and by applying the knowledge in the art, others can easily modify and / or adapt these specific embodiments for various applications without undue experimentation and without departing from the general concepts of the present disclosure. Therefore, based on the teaching and guidance provided herein, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments.

[0155] Further aspects of the invention are set out in the following numbered clauses.

[0156] 1. A laser source comprising:

[0157] a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam;

[0158] a second laser chamber configured to: receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam;

[0159] a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber;

[0160] a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; and

[0161] a temperature control system configured to receive data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator and, based on the received data, determine thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator;

[0162] The threshold value is used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature.

[0163] 2. The laser source according to clause 1, wherein each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator comprises a cooling system and a heating system.

[0164] 3. The laser source of clause 2, wherein the data from the first and second temperature actuators comprise data associated with corresponding cooling systems, and the threshold comprises a threshold associated with a heating system.

[0165] 4. A laser source according to clause 3, wherein:

[0166] Each cooling system in the cooling system includes a water cooling system,

[0167] The data associated with the corresponding cooling system includes position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system, and

[0168] The thresholds associated with the heating system include a lower threshold for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold for turning off the heating system.

[0169] 5. The laser source according to clause 4, wherein the temperature control system is configured to:

[0170] monitoring position data associated with one or more valves of a corresponding water cooling system during a first time period;

[0171] determining a state of the laser source during a first time period; and

[0172] When the status of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in the on state, first filtered data is determined by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with one or more valves of the water cooling system.

[0173] 6. The laser source according to clause 5, wherein the temperature control system is further configured to:

[0174] determining second filtered data by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds;

[0175] determining envelope data based on the second filtered data;

[0176] determining filtered envelope data by applying a low pass moving average filter to the envelope data; and

[0177] Based on the filtered envelope data, a lower threshold and an upper threshold are determined.

[0178] 7. The laser source according to clause 6, wherein the temperature control system is configured to: determine that the upper threshold value is equal to or less than a lower threshold value of the filtered envelope data.

[0179] 8. The laser source according to clause 6, wherein the temperature control system is configured to: determine an upper threshold value that is equal to or greater than an upper limit value of the filtered envelope data.

[0180] 9. The laser source of clause 6, wherein the temperature control system is configured to determine a lower threshold such that the heating system is turned on in response to the first laser chamber and the second laser chamber not generating the first laser beam and the second laser beam, respectively.

[0181] 10. A laser source according to clause 1, wherein:

[0182] a first temperature actuator including a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first laser chamber,

[0183] The second temperature actuator includes a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second laser chamber,

[0184] The data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator include data associated with the first cooling system and the second cooling system, respectively, and

[0185] The thresholds include a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0186] 11. The laser source of clause 1, wherein the temperature control system is configured to:

[0187] determining a chamber shot count associated with a first laser chamber;

[0188] responsive to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than a first count threshold, communicating thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators to the first and second temperature actuators;

[0189] In response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than the second count threshold and less than or equal to the first count threshold:

[0190] modulating thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to determine a modulated threshold, wherein the modulated threshold achieves a desired duty cycle; and

[0191] communicating the modulated threshold value to a first temperature actuator; and

[0192] In response to determining that the chamber shot count is less than or equal to the second count threshold, communicating with the first and second temperature actuators to use default thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators.

[0193] 12. The laser source according to clause 1, wherein for determining the threshold value, the temperature control system is configured to:

[0194] determining a first lower threshold and a first upper threshold associated with a first temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the first lower threshold and the first upper threshold are used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature; and

[0195] Based on the received data, a second lower threshold and a second upper threshold associated with the second temperature actuator are determined, wherein the second lower threshold and the second upper threshold are used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0196] 13. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

[0197] an irradiation system configured to condition the radiation beam;

[0198] a projection system configured to project a pattern imparted to the radiation beam onto a substrate,

[0199] The irradiation system includes a laser source, which includes:

[0200] a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam;

[0201] a second laser chamber configured to: receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam;

[0202] a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber;

[0203] a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; and

[0204] A temperature control system is configured to receive data from a first temperature actuator and a second temperature actuator, and determine thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the thresholds are used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature.

[0205] 14. A lithographic apparatus according to clause 13, wherein:

[0206] Each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator includes a water cooling system and a heating system;

[0207] The data from the first and second temperature actuators includes position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system; and

[0208] The threshold value includes a lower threshold value for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold value for turning off the heating system.

[0209] 15. The lithographic apparatus of clause 14, wherein, for each of the laser chambers, the temperature control system is configured to:

[0210] monitoring position data associated with one or more valves of a corresponding water cooling system during a first time period;

[0211] determining a state of the laser source during a first time period;

[0212] determining first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system when the status of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in the on state; and

[0213] The second filtered data is determined by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds.

[0214] 16. The lithographic apparatus of clause 15, wherein, for each of the first laser chamber and the second laser chamber, the temperature control system is further configured to:

[0215] determining envelope data based on the second filtered data;

[0216] determining filtered envelope data by applying a low pass moving average filter to the envelope data; and

[0217] Based on the filtered envelope data, a lower threshold and an upper threshold are determined.

[0218] 17. The lithographic apparatus of clause 15, wherein for each of the first laser chamber and the second laser chamber, the temperature control system is configured to:

[0219] determining a lower threshold value such that the heating system is turned on in response to the laser source being turned off or switched to a standby state; and

[0220] Determine that the upper threshold is equal to or less than the lower threshold of the filtered envelope data.

[0221] 18. The lithographic apparatus of clause 13, wherein the temperature control system is configured to:

[0222] determining a chamber shot count associated with a first laser chamber;

[0223] responsive to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than a first count threshold, communicating thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators to the first and second temperature actuators;

[0224] In response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than the second count threshold and less than or equal to the first count threshold:

[0225] modulating thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to determine a modulated threshold, wherein the modulated threshold achieves a desired duty cycle; and

[0226] communicating the modulated threshold value to a first temperature actuator; and

[0227] In response to determining that the chamber shot count is less than or equal to the second count threshold, communicating with the first and second temperature actuators to use default thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators.

[0228] 19. A lithographic apparatus according to clause 13, wherein:

[0229] a first temperature actuator including a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first laser chamber,

[0230] The second temperature actuator includes a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second laser chamber,

[0231] the data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator include data associated with the first cooling system and the second cooling system, respectively, and

[0232] The thresholds include a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0233] 20. A method comprising:

[0234] generating a first laser beam at a first laser chamber;

[0235] amplifying the first laser beam at a second laser chamber to generate a second laser beam;

[0236] controlling a first temperature of a gas in a first laser chamber using a first temperature actuator;

[0237] controlling a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber using a second temperature actuator;

[0238] receiving data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator at the temperature control system; and

[0239] Using the temperature control system, threshold values ​​associated with the first and second temperature actuators are determined based on the received data, wherein the threshold values ​​are used by the first and second temperature actuators to control the first and second temperatures.

[0240] 21. A method according to clause 20, wherein:

[0241] Each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator includes a water cooling system and a heating system;

[0242] The data from the first and second temperature actuators includes position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system;

[0243] The threshold value includes a lower threshold value for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold value for turning off the heating system;

[0244] Receiving data from the first and second temperature actuators includes: monitoring position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling systems during a first time period; and

[0245] Determining the threshold includes:

[0246] determining a state of the laser source during a first time period;

[0247] determining first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with one or more valves of the water cooling system when the status of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in an on state; and

[0248] The second filtered data is determined by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds.

[0249] 22. The method of clause 21, wherein determining the threshold further comprises:

[0250] determining envelope data based on the second filtered data;

[0251] determining filtered envelope data by applying a low pass moving average filter to the envelope data; and

[0252] Based on the filtered envelope data, a lower threshold and an upper threshold are determined.

[0253] 23. A method according to clause 20, wherein:

[0254] a first temperature actuator including a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first laser chamber,

[0255] The second temperature actuator includes a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second laser chamber,

[0256] the data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator include data associated with the first cooling system and the second cooling system, respectively, and

[0257] Determining the threshold includes:

[0258] determining a first threshold associated with the first heating system; and

[0259] determining a second threshold associated with the second heating system,

[0260] The first threshold value is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature, and the second threshold value is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0261] 24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

[0262] receiving position data associated with one or more valves of a water cooling system of a laser source during a first time period;

[0263] determining a state of the laser source during a first time period;

[0264] generating first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with one or more valves of the water cooling system when the status of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in an on state;

[0265] generating second filtered data by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data;

[0266] determining envelope data based on the second filtered data;

[0267] determining filtered envelope data by applying a low pass filter to the envelope data; and

[0268] determining a first threshold and a second threshold associated with a heating system of the laser source based on the filtered envelope data,

[0269] The first threshold value and the second threshold value are used to control the gas temperature in at least one laser chamber.

[0270] 25. A device comprising:

[0271] a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber;

[0272] a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; and

[0273] A temperature control system is configured to receive data from a first temperature actuator and a second temperature actuator, and determine thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the thresholds are used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature.

[0274] 26. Apparatus according to clause 25, wherein:

[0275] The first laser chamber is configured to generate a first laser beam, and

[0276] The second laser chamber is configured to generate a second laser beam, wherein the second laser chamber is configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate the second laser beam.

[0277] 27. The apparatus of clause 25, wherein each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator comprises a cooling system and a heating system.

[0278] 28. The apparatus of clause 27, wherein the data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator comprises data associated with a corresponding cooling system, and the threshold comprises a threshold associated with a heating system.

[0279] 29. Apparatus according to clause 28, wherein:

[0280] Each cooling system in the cooling system includes a water cooling system,

[0281] The data associated with the corresponding cooling system includes position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system, and

[0282] The thresholds associated with the heating system include a lower threshold for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold for turning off the heating system.

[0283] 30. The apparatus according to clause 29, wherein the temperature control system is configured to:

[0284] monitoring position data associated with one or more valves of a corresponding water cooling system during a first time period;

[0285] determining a state of the device during a first time period; and

[0286] When the state of the device indicates that the device is not in the on state, first filtered data is determined by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with one or more valves of the water cooling system.

[0287] 31. The apparatus according to clause 30, wherein the temperature control system is further configured to:

[0288] determining second filtered data by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds;

[0289] determining envelope data based on the second filtered data;

[0290] determining filtered envelope data by applying a low pass moving average filter to the envelope data; and

[0291] Based on the filtered envelope data, a lower threshold and an upper threshold are determined.

[0292] 32. Apparatus according to clause 25, wherein:

[0293] The first temperature actuator includes a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first chamber,

[0294] The second temperature actuator includes a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second chamber,

[0295] the data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator include data associated with the first cooling system and the second cooling system, respectively, and

[0296] The thresholds include a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0297] 33. A laser source comprising:

[0298] a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam;

[0299] a second laser chamber configured to: receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam;

[0300] a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber;

[0301] a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; and

[0302] The temperature control system is configured to:

[0303] receiving data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator;

[0304] determining a first lower threshold and a first upper threshold associated with a first temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the first lower threshold and the first upper threshold are used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature; and

[0305] Based on the received data, a second lower threshold and a second upper threshold associated with the second temperature actuator are determined, wherein the second lower threshold and the second upper threshold are used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0306] 34. A device comprising:

[0307] a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of the gas in the first chamber;

[0308] a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second chamber; and

[0309] The temperature control system is configured to:

[0310] receiving data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator;

[0311] determining a first threshold associated with a first temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature; and

[0312] Based on the received data, a second threshold value associated with a second temperature actuator is determined, wherein the second threshold value is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

[0313] 35. Apparatus according to clause 34, wherein:

[0314] The first chamber includes a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam, and

[0315] The second chamber includes a second laser chamber configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam.

[0316] The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A laser source comprising: a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam; a second laser chamber configured to: receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam; a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber; a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; as well as a temperature control system configured to receive data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator and determine thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator based on the received data, The threshold value is used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature. 2 . The laser source of claim 1 , wherein each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator comprises a cooling system and a heating system.

3. The laser source of claim 2, wherein the data from the first and second temperature actuators comprise data associated with the corresponding cooling systems, and the threshold comprises a threshold associated with the heating system.

4. The laser source according to claim 3, wherein: Each cooling system in the cooling system includes a water cooling system, The data associated with the corresponding cooling system includes position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system, and The thresholds associated with the heating system include a lower threshold for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold for turning off the heating system.

5. The laser source according to claim 4, wherein the temperature control system is configured to: monitoring the position data associated with the one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system during a first time period; determining a state of the laser source during the first time period; and When the state of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in the on state, first filtered data is determined by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with the one or more valves of the water cooling system.

6. The laser source according to claim 5, wherein the temperature control system is further configured to: determining second filtered data by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds; determining envelope data based on the second filtered data; determining filtered envelope data by applying a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data; as well as The lower threshold and the upper threshold are determined based on the filtered envelope data. 7 . The laser source according to claim 6 , wherein the temperature control system is configured to determine that the upper limit threshold is equal to or less than a lower limit value of the filtered envelope data. 8 . The laser source according to claim 6 , wherein the temperature control system is configured to determine that the upper threshold is equal to or greater than an upper limit value of the filtered envelope data.

9. The laser source of claim 6, wherein the temperature control system is configured to determine the lower threshold so that the heating system is turned on in response to the first laser chamber and the second laser chamber not generating the first laser beam and the second laser beam, respectively.

10. The laser source according to claim 1, wherein: The first temperature actuator includes a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first laser chamber, the second temperature actuator comprising a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second laser chamber, the data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator include data associated with the first cooling system and the second cooling system, respectively, and The thresholds include a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

11. The laser source of claim 1 , wherein the temperature control system is configured to: determining a chamber shot count associated with the first laser chamber; in response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than a first count threshold, communicating the threshold values ​​associated with the first and second temperature actuators to the first and second temperature actuators; In response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than a second count threshold and less than or equal to the first count threshold: modulating the thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators to determine modulated thresholds, wherein the modulated thresholds achieve a desired duty cycle; as well as communicating the modulated threshold to the first temperature actuator; as well as In response to determining that the chamber shot count is less than or equal to the second count threshold, communicating with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to use default thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator.

12. The laser source according to claim 1 , wherein, in order to determine the threshold value, the temperature control system is configured to: determining a first lower threshold and a first upper threshold associated with the first temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the first lower threshold and the first upper threshold are used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature; and Based on the received data, a second lower threshold and a second upper threshold associated with the second temperature actuator are determined, wherein the second lower threshold and the second upper threshold are used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

13. A lithographic apparatus comprising: an irradiation system configured to condition the radiation beam; a projection system configured to project a pattern imparted to the radiation beam onto a substrate, The irradiation system includes a laser source, and the laser source includes: a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam; a second laser chamber configured to: receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam; a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber; a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; and A temperature control system is configured to receive data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator, and determine threshold values ​​associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the threshold values ​​are used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature.

14. The lithographic apparatus of claim 13 , wherein: each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator includes a water cooling system and a heating system; the data from the first and second temperature actuators including position data associated with corresponding one or more valves of the water cooling system; and The thresholds include a lower threshold for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold for turning off the heating system.

15. The lithographic apparatus of claim 14 , wherein, for each of the laser chambers, the temperature control system is configured to: monitoring the position data associated with the one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system during a first time period; determining a state of the laser source during the first time period; determining first filtered data by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with the one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system when the state of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in an on state; as well as Second filtered data is determined by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds.

16. The lithographic apparatus of claim 15 , wherein, for each of the first laser chamber and the second laser chamber, the temperature control system is further configured to: determining envelope data based on the second filtered data; determining filtered envelope data by applying a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data; and The lower threshold and the upper threshold are determined based on the filtered envelope data.

17. The lithographic apparatus of claim 15 , wherein, for each of the first laser chamber and the second laser chamber, the temperature control system is configured to: determining the lower threshold value so that the heating system is turned on in response to the laser source being turned off or switched to a standby state; and The upper limit threshold is determined to be equal to or less than a lower limit value of the filtered envelope data.

18. The lithographic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the temperature control system is configured to: determining a chamber shot count associated with the first laser chamber; in response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than a first count threshold, communicating the threshold values ​​associated with the first and second temperature actuators to the first and second temperature actuators; In response to determining that the chamber shot count is greater than a second count threshold and less than or equal to the first count threshold: modulating the thresholds associated with the first and second temperature actuators to determine modulated thresholds, wherein the modulated thresholds achieve a desired duty cycle; as well as communicating the modulated threshold to the first temperature actuator; as well as In response to determining that the chamber shot count is less than or equal to the second count threshold, communicating with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to use default thresholds associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator.

19. The lithographic apparatus of claim 13, wherein: The first temperature actuator includes a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first laser chamber, the second temperature actuator comprising a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second laser chamber, the data from the first and second temperature actuators include data associated with the first and second cooling systems, respectively, and The thresholds include a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

20. A method comprising: generating a first laser beam at a first laser chamber; amplifying the first laser beam at a second laser chamber to generate a second laser beam; controlling a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber using a first temperature actuator; controlling a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber using a second temperature actuator; receiving data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator at a temperature control system; as well as Using the temperature control system, threshold values ​​associated with the first and second temperature actuators are determined based on the received data, wherein the threshold values ​​are used by the first and second temperature actuators to control the first and second temperatures.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator includes a water cooling system and a heating system; the data from the first and second temperature actuators including position data associated with corresponding one or more valves of the water cooling system; The threshold value includes a lower threshold value for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold value for turning off the heating system; Receiving data from the first and second temperature actuators includes: monitoring the position data associated with the corresponding one or more valves of the water cooling system during a first time period; and Determining the threshold includes: determining a state of the laser source during the first time period; determining first filtered data by filtering out portions of the position data associated with the one or more valves of the water cooling system when the state of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in an on state; and Second filtered data is determined by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein determining the threshold further comprises: determining envelope data based on the second filtered data; determining filtered envelope data by applying a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data; as well as The lower threshold and the upper threshold are determined based on the filtered envelope data.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein: The first temperature actuator includes a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first laser chamber, the second temperature actuator comprising a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second laser chamber, the data from the first and second temperature actuators include data associated with the first and second cooling systems, respectively, and Determining the threshold includes: determining a first threshold associated with the first heating system; and determining a second threshold associated with the second heating system, The first threshold value is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature, and the second threshold value is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor for the laser source of claim 1, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: receiving position data associated with one or more valves of a water cooling system of a laser source during a first time period; determining a state of the laser source during the first time period; generating first filtered data by filtering out portions of the position data associated with the one or more valves of the water cooling system when the state of the laser source indicates that the laser source is not in an on state; generating second filtered data by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data; determining envelope data based on the second filtered data; determining filtered envelope data by applying a low-pass filter to the envelope data; as well as determining a first threshold and a second threshold associated with a heating system of the laser source based on the filtered envelope data, The first threshold value and the second threshold value are used to control the gas temperature in at least one laser chamber.

25. A device comprising: a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber; a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; as well as A temperature control system is configured to receive data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator, and determine threshold values ​​associated with the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the threshold values ​​are used by the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second temperature.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein: The first laser chamber is configured to generate a first laser beam, and The second laser chamber is configured to generate a second laser beam, wherein the second laser chamber is configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate the second laser beam.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each of the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator comprises a cooling system and a heating system.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the data from the first and second temperature actuators comprise data associated with the corresponding cooling systems, and the threshold comprises a threshold associated with the heating system.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein: Each cooling system in the cooling system comprises a water cooling system, The data associated with the corresponding cooling system includes position data associated with one or more valves of the corresponding water cooling system, and The thresholds associated with the heating system include a lower threshold for turning on the heating system and an upper threshold for turning off the heating system.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the temperature control system is configured to: monitoring the position data associated with corresponding one or more valves of the water cooling system during a first time period; determining a state of the device during the first time period; as well as When the state of the device indicates that the device is not in an on state, first filtered data is determined by filtering out a portion of the position data associated with the one or more valves of the water cooling system.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the temperature control system is further configured to: determining second filtered data by filtering out an outlier portion of the first filtered data, wherein the outlier portion is determined based on one or more data thresholds; determining envelope data based on the second filtered data; determining filtered envelope data by applying a low-pass moving average filter to the envelope data; as well as The lower threshold and the upper threshold are determined based on the filtered envelope data.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein: The first temperature actuator includes a first cooling system and a first heating system associated with the first laser chamber, the second temperature actuator comprising a second cooling system and a second heating system associated with the second laser chamber, the data from the first and second temperature actuators include data associated with the first and second cooling systems, respectively, and The thresholds include a first threshold associated with the first heating system and a second threshold associated with the second heating system, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature and the second threshold is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

33. A laser source comprising: a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam; a second laser chamber configured to: receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam; a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of a gas in the first laser chamber; a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second laser chamber; as well as The temperature control system is configured to: receiving data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator; determining a first lower threshold and a first upper threshold associated with the first temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the first lower threshold and the first upper threshold are used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature; as well as Based on the received data, a second lower threshold and a second upper threshold associated with the second temperature actuator are determined, wherein the second lower threshold and the second upper threshold are used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

34. A device comprising: a first temperature actuator configured to control a first temperature of the gas in the first chamber; a second temperature actuator configured to control a second temperature of the gas in the second chamber; as well as The temperature control system is configured to: receiving data from the first temperature actuator and the second temperature actuator; determining a first threshold associated with the first temperature actuator based on the received data, wherein the first threshold is used by the first temperature actuator to control the first temperature; as well as Based on the received data, a second threshold value associated with the second temperature actuator is determined, wherein the second threshold value is used by the second temperature actuator to control the second temperature.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein: The first chamber includes a first laser chamber configured to generate a first laser beam, and The second chamber includes a second laser chamber configured to receive the first laser beam and amplify the first laser beam to generate a second laser beam.

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