Control Method, Device and Laser of a Laser

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a control method, device, and laser for a laser. In the embodiment of the present application, when the laser is normal, an enabling instruction is obtained to activate the actuator of the laser, so as to switch the control state of the laser to the enabled state and set the ready flag; a working instruction is obtained to control the laser to perform exposure and set the light output signal bit. When it is detected that the energy of the laser or the amount of working gas is abnormal, the working gas is adjusted to switch the control state of the laser to the gas adjustment state; a shutdown instruction is obtained to deactivate the actuator of the laser, so as to switch the control state of the laser to the shutdown state, reset the light output signal bit, and reset the ready flag. The working process of the laser and each working state, that is, the control state, can be controlled, and at the same time, the alarm information can be well monitored, and the gas can be replaced, etc., thereby better achieving the purpose of controlling the laser.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of control, and particularly to a control method, device and controller for a laser. Background Art

[0002] An excimer laser is a type of gas laser device using an excimer as the working substance. It is commonly excited by a relativistic electron beam (energy greater than 200 keV) or a transverse fast pulsed discharge. When the unstable molecular bond of the excited-state excimer dissociates into ground-state atoms, the energy of the excited state is released in the form of laser radiation.

[0003] In order to enable the laser to work stably and reliably, it needs to be well controlled, and how to control the laser is a problem to be solved now. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the existing technology and provide a control method, device and laser for a laser, which can better control the working state of the laser.

[0005] To achieve the above technical purpose, on the one hand, a control method for a laser provided by the present invention includes: when there is no abnormality in the laser, obtaining an enabling instruction, turning on the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the enabled state, and setting the ready flag; obtaining a working instruction, controlling the laser to perform exposure, setting the light output signal bit, and when it is detected that the energy of the laser is abnormal or the amount of working gas is abnormal, adjusting the working gas to switch the control state of the laser to the gas adjustment state; obtaining a shutdown instruction, turning off the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the shutdown state, resetting the light output signal bit, and resetting the ready flag.

[0006] In addition, the method further includes: before obtaining the enabling instruction, obtaining the monitoring information of the laser, when there is an alarm message in the monitoring information, setting the alarm flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state and performing alarm troubleshooting; when there is no alarm message in the monitoring information, determining whether the working gas of the laser meets the replacement condition, if it meets the condition, setting the gas flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the gas operation state and replacing the working gas of the laser to make the laser abnormal-free; during the opening process of the actuator of the laser, obtaining the monitoring information and when there is an alarm message in the monitoring information, turning off the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the shutdown state, setting the alarm flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state, and performing alarm troubleshooting.

[0007] In addition, the method further includes: obtaining a control instruction, verifying the control instruction, and when the verification is passed, determining a corresponding instruction type according to the control instruction, so as to control the laser according to the instruction type and switch the control state.

[0008] In addition, the method further includes: providing an interaction interface, and based on the interaction interface, logging in to an account in response to the input login information; after the account login, based on the interaction interface, in response to the input or selected operation instruction, so as to obtain the operation instruction for controlling the laser.

[0009] In addition, the method further includes: determining whether the account corresponding to the operation instruction has an execution permission in response to the input or selected operation instruction; when there is no execution permission, prompting information indicating no execution permission; when there is an execution permission, determining whether the operation instruction meets the execution conditions of the laser, and when the execution conditions are met, so as to execute the operation instruction according to the obtained operation instruction for controlling the laser.

[0010] In addition, the method further includes: initializing the hardware of the laser, and after the initialization, receiving a read instruction and reading the information of the corresponding hardware according to the read instruction; after the initialization, receiving a write instruction and writing the information of the corresponding hardware according to the write instruction to control the corresponding hardware.

[0011] In addition, the method further includes: determining whether the hardware is abnormal during the initialization process, and if it is determined that there is no abnormality, performing the step of receiving the read instruction or the step of receiving the write instruction; during the process of reading the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is a reading abnormality, reading the information of the corresponding hardware a preset number of times according to the read instruction, and if there is a reading abnormality, prompting information indicating hardware abnormality and stopping reading; during the process of writing the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is a writing abnormality, writing the information of the corresponding hardware a preset number of times according to the write instruction, and if there is a writing abnormality, prompting information indicating hardware abnormality and stopping writing.

[0012] In addition, the method further includes: providing a database operation interface, and based on the database operation interface, reading the parameter data corresponding to the laser from the database and displaying it in response to the input read instruction, where the database is used to store the parameter data of the laser; based on the database operation interface, updating the corresponding parameter data in the database in response to the input update instruction; based on the database operation interface, writing the corresponding parameter data in the database in response to the input write instruction.

[0013] Specifically, reading the corresponding parameter data from the database in response to an input read instruction includes: reading parameter data of a preset quantity or a preset length from the database according to the read instruction; wherein, the method further includes: detecting the state of the storage space of the database before writing the corresponding parameter data into the database, and when the storage space exceeds the preset storage capacity, prompting information indicating data backup.

[0014] On the other hand, a control device for a laser provided by the present invention includes: an enabling module, configured to obtain an enabling instruction in the case that there is no abnormality in the laser, enable an actuator of the laser to switch a control state of the laser to an enabled state, and set a ready flag; a control module, configured to obtain a working instruction, control the laser to perform exposure, set a light output signal bit, and when detecting an abnormal energy or an abnormal working gas volume of the laser, adjust the working gas to switch the control state of the laser to a gas adjustment state; a closing module, configured to obtain a closing instruction, close the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to a closed state, reset the light output signal bit, and reset the ready flag.

[0015] A laser provided by the present invention includes a controller, and the controller implements the steps in the method described above.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, in the case that there is no abnormality in the laser, an enabling instruction is obtained, an actuator of the laser is enabled to switch a control state of the laser to an enabled state, and a ready flag is set; a working instruction is obtained, the laser is controlled to perform exposure, a light output signal bit is set, and when detecting an abnormal energy or an abnormal working gas volume of the laser, the working gas is adjusted to switch the control state of the laser to a gas adjustment state; a closing instruction is obtained, the actuator of the laser is closed to switch the control state of the laser to a closed state, the light output signal bit is reset, and the ready flag is reset. Thereby, the working process of the laser and each working state, i.e., the control state, can be controlled, and at the same time, alarm information can be well monitored, and gas replacement, etc. can be performed, thereby better achieving the purpose of controlling the laser. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic flowchart of a control method for a laser according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram for controlling state transition of an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the interaction interface of an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the database operation interface of an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the framework of the laser control device according to an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] As Figure 1 shown, the present application provides a method for controlling a laser, and the method 100 includes:

[0025] 101: When there is no abnormality in the laser, obtain an enabling instruction, activate the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the enabled state, and set the ready flag.

[0026] 102: Obtain a working instruction, control the laser to perform exposure, set the light output signal bit. When it is detected that the energy of the laser is abnormal or the amount of working gas is abnormal, adjust the working gas to switch the control state of the laser to the gas adjustment state.

[0027] 103: Obtain a shutdown instruction, deactivate the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the shutdown state, reset the light output signal bit, and reset the ready flag.

[0028] It should be noted that the execution subject of the method 100 can be a device with computing functions, such as a computer, or a lithography machine or a laser. The execution subject can control the laser through a control program running thereon.

[0029] The following elaborates on the above steps in detail:

[0030] 101: When there is no abnormality in the laser, obtain an enabling instruction, activate the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the enabled state, and set the ready flag.

[0031] Among them, the actuator of the laser can include: a gas circulation fan, a high-voltage module, a cavity electrostatic dust removal device, etc.

[0032] The situation where the laser has no abnormality can be as follows: Specifically, the method 100 further includes: before obtaining the start instruction, obtaining the monitoring information of the laser. When there is an alarm message in the monitoring information, set the alarm flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state and perform alarm troubleshooting; when there is no alarm message in the monitoring information, determine whether the working gas of the laser meets the replacement condition. If it meets the condition, set the gas flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the gas operation state and replace the working gas of the laser to make the laser have no abnormality.

[0033] For example, such as Figure 2As shown, after the laser is powered on and the self-check is successful after startup, it enters the control state: Off (LaserOFF) 201. In this state, all actuators of the laser do not operate, and the control program on the lithography machine or the laser monitors the uploaded information of the sensors of the laser, such as the cavity temperature and cavity pressure of the laser. When an alarm occurs for this information, such as when the temperature exceeds the threshold temperature, an alarm is determined. When an alarm is determined, the corresponding alarm information is determined. For example, the parallel port alarm flag bit can be set. For example, the hardware board of the laser is controlled through the interface (i.e., the parallel port) for interaction between the lithography machine and the laser to set this alarm flag bit. It is also possible to directly set the alarm flag bit on the laser. Thus, the current control state is transferred from Off (LaserOFF) 201 to the control state: Alarm. That is, in the case of an error, it is transferred from Off (LaserOFF) 201 to the control state: Error 203. The alarm information can be displayed through the display interface, and then the corresponding cause of the laser is manually checked and reset, that is, the flag bit is reset through the parallel port. Thus, after reset, the control state of the laser is transferred from Error 203 to the control state: Off (LaserOFF) 201. When reset or no alarm information is generated, the lithography machine or the laser can determine whether the gas has not been replaced within the preset time (i.e., the replacement condition). For example, the lithography machine can set the gas flag bit through the parallel port, or the laser directly sets the gas flag bit, and the working gas of the laser is manually replaced. Thus, in the case of starting to replace the gas, the control state of the laser is transferred from Off (LaserOFF) 201 to the control state: Gas Operation 202. After the gas replacement is completed, the gas flag bit is reset through the parallel port (or directly), so that in the completed case, the control state of the laser is transferred from Gas Operation 202 to the control state: Off (LaserOFF) 201. Thus, there is no abnormal situation for the laser. When monitoring the alarm information according to the method described above, if there is alarm information, the control state of the laser is transferred from Gas Operation 202 to the control state: Error 203. Until it is manually checked, there is no need to repeat it here too much.

[0034] In addition, before the laser is powered on, its control state is: Power Off 205. After being powered on, the control state of the laser is transferred from Power Off 205 to the control state: Off (LaserOFF) 201.

[0035] After the laser is normal, the user can control the "Turn on the laser" control on the interaction interface, and the control program on the lithography machine or the laser obtains this turn-on instruction. Or, after the lithography machine itself or the laser is normal, it automatically triggers a turn-on instruction in an automatic manner and sends it to the control program, so that the control program obtains this turn-on instruction, and sends this turn-on instruction to the laser through the serial port (or directly), so that the laser enters the warm-up stage WarmUp according to this turn-on instruction, the gas circulation fan is turned on, the high-voltage module is powered on, and the cavity electrostatic dust removal device and other actuators are turned on. After monitoring the corresponding sensors of the laser to confirm that each device is turned on, the control state of the laser transfers from off (LaserOFF) 201 to the control state: on (LaserOn) 204. At the same time, the lithography machine sets the laser ready LaserReady through the parallel port.

[0036] In addition, during the opening process of the laser actuator, monitor information is obtained. When there is an alarm message in the monitor information, the laser actuator is turned off to switch the control state of the laser to the off state, and the alarm flag bit is set to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state and perform alarm troubleshooting.

[0037] During the opening process of the above actuator, that is, during the process of turning on the control state: on 204, the lithography machine or the laser itself can still monitor the alarm information and monitor it according to the method described above. When the alarm information is detected, alarm troubleshooting, transfer of the corresponding control state, setting and resetting of the flag bit, etc. are performed according to the method described above. Here, the transfer of the control state can be from on 204 to error 203, in the case of an error, that is, when there is an alarm message. Correspondingly, after the alarm information is detected, the lithography machine or the laser itself controls the laser to enter the recovery stage WarmDown state and exits to off (LaserOFF) 201. This will not be repeated here.

[0038] 102: Obtain the working instruction, control the laser to perform exposure, set the light output signal bit. When the energy of the laser or the amount of working gas is abnormal, adjust the working gas to switch the control state of the laser to the gas adjustment state.

[0039] For example, as described above, the user can control the "light output" control on the interaction interface, and the control program of the lithography machine or laser obtains this operation instruction. Alternatively, the lithography machine or laser triggers an operation instruction automatically and gives it to the control program, so that the control program obtains this operation instruction, and issues this operation instruction to the laser through the serial port (or directly). The laser receives the corresponding instruction from the serial port of the lithography machine or the directly issued instruction, controls the preset parameters of the laser, so that the laser exposes, and outputs a light signal bit of TTL signal (a single pulse light signal corresponds to a TTL level signal) through the parallel port, that is, the light output signal bit is set. During the light output process, if it is detected that the energy of the laser is low or the energy stability is poor, such as the energy is lower than the threshold, or the energy stability is less than the threshold, a certain preset amount of working gas will be automatically supplemented. When the amount of the working gas in the discharge cavity (working gas container) of the laser exceeds the set threshold, a certain amount of gas in the cavity will be automatically discharged. Thus, when starting to adjust the working gas, the control state of the laser transfers from the on state 204 to the control state: gas adjustment 206. After completing the gas adjustment, the control state of the laser transfers from the gas adjustment 206 to the on state 204.

[0040] 103: Obtain a shutdown instruction, shut down the actuator of the laser, so as to switch the control state of the laser to the shutdown state, reset the light output signal bit, and reset the ready flag.

[0041] For example, as described above, the user can control the "shutdown laser" control on the interaction interface, and the control program of the lithography machine or laser obtains this shutdown instruction. Alternatively, the lithography machine or laser triggers a shutdown instruction automatically and gives it to the control program, so that the control program obtains this shutdown instruction, and issues this shutdown instruction to the laser through the serial port (or directly). The laser receives the corresponding instruction from the serial port of the lithography machine or the directly issued instruction, enters the recovery stage WarmDown. The gas circulation fan is turned off, the high-voltage module is powered down, the cavity electrostatic dust removal device is turned off. After monitoring the corresponding sensors to confirm that each device is turned off, it enters the control state of shutdown (LaserOFF) 201. At the same time, the light output signal bit is reset through the parallel port, and LaserReady is reset. This will not be elaborated further.

[0042] It should be noted that steps 101 - 103 are controlled in the form of a state machine.

[0043] In addition, when triggering the above instructions, the instructions need to be verified and then executed.

[0044] Specifically, the method 100 further includes: obtaining a control instruction, verifying the control instruction. When the verification is passed, according to the control instruction, determining the corresponding instruction type, so as to control the laser according to the instruction type and switch the control state.

[0045] Among them, the control instructions may include: the instructions described above, such as the start instruction, the stop instruction, and the working instruction, etc., and may also include the instruction for setting and querying configuration parameters (CD instruction), the instruction for querying status parameters (DI instruction), and other control instructions. The CD instruction can modify and query the configuration parameters of the laser, and can also query other status parameters of the laser. The DI instruction is used to query the status of the laser, such as the instruction for viewing the cavity temperature, pressure, and output light energy of the laser, etc. Among them, the CD instruction can further include: the instruction for setting and querying system parameters CD, and the instruction for setting system configuration parameters CD.

[0046] For example, as described above, after receiving the instruction or command sent by the lithography machine or the laser, or by receiving the instruction or command triggered by the user, the control program needs to check and verify the information of the instruction or command. The verification methods may include: whether the instruction or command contains spaces or other illegal characters (the illegal characters may refer to characters other than "instruction characters", "=", "?", "carriage return characters", and hexadecimal); whether there are redundant "=", "?", "carriage return characters"; whether there are missing "carriage return characters", "=", "?", where there needs to be a "carriage return character", "=", or "?" to confirm the instruction type; the parameter bits can be two or four. If the above verification is passed, it enters the next state. If not passed, according to the specific type, the corresponding error is prompted, such as sending a prompt message to the user's computer or the lithography machine, and a prompt voice, etc.

[0047] After passing the verification, according to the composition and characteristics of the instruction or command character itself, the corresponding instruction or command type is determined, and the type is determined as follows: It is composed of two instruction characters and one identifier character (i.e., identifier), such as "EV?", "LS =", etc. Three valid information, such as three valid characters, can be extracted from such commands, and the command type is divided according to the identifier. If the identifier is "?", the query command or instruction is executed, such as the DI instruction. If the identifier is "=", the setting command or instruction is executed, such as the CD instruction.

[0048] In addition, when executing an instruction, further determination can be made: whether the set value in the instruction or command exceeds the preset range, whether the command or instruction can be executed in the current state, that is, whether the preset execution conditions are met, and whether there is access permission for this parameter, that is, whether the user who issues the instruction or command has the corresponding permission, etc. If all the above requirements are met, the corresponding setting or query instruction or command is executed. If there is a situation that does not meet the requirements, according to the specific type of non - compliance, a corresponding error code is returned to the computer, or the lithography machine, or the laser for display to the user, and the command or instruction is not executed. When the instruction or command is executed, the query or execution result of the laser is returned to the lithography machine, or the user's computer, or the laser through the serial port.

[0049] It should be noted that for DI instructions or commands. Since this command or instruction can be composed of two instruction characters DI, four - digit parameter information aaaa, and a query symbol (i.e., identifier) "?", the specific format is "DIaaaa?". Based on the unique 7 - bit information feature of this command, it is processed.

[0050] For CD instructions or commands. Among them, the instruction or command CD for setting and querying system parameters, since this command or instruction can be composed of two instruction characters CD, four - digit parameter information aaaa, and a query symbol? (i.e., identifier), etc. The specific format is "CDaaaa?". The instruction or command CD for setting system configuration parameters can be composed of two instruction characters CD, four - digit parameter information aaaa, a setting symbol = (i.e., identifier), and setting command parameters bbbb, etc. The specific format is "CDaaaa = bbbb".

[0051] In addition, the above - mentioned configuration parameters for verifying instructions or commands (such as parameters for user permissions, identifiers, preset ranges of set values, and preset execution conditions, etc.) can be saved in a table in the database. When the control program is initialized, this table in the database can be read into a two - dimensional global variable table. The two - dimensional global variable table can include parameter default values, preset ranges, queried user permissions, set user permissions, and execution conditions, etc. According to the specific parameters of the received instruction or command and the method described above, the corresponding information is obtained, and then the corresponding operation is executed. At the same time, verification and return of the instruction or command are carried out. For example, for the preset range of the set value, it is prompted that "?? = 03 incorrect set value", and if the current user permission is lower than the permission required by the parameter, it is prompted that "?? = 07 no permission to access".

[0052] In addition, instructions can also be issued through the interactive interface.

[0053] Specifically, the method 100 further includes: providing an interactive interface, and based on the interactive interface, in response to the input login information, performing account login; after the account login, based on the interactive interface, in response to the input or selected operation instruction, so as to trigger the operation instruction for controlling the laser.

[0054] Among them, the method 100 further includes: in response to the input or selected operation instruction, determining whether the account corresponding to the operation instruction has the execution permission; when there is no execution permission, prompting the information indicating no execution permission; when there is execution permission, determining whether the operation instruction meets the execution conditions of the laser, and when it meets the execution conditions, so as to execute the operation instruction according to the received operation instruction for controlling the laser.

[0055] For example, as described above, after the control program initialization is completed, the user can log in to the interactive interface or the corresponding operating system through the interactive interface provided by the control program in the computer, laser or lithography machine, so as to perform corresponding operations according to different account levels. The user can input the account, account level and password on this interface, and then click the login button to log in. The control program can obtain the account, account level and password in response to this login operation, and then determine whether the account, account level and password are correct. If correct, the account login is performed. In user management, in addition to implementing user login, operations such as modifying the user password, account level, and viewing user information can also be performed. The operations on the interactive interface are divided into two methods. One is through button click operations (such as turning on the laser, turning off the laser, etc.), that is, selecting instructions, and the other is through the soft keyboard to input parameters (such as modifying the set voltage value, modifying the user password, etc.), that is, inputting instructions. As Figure 3 shown, it shows the interactive interface. On this interactive interface, there is a laser status information display box 301, which displays "Currently in Laser Off", and there is also a display button 305 for the abnormal status information of the laser, including: the display button for the cavity temperature exceeding the limit, the display button for the pressure exceeding the limit, the display button for the energy being too low, and the display button for air replenishment. On this interactive interface, there is also a status parameter display bar 302 for the laser and a status parameter display bar 303 for the pipeline. In the status parameter display bar 302 of the laser, the corresponding parameters can be set through the parameter buttons therein, and at the same time, the current status of each parameter can be displayed. In the status parameter display bar 303 of the pipeline, the ventilation can be started and terminated through the ventilation button therein. At the same time, the current status of each parameter can also be displayed. On this interactive interface, there is also an energy control bar 304. In this energy control bar 304, the output light mode and energy setting, etc. can be determined, and the laser can be controlled to turn on and off through the control buttons therein. At the same time, the energy control mode can also be displayed.

[0056] When performing operations on the interactive interface, for example, when the user clicks a button to turn on the laser, it is necessary to determine whether the user has the permission to perform the current operation of "turning on the laser", that is, the execution permission, according to the current user's account level. If not, the operation cannot be performed. At the same time, a text reminder can be given at the bottom of the interactive interface. If it is a remote operation, the corresponding error code is returned. If the permission is satisfied, it is necessary to judge the current state or logical relationship of the laser to analyze whether the current operation can be performed (that is, whether the execution conditions are met). If the laser does not meet the conditions or the logical state is inappropriate, it may cause damage to the hardware device or affect the system security, then the execution conditions are not met. For example, when the laser is exposed, the fan speed must reach 2000 revolutions per minute. If the exposure is carried out without reaching this speed, it will cause great damage to the hardware such as the laser cavity. Therefore, a prompt is given for this situation where the execution conditions are not met. When the execution conditions are met, the user's operation is responded to, and the corresponding instruction can be executed. After the operation is completed, the data results should be saved or updated, etc. After the current operation is completed, the user can perform other operations.

[0057] It should be noted that during the process of instruction execution, the instruction execution is carried out through the message queue architecture. The message queue architecture consists of multiple loops, one of which is the event processing loop, and the other is the state machine (as described above). The state machine is also a control loop. Each state machine processes a message queue. One message queue corresponds to only one message processing loop. During operation, the control program controls the execution of the message processing loop by sending messages. The message processing loop remains in its current state if no message is received. This makes the memory allocation of the corresponding execution device reasonable and greatly improves its usage efficiency. At the same time, this architecture is easy to expand. If new functions need to be added, only the corresponding message queue and message processing loop need to be added to the control program. Here, the message queue can be used as a cache, and the collected data is directly put into the message queue, and this process takes very little time. That is, as fast as the data is collected, it can be stored in the cache at the same speed. Another part of the control program continuously retrieves data from the queue and processes it.

[0058] For example, when a user triggers a certain control on the interaction interface, a corresponding trigger event will be triggered. At the same time, a corresponding trigger message is generated and enters the message queue. Among them, after receiving the event message, the message processing loop will execute corresponding controls. For example, when the user clicks the "Start Acquisition" button on the interaction interface, the event processing loop will generate a "Start Acquisition" message and enter the message queue. In the message processing loop, the corresponding message is obtained from the message queue, and then the "Start Acquisition" message is sent to the acquisition message loop and the recording message loop through the message queue. After the acquisition message loop obtains the "Start Acquisition" message in the message queue, it starts to configure the sensor parameters, and then reads the data obtained by the sensor. At the same time, the acquired data is written into the notifier and the message queue. The notifier can pass the latest data to the data display loop. In this display loop, the data is obtained from the notifier and then displayed. The recording message loop obtains all the data from the message queue and saves it. After the recording message loop obtains the "Start Acquisition" message in the message queue, it starts to create a new storage file, reads out the data written into the queue in the acquisition message processing loop, and writes it into this storage file.

[0059] In addition, the method 100 further includes: initializing the hardware of the laser. After initialization, a read instruction is received, and according to the read instruction, the information of the corresponding hardware is read; after initialization, a write instruction is received, and according to the write instruction, the information of the corresponding hardware is written to control the corresponding hardware.

[0060] Among them, the method 100 further includes: during the initialization process, determining whether the hardware is abnormal. If it is determined that there is no abnormality, the step of receiving the read instruction or the step of receiving the write instruction is executed; during the process of reading the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is a read abnormality, according to the read instruction, the information of the corresponding hardware is repeatedly read for a preset number of times. If there is a read abnormality, an information indicating hardware abnormality is prompted and the reading is stopped; during the process of writing the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is a write abnormality, according to the write instruction, the information of the corresponding hardware is repeatedly written for a preset number of times. If there is a write abnormality, an information indicating hardware abnormality is prompted and the writing is stopped.

[0061] Among them, it may include a control board card, an acquisition board card and a sensor of the laser.

[0062] For example, as described above, after the control program starts, the hardware of the laser is first initialized. If the initialization is normal, it enters the subsequent read and write links. If a hardware abnormality occurs during initialization, the user is reminded and the control program is stopped and exited. The abnormalities here are mainly various errors that occur in the hardware during the initialization stage, such as board card driver abnormalities, non-existence of serial ports, etc.

[0063] If the initialization is normal, the read-write operation will be entered. Among them, the read operation refers to reading the information of the hardware, such as obtaining voltage values, current values, switch states, reading data from the serial port, etc. The write operation refers to controlling the hardware, such as changing the voltage output value, changing the switch control state, sending serial port instructions, etc.

[0064] In the read operation, if after receiving the read instruction or command triggered by the user in the manner described above, or the read instruction or command issued by the laser or the lithography machine, the hardware of the laser can return the correct information, then this communication is normal. If there is a timeout and no information is read, or other abnormal problems of the hardware itself as described above, then the same operation will be continuously performed three times, such as continuously reading the corresponding information three times. If the return value is normal during this process, it is considered that the work is normal. If abnormal problems still occur after three operations, then the user needs to be prompted that the hardware is working abnormally, that is, the information indicating hardware abnormality is prompted. And stop the current read operation and exit the control program.

[0065] For the write instruction or command, a similar execution process is also carried out. Since the write instruction or command involves changing the hardware working state of the laser, more caution is required. This part needs to be comprehensively considered in combination with the user permissions and the preset range of set values mentioned above to ensure safe and reliable operation. For example, if after receiving the write instruction or command triggered by the user in the manner described above, or the write instruction or command issued by the lithography machine, it can be determined whether it meets the user permissions, the preset range of set values, etc. through the method described above. If it meets the requirements, then execute the write instruction or command. If the hardware of the laser can return the information indicating successful writing, then this communication is normal. If there is a timeout and no information indicating successful writing is received, or other abnormal problems of the hardware itself as described above, then the same operation will be continuously performed three times, such as continuously writing the corresponding information three times. If the information indicating successful writing is returned during this process, it is considered that the work is normal. If abnormal problems still occur after three operations, then the user needs to be prompted that the hardware is working abnormally, that is, the information indicating hardware abnormality is prompted. And stop the current write operation and exit the control program.

[0066] It should be noted that after the control program runs, there will always be hardware read-write operations until the user stops the test and needs to turn off the hardware, including turning off various boards and serial ports, etc.

[0067] According to the above, the corresponding parameter data can be stored through the database for query and so on.

[0068] Specifically, the method 100 further includes: providing a database operation interface; based on the database operation interface, in response to an input read instruction, reading parameter data corresponding to a laser from a database and presenting it, where the database is used to store the parameter data of the laser; based on the database operation interface, in response to an input update instruction, updating the corresponding parameter data in the database; and based on the database operation interface, in response to an input write instruction, writing the corresponding parameter data into the database.

[0069] Among them, reading the corresponding parameter data from the database in response to an input read instruction includes: according to the read instruction, reading parameter data of a preset quantity or preset length from the database; among them, the method 100 further includes: before writing the corresponding parameter data into the database, detecting the storage capacity of the storage space of the database, and when the storage space exceeds the preset storage capacity, prompting information indicating data backup.

[0070] Among them, the operations of the database may include operations of reading data and writing data, and among them, the operation of writing data may further include operations such as updating data.

[0071] For example, as described above, after the control program is initialized, the user can open the database through the operation interface provided on the computer or the laser lithography machine by the control program. When opening the database, the information to be opened needs to be verified. If there is an abnormal database name or a path change, the user is prompted to intervene. After opening the database, the user can operate through the database operation interface provided by the database.

[0072] When performing the operation of reading data, the user can use SQL (Structured Query Language) statements to read data. The user inputs an SQL query statement on the above-mentioned database operation interface, that is, the user inputs a read instruction. In response to the input SQL query statement, data of a preset length or a preset quantity (which can be several pieces of data with the most recent storage time) is queried and read, and then presented to the user. Because after the database runs for a long time, the stored information will be relatively large. If all of it is read out, it will cause pressure on the control program. As Figure 4 shown, it shows the database operation interface. A data reading box 404 is displayed on this interface, in which there is data 405 in the data table. A display column 403 of the data table in the database is also displayed on this interface. The user can click on the "gas recipe" data table 402, and then the data 405 of this data table is displayed in the data reading box 404. An operation instruction column 401 is also displayed on this interface. The user can perform instruction operations through this operation instruction column 401 to modify, store, etc. the data.

[0073] When performing the operation of writing data, the user can use SQL (Structured Query Language) statements to write data. The user inputs the SQL write statement on the above database operation interface, that is, the user inputs a write instruction. In response to the input SQL write statement, it is possible to first determine whether the storage capacity of the database storage space is sufficient. To ensure the stable and reliable operation of the database, the scale of the database and the current state of the disk should be detected. When the safe storage capacity, that is, the preset storage capacity, is exceeded, the user needs to be reminded to perform data backup. Since the information saved in the database is relatively important, each operation should be ensured to be normal, and any abnormal situation should be intervened in a timely manner. If the storage capacity is sufficient, then in response to the input SQL write statement, data writing is performed.

[0074] For the operation of updating data, it is similar to writing data. Only note that this operation is an operation of writing to the database again after the user changes the specified parameters to update the current information. The parameters for data update may be one or more. There is no need to elaborate too much, and it can still be implemented through SQL statements.

[0075] After the control program of this application embodiment is started, the device of the laser is first initialized so that it can work normally. Here, the focus is on the reading and analysis of the main parameters, such as pressure, temperature, etc. By analyzing these important parameters, it is judged whether the current state of the laser meets the startup conditions and can operate normally. If it is normal, then enter the login interface, that is, the interaction interface, and select user login. If the current state is abnormal and does not meet the startup conditions, the user is reminded to perform relevant checks to ensure the safety of the laser. Select an account and the corresponding level to log in. Different account levels have different permissions. According to the on-site situation, the local control mode or the remote control mode can be selected. Here, the local can be operated through a touch screen. The remote refers to the operation performed through the serial port command in cooperation with the parallel port. Whether it is local control or remote operation, it involves the content described above. After testing and verification, the control program can meet the functional requirements and can stably and reliably implement the control of the laser.

[0076] The embodiment of the present application also provides a control device for a laser, which is applied to a lithography machine or a computer, as Figure 5 shown. The device 500 includes:

[0077] An enabling module 501, configured to obtain an enabling instruction when there is no abnormality in the laser, enable the execution mechanism of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the enabled state, and set the preparation flag.

[0078] The control module 502 is used to obtain a working instruction, control the laser to perform exposure, set the light output signal bit, and when the energy of the laser or the amount of working gas is monitored to be abnormal, adjust the working gas to switch the control state of the laser to the gas adjustment state.

[0079] The shutdown module 503 is used to obtain a shutdown instruction, shut down the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the shutdown state, reset the light output signal bit, and reset the ready flag.

[0080] In addition, the device 500 further includes: an acquisition module, used to acquire the monitoring information of the laser before obtaining the start instruction, and when there is an alarm message in the monitoring information, set the alarm flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state and perform alarm troubleshooting; a determination module, used to determine whether the working gas of the laser meets the replacement condition when there is no alarm message in the monitoring information, and if it meets the condition, set the gas flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the gas operation state and replace the working gas of the laser to make the laser normal; an acquisition module, used to acquire the monitoring information during the opening process of the actuator of the laser and when there is an alarm message in the monitoring information, shut down the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the shutdown state, and set the alarm flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state and perform alarm troubleshooting.

[0081] In addition, the acquisition module is used to acquire a control instruction, verify the control instruction, and when it passes the verification, determine the corresponding instruction type according to the control instruction, so as to control the laser according to the instruction type and switch the control state.

[0082] In addition, the device 500 further includes: a login module, used to provide an interactive interface, and based on the interactive interface, respond to the input login information to perform account login; a control module, used to, after account login, based on the interactive interface, respond to the input or selected operation instruction to obtain the operation instruction for controlling the laser.

[0083] In addition, the determination module is further used to respond to the input or selected operation instruction to determine whether the account corresponding to the operation instruction has the execution permission; when it does not have the execution permission, prompt the information indicating that it does not have the execution permission; the determination module is further used to, when it has the execution permission, determine whether the operation instruction meets the execution condition of the laser, and when it meets the execution condition, execute the operation instruction according to the obtained operation instruction to control the laser.

[0084] In addition, the device 500 further includes: a reading module, configured to initialize the hardware of the laser. After initialization, it receives a reading instruction and reads the information of the corresponding hardware according to the reading instruction; a writing module, configured to receive a writing instruction after initialization and write the information of the corresponding hardware according to the writing instruction to control the corresponding hardware.

[0085] In addition, a determination module is configured to determine whether the hardware is abnormal during the initialization process. If it is determined that there is no abnormality, it executes the step of receiving the reading instruction or the step of receiving the writing instruction; a reading module is configured to, during the process of reading the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is a reading abnormality, repeatedly read the information of the corresponding hardware for a preset number of times according to the reading instruction. If there is a reading abnormality, it prompts information indicating hardware abnormality and stops reading; a writing module is configured to, during the process of writing the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is a writing abnormality, repeatedly write the information of the corresponding hardware for a preset number of times according to the writing instruction. If there is a writing abnormality, it prompts information indicating hardware abnormality and stops writing.

[0086] In addition, a reading module is configured to provide a database operation interface. Based on the database operation interface, in response to an input reading instruction, it reads the parameter data corresponding to the laser from the database and displays it. The database is used to store the parameter data of the laser; an update module is configured to update the corresponding parameter data in the database based on the database operation interface in response to an input update instruction; a writing module is configured to write the corresponding parameter data in the database based on the database operation interface in response to an input writing instruction.

[0087] Specifically, the reading module is configured to read parameter data of a preset quantity or preset length from the database according to the reading instruction. Among them, the device 500 further includes: a detection module, configured to detect the storage capacity of the storage space of the database before writing the corresponding parameter data in the database. When the storage space exceeds the preset storage capacity, it prompts information indicating data backup.

[0088] Since the specific implementation manner of the device 500 refers to the manner described above, it will not be elaborated here.

[0089] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides a laser, including a controller, and the controller implements the steps in the foregoing method 100. The specific implementation manner will not be elaborated too much, please refer to the foregoing.

[0090] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed process is an instance of an exemplary method. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the process can be rearranged without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The appended method claims present the elements of the various steps in an exemplary order and are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy recited.

[0091] To make the description of the present disclosure more detailed and complete, the above presents an illustrative description of the embodiments and specific examples of the present invention; however, this is not the only form for implementing or using the specific examples of the present invention. The embodiments cover the features of multiple specific examples and the method steps and their sequences for constructing and operating these specific examples. However, other specific examples can also be used to achieve the same or equivalent functions and step sequences.

[0092] In the above detailed description, various features are combined in a single embodiment to simplify the present disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of the claimed subject matter require more features than those expressly recited in each claim. On the contrary, as reflected in the appended claims, the present invention lies in a state less than all the features of the single disclosed embodiment. Accordingly, the appended claims are hereby expressly incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim stands on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] In order for any person skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention, the above describes the disclosed embodiments. For those skilled in the art; various modifications of these embodiments are obvious, and the general principles defined herein can also be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments given herein, but is consistent with the broadest scope of the principles and novel features disclosed in this application.

[0094] The above description includes examples of one or more embodiments. Of course, it is impossible to describe all possible combinations of components or methods for the purpose of describing the above embodiments, but those of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the various embodiments can be further combined and arranged. Therefore, the embodiments described herein are intended to cover all such changes, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, with respect to the term "comprising" used in the specification or claims, the manner in which this term is encompassed is similar to the term "including," as interpreted when "including," is used as a transitional word in a claim. In addition, any use of the term "or" in the claims or specification is intended to mean "non-exclusive or."

[0095] Those skilled in the art can also understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, units, and steps listed in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly show the interchangeability of hardware and software, the above-mentioned various illustrative components, units, and steps have been generally described in terms of their functions. Whether such functions are implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design requirements of the entire system. Those skilled in the art can use various methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be construed as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0096] In the embodiments of the present invention, the various illustrative logical blocks or units can be implemented or operate the described functions through a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above designs. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor. Optionally, the general-purpose processor can also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented by a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0097] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in the embodiments of the present invention can be directly embedded in hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software modules can be stored in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be disposed in an ASIC, and the ASIC can be disposed in a user terminal. Optionally, the processor and the storage medium can also be disposed in different components of the user terminal.

[0098] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described in embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of the three. If implemented in software, these functions may be stored on a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both a computer storage medium and a communication medium facilitating transfer of a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a general or special purpose computer. For example, such a computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be read by a general or special purpose computer, or a general or special purpose processor. In addition, any connection may be properly termed a computer-readable medium, for example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source via a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless means such as infrared, radio, and microwave, it is included within the defined computer-readable medium. Disk and disc include compact disk, laser disk, optical disk, DVD, floppy disk, and Blu-ray disk, disks generally reproduce data magnetically, while discs generally reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above may also be included within the computer-readable medium.

[0099] The specific embodiments described above have further elaborated on the purpose, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present invention and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a laser, characterized in that, Including: When there is no abnormality in the laser, obtain the start instruction, activate the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the on state, and set the ready flag. Obtain the working instruction, control the laser for exposure, set the light output signal bit. When the energy of the laser or the amount of working gas is abnormal, adjust the working gas to switch the control state of the laser to the gas adjustment state. Obtain the shutdown instruction, deactivate the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the off state, reset the light output signal bit, and reset the ready flag.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before obtaining the start instruction, obtain the monitoring information of the laser. When there is an alarm message in the monitoring information, set the alarm flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state and perform alarm troubleshooting. When there is no alarm message in the monitoring information, determine whether the working gas of the laser meets the replacement condition. If it meets the condition, set the gas flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the gas operation state and replace the working gas of the laser to make the laser abnormal-free. During the activation of the actuator of the laser, obtain the monitoring information. When there is an alarm message in the monitoring information, deactivate the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the off state, set the alarm flag bit to switch the control state of the laser to the alarm state, and perform alarm troubleshooting.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the control instruction, verify the control instruction. After passing the verification, determine the corresponding instruction type according to the control instruction so as to control the laser according to the instruction type and switch the control state.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further includes: Provide an interactive interface. Based on the interactive interface, respond to the input login information to perform account login. After account login, based on the interactive interface, respond to the input or selected operation instruction so as to obtain the operation instruction to control the laser.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Respond to the input or selected operation instruction to determine whether the account corresponding to the operation instruction has the execution permission. When there is no execution permission, prompt the information indicating no execution permission. When there is the execution permission, determine whether the operation instruction meets the execution condition of the laser. When it meets the execution condition, execute the operation instruction according to the obtained operation instruction to control the laser.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further includes: Initialize the hardware of the laser. After initialization, receive the read instruction and read the information of the corresponding hardware according to the read instruction. After initialization, receive the write instruction and write the information of the corresponding hardware according to the write instruction to control the corresponding hardware.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the initialization process, determine whether the hardware is abnormal. If it is determined that there is no abnormality, execute the step of receiving the read instruction or execute the step of receiving the write instruction. During the process of reading the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is an abnormal reading situation, according to the reading instruction, the information of the corresponding hardware is repeatedly read for a preset number of times. If there is an abnormal reading situation, an information indicating hardware abnormality is prompted and the reading is stopped. During the process of writing the information of the corresponding hardware, if there is an abnormal writing situation, according to the writing instruction, the information of the corresponding hardware is repeatedly written for a preset number of times. If there is an abnormal writing situation, an information indicating hardware abnormality is prompted and the writing is stopped.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Providing a database operation interface, based on the database operation interface, in response to an input reading instruction, reading parameter data corresponding to the laser from the database and displaying it. The database is used to store the parameter data of the laser. Based on the database operation interface, in response to an input update instruction, updating the corresponding parameter data in the database. Based on the database operation interface, in response to an input writing instruction, writing the corresponding parameter data into the database.

9. A control device for a laser, comprising: An enabling module, used to obtain an enabling instruction when the laser is normal, enable the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the enabled state, and set the ready flag; a control module, used to obtain a working instruction, control the laser to perform exposure, set the light output signal bit, and when it is detected that the energy of the laser or the amount of working gas is abnormal, adjust the working gas to switch the control state of the laser to the gas adjustment state; a disabling module, used to obtain a disabling instruction, disable the actuator of the laser to switch the control state of the laser to the disabled state, reset the light output signal bit, and reset the ready flag.

10. A laser, characterized in that, It includes a controller, and the controller implements the steps in the method according to any one of claims 1-8.

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