Discharging circuit of excimer laser and laser

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a discharge circuit of an excimer laser and the laser. In the embodiment of the invention, the discharge circuit comprises a peaking capacitor, a discharge plasma region connected with the peaking capacitor in parallel, and a switch branch connected with the peaking capacitor in parallel; when the charging voltage of the peaking capacitor reaches the preset breakdown voltage, the switch branch is controlled to be switched on according to the preset delay time, and the preset delay time represents the time when the discharge stage of the discharge plasma region enters the filamentary discharge stage. By controlling the switch branch to be switched on, the problem of long non-uniform discharge time caused by a filamentary discharge stage is solved, and the problems of electrode damage of the laser, shortened gas life and poor light beam quality caused by discharge instability are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of discharge circuits, and specifically to a discharge circuit and a laser of an excimer laser. Background Art

[0002] In the field of high-end lithography, high-repetition-rate excimer laser is the absolutely dominant light source used in the field of semiconductor lithography due to its high repetition rate, narrow linewidth and high energy.

[0003] For excimer lasers, the stability of high repetition rate discharge has a very important impact on the performance of the output laser spot index, the discharge cavity and the working gas life, etc. Studies have reported that hot spot discharge will appear on the cathode surface of excimer lasers under high repetition rate discharge conditions. The appearance of hot spot discharge will cause the uniform and stable glow discharge at the initial moment to evolve into an uneven and less stable filamentary discharge. Therefore, how to suppress the less stable filamentary discharge is a problem that needs to be solved. 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 discharge circuit and a laser for an excimer laser, which can effectively shorten the duration of the filamentary discharge stage and improve the stability of the discharge cycle.

[0005] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, on the one hand, the present invention provides a discharge circuit of an excimer laser, comprising: a peaking capacitor, a discharge plasma zone connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor, and a switch branch connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor; when the charging voltage of the peaking capacitor reaches a preset breakdown voltage, the switch branch is controlled to be turned on according to a preset delay time, and the preset delay time represents the time when the discharge stage of the discharge plasma zone enters the filamentary discharge stage.

[0006] Specifically, the number of the switch branches is one or more; when the number of the switch branches is multiple, the multiple switch branches are respectively connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor.

[0007] Specifically, the switch branch includes at least one turn-off device, and when the turn-off device is in a conducting state, the switch branch is turned on.

[0008] Specifically, the turn-off device includes a self-healing capacitor and / or an IGBT component.

[0009] Specifically, the laser includes a cathode and an anode, the laser discharges between the cathode and the anode, the peaking capacitor includes a plurality of capacitors connected in parallel, and the plurality of capacitors connected in parallel are arranged in an array structure; the high-voltage end of the peaking capacitor is connected to the cathode through a conductive screw, and the low-voltage end of the peaking capacitor is connected to the ground cavity wall of the laser; the anode is connected to the ground cavity wall of the laser through a return bar.

[0010] Specifically, when the shutdown device is a self-healing capacitor, and multiple self-healing capacitors are connected in parallel through their respective switch branches, the multiple self-healing capacitors are distributed according to a spatial array, and the multiple self-healing capacitors correspond one-to-one to the multiple capacitors of the peaking capacitor; the high-voltage end of the self-healing capacitor and the high-voltage end of the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor are respectively connected to one end of the delay inductor device, so that the self-healing capacitor and the corresponding capacitor are horizontally connected, and the low-voltage ends of the lower surfaces of the peaking capacitor and the self-healing capacitor are respectively connected in parallel to the bottom of the grounded cavity wall of the laser.

[0011] Specifically, when the turn-off device is an IGBT component, and multiple IGBT components are connected in parallel through their respective switch branches, the IGBT components correspond to the capacitors of the peaking capacitor one by one, and both ends of the IGBT component are respectively connected in a straight line to the peaking capacitor and the ground cavity wall of the laser through metal conductive copper sheets.

[0012] Specifically, when the turn-off device is a self-healing capacitor and the voltage across the switch branch reaches a preset breakdown voltage, a delay inductor device connected to the self-healing capacitor starts to delay until the preset delay time is reached, so that the self-healing capacitor is fully turned on.

[0013] Specifically, when the turn-off device is an IGBT component, a TTL trigger signal is sent by the controller to trigger the IGBT component to turn on, and the delay time of the trigger signal matches the preset delay time.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention provides an excimer laser, comprising a discharge cavity, wherein the discharge cavity comprises the above-mentioned discharge circuit.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, a discharge circuit includes: a peaking capacitor, a discharge plasma zone connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor, and a switch branch connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor; when the charging voltage of the peaking capacitor reaches a preset breakdown voltage, the switch branch is controlled to be turned on according to a preset delay time, and the preset delay time represents the time when the discharge phase of the discharge plasma zone enters the filamentary discharge phase.

[0016] Among them, by controlling the conduction of the switch branch, the problem of long uneven discharge time caused by the filamentary discharge stage is solved, and the problems of laser electrode damage, reduced gas life and poor beam quality caused by discharge instability are improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a discharge circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the discharge region of the laser of the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the side structure of the discharge region of the laser of an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a discharge region with a self-healing capacitor according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a discharge region having an IGBT component according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the side structure of a discharge region with an IGBT component according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a discharge region having an IGBT component according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the side structure of a discharge region with an IGBT component according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the laser structure of an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Among them, 1- cathode current equalizer, 2- conductive screw, 3- cathode, 4- anode, 5- return bar, 6- peaking capacitor, 7- cavity wall, 8- self-healing capacitor, 9- delay inductor, 10- IGBT component, 11- cathode conductive column;

[0028] 101 - turn-off device, 102 - discharge plasma region;

[0029] 100-discharge circuit line, 200-discharge area, 300-wide-narrow module, 400-discharge cavity, 500-power module, 600-laser output module, 700-control module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] As mentioned above, the excimer laser is emitted in the form of a single pulse, and the pulse width of a single pulse laser is only about 20ns (nanoseconds) before passing through the broadening module. However, the excimer discharge process can last for hundreds of nanoseconds, and the development process of the discharge can be characterized by the current. In the initial stage of discharge development, the discharge area is a uniformly distributed glow discharge, which is called the glow development stage. When the current reaches the maximum value, the discharge area begins to gradually show uneven filamentary discharge, that is, filamentary discharge and glow discharge exist at the same time, and the current at this time also begins to gradually decrease, which is called the post-glow stage. The gain process and energy output of the laser are also mainly in these two stages. When the current intensity is lower than 80% of the peak value, the discharge area is mainly dominated by uneven filamentary discharge, and the uniform glow discharge basically disappears, which is called the filamentary discharge stage. At this stage, the laser output basically stops, but the maintenance time of the filamentary discharge will be as long as hundreds of nanoseconds, which is very unfavorable for subsequent pulse discharge and electrode consumption.

[0032] In view of the above problems, this application proposes Figure 1 The discharge circuit 100 of an excimer laser shown can effectively shorten the duration of the filamentary discharge stage and improve the stability of the discharge cycle.

[0033] The present application provides a discharge circuit 100 for an excimer laser, comprising: a peaking capacitor, a discharge plasma region connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor, and a switch branch connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor; when the charging voltage of the peaking capacitor reaches a preset breakdown voltage, the switch branch is controlled to be turned on according to a preset delay time, and the preset delay time represents the time when the discharge phase of the discharge plasma region enters the filamentary discharge phase.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the peaking capacitor 6 is capacitor C1, and the module connected in series with the peaking capacitor 6 is the discharge plasma region 102, i.e., the discharge region. When the charge of the peaking capacitor 6 reaches the breakdown voltage Vg, the discharge plasma region 102 begins to break down, and the discharge current gradually begins to increase. The duration of the discharge current Ig is mainly determined by the electric energy stored in the capacitor C1 and the discharge loop impedance. When the discharge current Ig becomes smaller, the loop impedance will gradually increase, so the discharge time will last longer in the filamentary discharge stage.

[0035] Among them, the "shut-off device T1" 101 is a fast-breaking device with controllable trigger time, which is connected in parallel with the capacitor C1 and the discharge plasma zone 102. The circuit where the "shut-off device T1" 101 is located is a switch branch, which is an extremely low impedance circuit. When the discharge of the discharge plasma zone 102 develops to the filamentary discharge stage, the "shut-off device T1" 101 can be controlled to close quickly, reducing the impedance of the overall discharge circuit (i.e., the discharge circuit 100), so that the electric energy stored in the capacitor C1 can be released faster through the "shut-off device T1" 101 circuit, thereby reducing the filamentary discharge time and the current intensity of the plasma circuit.

[0036] This can effectively solve the problem of suppressing discharge instability during low-frequency and high-frequency discharges, and improve the problems of electrode damage, reduced gas life and poor beam quality caused by discharge instability.

[0037] Specifically, the number of the switch branches is one or more; when the number of the switch branches is multiple, the multiple switch branches are respectively connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor.

[0038] According to the above description, the switch branch can be one or more. When there are more than one switch branch, the switch branches are connected in parallel and connected in parallel with the capacitor C1 and the discharge plasma region 102 .

[0039] Specifically, the switch branch includes at least one turn-off device, and when the turn-off device is in a conducting state, the switch branch is turned on.

[0040] The shutoff device includes a self-healing capacitor and / or an IGBT component. The above-mentioned "shutoff device T1" 101 can accurately determine the triggering moment, and can achieve a current conduction capability of the ampere level within a time scale of nanoseconds. A switch branch may include multiple shutoff devices, such as multiple IGBTs connected in series, or may include one shutoff device.

[0041] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application can achieve controllable discharge on-time, suppress the duration and intensity of uneven discharge; can reduce electrode damage caused by excessive filamentary discharge current intensity and long duration; and add a controllable parameter that can improve laser performance indicators.

[0042] Specifically, the laser includes a cathode and an anode, the laser discharges between the cathode and the anode, the peaking capacitor includes a plurality of capacitors connected in parallel, and the plurality of capacitors connected in parallel are arranged in an array structure; the high-voltage end of the peaking capacitor is connected to the cathode through a conductive screw, and the low-voltage end of the peaking capacitor is connected to the ground cavity wall of the laser; the anode is connected to the ground cavity wall of the laser through a return bar.

[0043] like Figure 2As shown in the figure, the main structure of a simple discharge zone 200 is shown. Among them, the laser includes a cathode 3 and an anode 4, and the high-voltage power supply is connected through the cathode current equalizer 1 so that the energy pumped by the high-voltage power supply can be evenly distributed on the peaking capacitor 6. The peaking capacitor 6 is an array structure, which includes a plurality of capacitors in parallel, so that energy can be evenly pumped into the discharge zone 200, forming a uniformly distributed discharge between the cathode 3 and the anode 4. The high-voltage end of each capacitor of the peaking capacitor 6 is connected to the cathode 3 through a conductive screw 2, and the low-voltage end of each capacitor of the peaking capacitor 6 is connected to the cavity wall 7. The anode 4 is connected to the cavity wall 7 through a return bar 5 to form a discharge loop.

[0044] in, Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the side structure of the discharge region 200 is shown, wherein the anode 4 is connected to the bottom of the cavity wall 7 through the return bar 5, that is, connected to the grounded cavity wall.

[0045] Among them, when the shutdown device is a self-healing capacitor, and multiple self-healing capacitors are connected in parallel through their respective switch branches, the multiple self-healing capacitors are distributed according to a spatial array, and the multiple self-healing capacitors correspond to the multiple capacitors of the peaking capacitor one by one; the high-voltage end of the self-healing capacitor and the high-voltage end of the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor are respectively connected to one end of the delay inductor device, so that the self-healing capacitor and the corresponding capacitor are horizontally connected, and the low-voltage ends of the lower surfaces of the peaking capacitor and the self-healing capacitor are respectively connected in parallel to the bottom of the ground cavity wall of the laser.

[0046] The self-healing capacitor is a self-healing capacitor or a self-healing capacitor assembly that can be repeatedly broken down. The number of the self-healing capacitor can be one or more. When there are multiple self-healing capacitors, the multiple self-healing capacitors are connected in parallel. The following is an example of multiple self-healing capacitors:

[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, the self-healing capacitor is composed of multiple self-healing capacitors 8 connected in parallel, thereby reducing the breakdown current of a single self-healing capacitor 8. Each self-healing capacitor 8 is arranged in parallel with the capacitor of the peaking capacitor 6 (including multiple parallel peaking capacitors). In order to make the self-healing capacitor short-circuit discharge after the discharge breakdown, the present application sets a delay inductor 9 between each self-healing capacitor 8 and the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor 6, which can delay the time when the self-healing capacitor voltage reaches the peak value, so that the capacitor discharge occurs after the main discharge breakdown.

[0048] Specifically, when the turn-off device is a self-healing capacitor and the voltage across the switch branch reaches a preset breakdown voltage, a delay inductor device connected to the self-healing capacitor starts to delay until the preset delay time is reached, so that the self-healing capacitor is fully turned on.

[0049] The switch branch conduction rising edge time requirement of the embodiment of the present application is very short and needs to be controlled within 10ns. In order to minimize the influence of the stray impedance of the switch branch on the conduction time, it is necessary to design the connection method so that the distance from the peaking capacitor 6 through the switch branch to the cavity wall 7 is as short as possible. Figure 4 As shown, each self-healing capacitor 8 is distributed in a spatial array and corresponds to the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor 6 one by one. The high-voltage end of the self-healing capacitor 8 and the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor 6 are horizontally connected to the delay inductor 9, so that the three are connected in a straight line to form the shortest distance. The cavity wall 7 is parallelly connected to the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor 6 and the lower surface (i.e., the bottom) of the self-healing capacitor 8.

[0050] Among them, when the shutdown device is an IGBT component, and multiple IGBT components are connected in parallel through their respective switch branches, the IGBT components correspond to the capacitors of the peaking capacitor one by one, and both ends of the IGBT component are directly connected to the peaking capacitor and the ground cavity wall of the laser through metal conductive copper sheets.

[0051] The above-mentioned "turn-off device T1" 101 can also use IGBT components commonly used in the market, and the on-current rising edge time can be controlled to be in the order of 10ns. The turn-off time of the IGBT component is generally in the order of us (microseconds), especially the ultra-fast IGBT module of IR, which can control the turn-off time to be within 2us. For the highest discharge frequency of 6kHz (kilohertz) used, the turn-off time of 2us is sufficient. By connecting multiple IGBT components in parallel, the on-current of a single component is reduced. The on-off time of the IGBT component is precisely controlled by an external trigger circuit.

[0052] Since the connection path of the “turn-off device T1” 101 needs to be as short as possible, the bypass impedance can be reduced. Figure 5 In order to reduce the influence of stray impedance of the conduction path on the conduction time, the IGBT component 10 is connected to the side wall of the cavity wall 7. Each IGBT component 10 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor 6.

[0053] like Figure 6 , which shows a schematic diagram of the side structure of the discharge area 200 with the IGBT component 10. The two ends of the IGBT component 10 are respectively connected to the capacitor corresponding to the peaking capacitor 6 and the cavity wall 7 through a metal conductive copper sheet.

[0054] The turn-on time of the IGBT component 10 needs to be when the discharge enters the filament discharge stage. In order to ensure that the IGBT component 10 is turned on when the discharge enters the filament discharge stage, the turn-on time needs to be accurately determined, and the error is recommended not to exceed 10ns.

[0055] The following triggering methods can be used to ensure the accurate on and off time of the IGBT component 10.

[0056] 1. Turn-on "turn-off device T1" 101 triggered by threshold voltage. In this embodiment, the trigger condition can be set when the voltage of the IGBT component 10 reaches the breakdown voltage Vcp. After the IGBT component 10 is triggered, the delay is calculated. The delay time is set to when the discharge enters the filamentary discharge stage and the IGBT component 10 is fully turned on. Usually, the discharge time from turn-on to entering the filamentary discharge is 10ns-20ns. According to different discharge circuits and device performance, the delay time can be set to 10ns-50ns, and the time delay of the shutdown can be set to ensure the normal operation of the next pulse discharge. According to the operating conditions of the equipment, the time delay of the shutdown can be set to 150ns-50ms (milliseconds).

[0057] 2. Turning on "turn-off device T1" 101 in the form of external circuit triggering. In this embodiment, the IGBT component 10 can be set to be triggered by an external circuit signal, which can be a TTL signal. The external circuit trigger signal delay needs to match the time of the discharge stage, usually with the peaking capacitor 6 starting to charge as the initial time, and the delay can be set to 10ns-100ns.

[0058] 3. The light-sensitive triggering form of the on-off device T1 101. In this embodiment, a fast on-off device of the light-sensitive form can be used instead, and the light-triggered delay needs to match the moment of the discharge stage. Among them, the off-off device includes a photosensitive switch, and the on and off of the photosensitive switch can be controlled by light, so that the switch branch is turned on and off.

[0059] Specifically, when the turn-off device is an IGBT component, a TTL trigger signal is sent by the controller to trigger the IGBT component to turn on, and the delay time of the trigger signal matches the preset delay time.

[0060] Since it has been explained above, it will not be repeated here. It should be noted that in the case where there are multiple turn-off devices T1, IGBT components and self-healing capacitors can be used in combination, such as one part is an IGBT component and the other part is a self-healing capacitor. Each part is connected in parallel and the conduction control is performed according to the above method. In order to reduce the distance of the peaking capacitor discharge loop, a peaking capacitor connection method with the following structure is set.

[0061] Among them, Figure 7 as well as Figure 8As shown, the high voltage end of the capacitor of the peaking capacitor 6 is arranged downward and connected to the cathode conductive column 11 through the cathode current equalizer plate 1. The high voltage power supply is connected to the cathode current equalizer plate 1, and is charged through the peaking capacitor 6. When the breakdown voltage is reached, the electric energy stored in the peaking capacitor 6 is fed to the cathode 3 through the cathode current equalizer plate 1. Compared with the existing structure, the distance for the current of the peaking capacitor 6 to reach the cathode 3 is shorter in this embodiment, which is conducive to the rapid release of electric energy. This fast-release current channel is conducive to reducing the generation of filamentary discharge, thereby improving discharge stability.

[0062] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiment of arranging the high-voltage end of the peaking capacitor 6 downward can be used at the same time as the above-mentioned embodiment of arranging the high-voltage end of the peaking capacitor 6 upward to improve discharge stability. And the embodiment of arranging the high-voltage end of the peaking capacitor 6 downward is also applicable to the corresponding self-healing capacitor and IGBT component 10 described above. The specific connection method can be referred to the above, and will not be repeated here.

[0063] like Fig. 9 As shown, the embodiment of the present application also provides an excimer laser, which has a line width narrowing module 300, a discharge cavity 400, a power module 500, a laser output module 600, and a control module 700. The discharge cavity 400 includes a discharge area 200 that excites the working gas to generate laser radiation, and the discharge cavity 400 includes the discharge circuit 100 described above. The specific structure of the discharge circuit 100 is not repeated here. Of course, the excimer laser of the embodiment of the present application is a dual-cavity excimer laser, which includes two discharge cavities, and the optical path structure is different, but the discharge circuit structure of the discharge area 200 in the two discharge cavities can also be the same as the above-mentioned discharge circuit 100 structure.

[0064] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed process is an example 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 protection of the present disclosure. The attached 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 described.

[0065] In order to make the description of the present disclosure more detailed and complete, the above description is provided for the implementation and specific embodiments of the present invention; however, this is not the only form of implementing or using the specific embodiments of the present invention. The implementation covers the features of multiple specific embodiments and the method steps and sequences used to construct and operate these specific embodiments. However, other specific embodiments can also be used to achieve the same or equivalent functions and step sequences.

[0066] In the above detailed description, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment to simplify the disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of the claimed subject matter require more features than are clearly stated in each claim. On the contrary, as reflected in the appended claims, the invention is in a state of having less than all the features of the disclosed individual embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are hereby expressly incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0067] The disclosed embodiments are described above to enable any person skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications of these embodiments are obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may 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.

[0068] 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 it should be recognized by those skilled in the art that the various embodiments may 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 protection of the appended claims. In addition, with respect to the term "comprising" used in the specification or claims, the word is covered in a manner similar to the term "including", just as "including," is explained as a transitional word in the claims. In addition, any term "or" used in the specification of the claims is intended to mean "non-exclusive or".

[0069] Those skilled in the art may also understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, units, and steps listed in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly demonstrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the various illustrative components, units, and steps described above have generally described 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 may use various methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be understood as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0070] The various illustrative logic blocks or units described in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented or operated by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination of the above. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, and 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, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0071] The steps of the method or algorithm described in the embodiments of the present invention can be directly embedded in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software module 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 other storage media of any form 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 can 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 arranged in an ASIC, and the ASIC can be arranged in a user terminal. Optionally, the processor and the storage medium can also be arranged in different components in the user terminal.

[0072] In one or more exemplary designs, the above functions described in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or any combination of the three. If implemented in software, these functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or transmitted in the form of one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by any general or special computer. For example, such computer-readable media can include but are not limited to RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and other forms that can be read by general or special computers, or general or special processors. In addition, any connection can be appropriately defined as a computer-readable medium, for example, if the software is transmitted from a website site, server or other remote resource through a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wirelessly, such as infrared, wireless and microwave, it is also included in the defined computer-readable medium. The disk and disc include compact disk, laser disk, optical disk, DVD, floppy disk and blue-ray disk. Disks usually copy data magnetically, while discs usually copy data optically with lasers. The above combination can also be included in computer readable media.

[0073] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific implementation method of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A discharge circuit for an excimer laser, characterized in that: include: A peaking capacitor, a discharge plasma region connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor, and a switch branch connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor; When the charging voltage of the peaking capacitor reaches a preset breakdown voltage, the switch branch is controlled to be turned on according to a preset delay time, and the preset delay time represents the time when the discharge phase of the discharge plasma zone enters the filamentary discharge phase.

2. The discharge circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the switch branches is one or more; when the number of the switch branches is multiple, the multiple switch branches are respectively connected in parallel with the peaking capacitor.

3. The discharge circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The switch branch includes at least one turn-off device, and when the turn-off device is in a conducting state, the switch branch is turned on.

4. The discharge circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The shutdown device includes a self-healing capacitor and / or an IGBT component.

5. The discharge circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser comprises a cathode and an anode, the laser discharges between the cathode and the anode, the peaking capacitor comprises a plurality of capacitors connected in parallel, and the plurality of capacitors connected in parallel are arranged in an array structure; The high voltage end of the peaking capacitor is connected to the cathode through a conductive screw, and the low voltage end of the peaking capacitor is connected to the grounded cavity wall of the laser; The anode is connected to the grounded cavity wall of the laser through a return bar.

6. The discharge circuit according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: When the shutdown device is a self-healing capacitor, and a plurality of self-healing capacitors are connected in parallel through their respective switch branches, the plurality of self-healing capacitors are distributed according to a spatial array, and the plurality of self-healing capacitors correspond one-to-one to the plurality of capacitors of the peaking capacitor; The high voltage end of the self-healing capacitor and the high voltage end of the corresponding peaking capacitor are respectively connected to one end of the delay inductor device, so that the self-healing capacitor and the corresponding capacitor are horizontally connected, and the low voltage ends of the lower surfaces of the peaking capacitor and the self-healing capacitor are respectively connected in parallel to the bottom of the grounded cavity wall of the laser.

7. The discharge circuit according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: When the shutdown device is an IGBT component, and multiple IGBT components are connected in parallel through their respective switch branches, the IGBT components correspond one to one with the capacitors of the peaking capacitor, and both ends of the IGBT component are respectively connected in a straight line to the peaking capacitor and the ground cavity wall of the laser through a metal conductive copper sheet.

8. The discharge circuit according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that: When the shut-off device is a self-healing capacitor and the voltage across the switch branch reaches a preset breakdown voltage, a delay inductor device connected to the self-healing capacitor starts to delay until the preset delay time is reached, so that the self-healing capacitor is fully turned on.

9. The discharge circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the shut-off device is an IGBT component, a TTL trigger signal is sent by the controller to trigger the IGBT component to turn on, and the delay time of the trigger signal matches the preset delay time.

10. An excimer laser, characterized in that: The invention comprises a discharge chamber, wherein the discharge chamber comprises a discharge circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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