51 results about "Gas laser device" patented technology

A line narrowing gas laser device includes an actuator changing a center wavelength of pulse laser light, and a processor controlling the actuator. The processor reads parameters including a number of irradiation pulses of pulse laser light to be radiated to one location of an irradiation receiving object, a shortest wavelength, and a longest wavelength; sets a first pattern with which the center wavelength is changed to approach the longest wavelength from the shortest wavelength and a second pattern with which the center wavelength is changed to approach the shortest wavelength from the longest wavelength such that at least one of the first pattern and the second pattern when the number of irradiation pulses is an even number is different from corresponding one when the number of irradiation pulses is an odd number; and controls the actuator so that the first pattern and the second pattern are alternately performed.

A laser chamber according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a container, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a sound absorber. The container is filled with a laser gas. The first electrode is disposed in the container. The second electrode is disposed in the container and faces the first electrode. The sound absorber is disposed on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of the laser gas from the first electrode. The sound absorber is configured to cause a propagation speed of an acoustic wave generated in a discharge space between the first electrode and the second electrode to decrease as a distance from the discharge space increases.

A gas laser apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a laser chamber, a primary electrode, a preliminary ionization electrode, a power supplier, and a processor. The laser chamber is configured to encapsulate a laser gas containing a fluorine gas. The primary electrode is disposed in the laser chamber. The preliminary ionization electrode is disposed in the laser chamber. The power supplier is configured to supply power to the primary electrode and the preliminary ionization electrode. The processor is configured to control the power supplier to perform first discharge control that causes the preliminary ionization electrode and the primary electrode to perform discharge, and second discharge control that causes only the preliminary ionization electrode to perform discharge without causing the primary electrode to perform discharge.

The invention provides a laser chamber, a gas laser apparatus, and a manufacturing method of an electronic device. A laser chamber according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a laser chamber of a gas laser device that outputs laser light, the laser chamber being provided with: a container filled with a laser gas; a first electrode extending in a first direction and disposed inside the container; a second electrode extending in the first direction and disposed at a position closer to the inner wall of the container than the first electrode in a state of facing the first electrode in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a fan that causes the laser gas to flow in a discharge space between the first electrode and the second electrode; a plurality of heat pipes disposed on the inner wall of the container; and a plurality of heat exchangers disposed in the container so as to be separated from each other.

A gas laser device that amplifies laser light output from a laser oscillator by means of an amplifier and emits the amplified laser light, the amplifier being provided with: a chamber device that amplifies laser light from the laser oscillator; a resonator that resonates the laser light emitted from the chamber device between both sides sandwiching the chamber device; and a beam expander, the resonator including an output coupling mirror disposed on one side sandwiching the chamber device, through which a portion of the laser beam emitted from the chamber device passes, and which reflects the other portion of the laser beam emitted from the chamber device so as to return to the chamber device, the beam expander including: a convex mirror, which is disposed on the other side of the chamber device, and which reflects the other portion of the laser beam emitted from the chamber device so as to return the other portion of the laser beam to the chamber device; a reflection mirror disposed between the chamber device and the output coupling mirror and reflecting the laser beam emitted from the chamber device so as to enlarge the beam width of the laser beam; and a concave mirror that reflects the laser beam reflected by the convex mirror toward the output coupling mirror so as to perform collimation such that the amplified beam width of the laser beam is constant.

To provide a chamber device for a gas laser device capable of outputting laser light with stable pulse energy even at a high repetition frequency.SOLUTION: A chamber device of a gas laser device includes: a chamber body; an anode extending along a Z direction; a cathode extending along the Z direction and including a base portion 401 and a discharge portion 403 protruding from the base portion; a cathode side sound absorbing portion 470 including a base facing portion 453 spaced apart from the base portion in a V direction and overlapped partially and spaced apart from the discharge portion in an H direction and overlapped partially, and arranged in a space between a cathode side cover portion 450 covering the base portion and the base portion; and an inclined portion 480a arranged in a space on the base portion side than the base facing portion in the V direction and on the discharge portion side than the base facing portion in the H direction, expanding in a direction away from the discharge portion when progressing in a direction from the discharge portion side toward the base portion side along the V direction, and having an inclined surface extending in the Z direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

A chamber device includes a pair of discharge electrodes arranged with a longitudinal direction oriented along a predetermined direction as being apart from and facing each other; a chamber having an internal space where the pair of discharge electrodes are arranged; capacitors arranged in parallel along the predetermined direction; a power supply terminal electrically connecting one discharge electrode and one terminal of each capacitor to a high-voltage power source; and a connection member extending in the predetermined direction, electrically connected to the other terminal of each capacitor, and having a portion away from a side electrically connected to the other terminal in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction be connected to the ground. The connection member includes an inductance compensation structure that makes a distribution of inductance due to a distance between the power supply terminal and the one terminal of each of the capacitors close to be uniform.

A laser chamber, a discharge electrode, and a method of manufacturing an electronic device are provided. A laser chamber for a gas laser device that excites a fluorine-containing laser gas by discharge, the laser chamber comprising: a cathode electrode having a cathode discharge surface extending in a first direction; an anode electrode having an anode discharge surface extending in a first direction and disposed in a posture in which the anode discharge surface and the cathode discharge surface face each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a fan that circulates the laser gas through a discharge space between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction; and a preionization electrode disposed on the upstream side of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode with respect to the laser gas. In an initial state, the cross-sectional shape of the cathode discharge surface cut by a plane orthogonal to the first direction is asymmetrical with respect to an axis parallel to the second direction, and the cross-sectional shape of the anode discharge surface cut by the plane is axisymmetric with respect to the axis.

A chamber device for laser light is provided with: a chamber which has a conductive chamber main body having an opening in the top wall thereof and an insulating plate for closing the opening, and which is filled with a laser gas in the internal space thereof; a first discharge electrode disposed on the inner space side of the insulating plate; a second discharge electrode disposed in the internal space so as to face the first discharge electrode; a fan that causes the laser gas to flow between the first discharge electrode and the second discharge electrode in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the laser light; and a return member that is provided on the upstream side of the flow of the laser gas with respect to the second discharge electrode, electrically connects the second discharge electrode and the chamber main body, and has an end portion on the opposite side from the second discharge electrode side connected to the top wall. The linear part comprises a plurality of linear parts which are arranged in parallel along the optical axis; and a plate-shaped part which is provided on the top wall side of the return member, is connected to the plurality of linear portions, and is inclined so as to be on the downstream side of the laser gas further away from the top wall.

The present disclosure provides a laser chamber, a gas laser device, and a method of manufacturing an electronic device. A laser chamber of one aspect of the present disclosure includes a container filled with a laser gas; a first electrode disposed in the container; a second electrode disposed in the container in an opposed state to the first electrode; and an acoustic absorption material disposed on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of the laser gas with respect to the first electrode, so that a propagation speed of a sound wave generated in a discharge space between the first electrode and the second electrode is reduced in a direction away from the discharge space.

A laser chamber of a discharge-excitation-type gas laser device includes first and second discharge electrodes, a fan arranged in the laser chamber and causing a laser gas in the laser chamber to circulate, and a cooling unit arranged in the laser chamber and cooling the laser gas. Here, at least a part of a gas guide surface out of an inner surface of the laser chamber extends between first and second virtual curves over a first section corresponding to a phase angle of a magnitude of 90° or more of first and second virtual logarithmic spirals. The inner surface defines a flow path of the laser gas through which the laser gas flows between the first and second discharge electrodes to a vicinity of the cooling unit. The first and second virtual curves each have a curvature decreasing along the flow direction.

A discharge chamber for a gas laser apparatus has an internal space in which a pair of discharge electrodes facing each other with a spacing therebetween are disposed and which encapsulates a laser gas. The discharge chamber includes a first chamber part and a second chamber part combined with each other to enclose at least a portion of the internal space, and a metal seal including a straight section and a curved section, disposed between the first chamber part and the second chamber part, and pressed by the first chamber part and the second chamber part to seal a gap between the first chamber part and the second chamber part. The curved section of the metal seal, when assumed to be made straight, has a spring constant in a pressing direction smaller than a spring constant of the straight section of the metal seal in the pressing direction.

A gas laser device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is provided with: a laser chamber in which a laser gas containing fluorine gas is sealed; a main electrode disposed inside the laser chamber; a preionization electrode disposed inside the laser chamber; a power supply device that supplies power to the main electrode and the preionization electrode; and a processor that controls the power supply device to execute a first discharge control for discharging the preionization electrode and the main electrode, and a second discharge control for discharging only the preionization electrode without discharging the main electrode.

A chamber device includes: a chamber body; an anode extending along a Z direction; a cathode disposed in an internal space facing the anode, extending along the Z direction, and including a base part and a discharge part protruding from the base part toward the anode; a cathode-side cover part including a base facing part and covers a part of the base part; a cathode-side acoustic absorbing member disposed in a space between the cathode-side cover part and the base part; and an inclined part including an inclined surface disposed in a space closer to the base part than the base facing part in the V direction and closer to the discharge part than the base facing part in the H direction, broadening to an opposite side with respect to the discharge part as the inclined surface is closer to the base part along the V direction, and extending in the Z direction.

A laser chamber includes a guide portion arranged therein such that at least a part of a first guide surface extends between first and second virtual curves over a first section of first and second virtual logarithmic spirals. The first virtual curve has a curvature decreasing along a flow direction and is a virtual curve from a first phase angle to a second phase angle of the first virtual logarithmic spiral in which an angle at which a straight line from an origin and a tangent of the first virtual curve intersect is 103°. The second virtual curve has a curvature decreasing along the flow direction and is a virtual curve from the first phase angle to the second phase angle of the second virtual logarithmic spiral in which an angle at which a straight line from the origin and a tangent of the second virtual curve intersect is 96°.

A gas laser device has a laser oscillator including a pair of discharge electrodes disposed opposite each other and generating light with a laser gas by applying a voltage, and a laser side resonator that resonates the light, an amplifier including an amplifying section and an amplifying side resonator, a beam splitter that reflects a part of the light from the laser side resonator, a light sensor that detects the light reflected by the beam splitter, and a processor that controls the voltage based on an output of the light sensor. The amplifying side resonator includes a back mirror and an amplifying side output coupling mirror, and the laser side resonator includes a grating and a laser side output coupling mirror. In a case where the voltage is lower than a threshold value of the voltage, the processor maintains the voltage at a fixed value above the threshold value.

This baking method for a chamber of a gas laser apparatus is applied to a gas laser apparatus having a chamber that has an interior space in which a beam is generated, the gas laser apparatus being provided with, on the outside of a sidewall in contact with the interior space of the chamber, a cooling passage configured so as to allow a flow of a cooling medium for cooling the chamber, the baking method comprising: a heating step of, prior to generating the beam in the interior space, letting a heating medium flow in the cooling passage so as to heat the interior space through the sidewall; and a discharge step of discharging gas in the heated interior space to an exterior space of the chamber.

This gas laser device is provided with: a chamber device which is provided with a pair of electrodes in an internal space filled with a laser gas, and which emits light, which is generated from the laser gas by applying a voltage to the electrodes, to the outside via a window; an optical shutter disposed outside the chamber device and capable of blocking light; a movement mechanism capable of linearly moving the shutter between an optical path of the light and a first retracted position outside the optical path of the light; and a connection unit that can connect an optical member capable of receiving light to the shutter, and when the optical member is connected to the connection unit, the optical member is positioned on the optical path in a state in which the shutter is positioned at the first retracted position.

This gas laser apparatus comprises: a chamber device that comprises an electrode in the inside thereof in which laser gas is sealed, and that outputs, to the outside via a window, light which is produced from the laser gas by application of a voltage to the electrode; a mirror that is disposed outside of the chamber device and that reflects at least some of the light emitted via the window; a holding part that holds the mirror; a support member that supports the holding part in a moveable manner along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the light emitted via the window; a movement mechanism that moves the holding part with respect to the support member, along the plane; and an angle maintaining mechanism that maintains, at a prescribed angle, the angle of inclination of the holding part with respect to the support member.

A chamber device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is provided with: a metal case in which an opening for accommodating a laser gas and a discharge electrode therein is formed, the end of the opening having a stepped shape over the entire circumference; a ceramic electrically insulating plate having a planar shape surrounded by two sets of opposing linear edges and four corners, and having a stepped end portion fitted over the entire circumference with the end portion of the opening so as to cover the opening; a pressing member that presses the two sets of opposing linear edges toward the open end in a state in which the four corners are open; a groove formed in a receiving surface so as to surround the opening, the receiving surface receiving an end portion of the electrically insulating plate at an end portion of the opening; and an O-ring disposed in the groove. In at least one of the four corners, a surface of the end portion of the electrically insulating plate facing the receiving surface includes a contact surface and a separation surface, the contact surface is in contact with the receiving surface and covers the groove, and the separation surface is separated from the receiving surface at a position closer to the outer peripheral side than the contact surface.

A gas laser device is for discharging and exciting a laser gas passing through a discharge space between first and second discharge electrodes and includes a plate supporting the first discharge electrode, a guide member arranged on the plate and guiding the laser gas to the discharge space, a dielectric pipe arranged between the guide member and the first discharge electrode, a first path including the guide member and causing a part of the laser gas to flow therein as a branched flow, a second path including the dielectric pipe and the plate and causing the branched flow flowing out from the first path to flow therethrough, and a third path including the dielectric pipe and the first discharge electrode and guiding the branched flow flowing out from the second path to upstream of the laser gas with respect to the discharge space.

A gas laser device includes a chamber device; and a pulse stretcher which includes a looped optical path including a beam splitter and a plurality of mirrors, and a light guide optical system, and which the pulse laser light output from the chamber device enters. The light guide system causes the pulse laser light having entered the pulse stretcher to be output from the pulse stretcher via the beam splitter. The looped optical path returns a part of the pulse laser light having entered the beam splitter to the beam splitter via the plurality of mirrors to cause the part of the pulse laser light to overlap another part thereof, and is sandwiched between a first straight line along an optical path of the pulse laser light entering the pulse stretcher and a second straight line along an optical path of the pulse laser light output from the pulse stretcher.

A narrow-band gas laser device has an actuator that changes a center wavelength of pulsed laser light, and a processor that controls the actuator, the processor reading in parameters including a number of irradiation pulses of the pulsed laser light that is irradiated to one site of an irradiation target, a shortest wavelength, and a longest wavelength, setting a first mode in which the center wavelength is changed in a manner that approaches from the shortest wavelength to the longest wavelength, and a second mode in which the center wavelength is changed in a manner that approaches from the longest wavelength to the shortest wavelength, in a manner that at least one of the first mode and the second mode is different between a case where the number of irradiation pulses is even and a case where the number of irradiation pulses is odd, and controls the actuator in a manner that the first mode and the second mode are alternately performed.

To provide a gas laser device capable of suppressing a decrease in the amount of laser light.SOLUTION: A gas laser device includes a chamber device including a pair of electrodes in an internal space filled with laser gas and emitting pulsed laser light, and a pulse stretcher including a loop optical path consisting of a beam splitter and multiple mirrors, and a light-guiding optical system including multiple light-guiding mirrors. The light-guiding optical system is configured such that the pulsed laser light incident on the pulse stretcher is output from the pulse stretcher via the beam splitter. The loop optical path is configured such that a portion of the pulsed laser light incident on the beam splitter is returned to the beam splitter via the multiple mirrors to be superimposed on another portion of the pulsed laser light incident on the beam splitter, and is disposed so as to be sandwiched between a first straight line along an input optical path which is the optical path of the pulsed laser light incident on the pulse stretcher, and a second straight line along an output optical path which is the optical path of the pulsed laser light output from the pulse stretcher.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

A discharge excitation gas laser device is provided that has improved laser gas flow and improved energy efficiency. [Solution] The laser chamber of the discharge-excited gas laser device has a guide section arranged within the laser chamber so that a portion of the first guide surface extending from the front end of the guide surface at the upstream end in a first direction to the rear end of the guide surface at the downstream end in the direction opposite to the first direction extends over a first section corresponding to a phase angle of 90° or more of the first and second virtual logarithmic spirals, between a first virtual curve whose curvature decreases along the flow direction, from a first phase angle to a second phase angle of the first virtual logarithmic spiral, and the angle at which a straight line from the origin and a tangent to the first virtual curve intersect is 103°, and a second virtual curve whose curvature decreases along the flow direction, from a first phase angle to a second phase angle of the second virtual logarithmic spiral, and the angle at which a straight line from the origin and a tangent to the second virtual curve intersects is 96°.

To provide a laser chamber which enhances the cooling capacity of laser gas without increasing the pressure loss of the laser gas.SOLUTION: The laser chamber 10 includes a vessel 10a filled with a laser gas, a first electrode 20a extending in a first direction and disposed in the vessel, a second electrode 20b extending in the first direction and disposed at a position closer to an inside wall of the vessel than the first electrode while facing the first electrode in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, a fan 23 configured to cause the laser gas to flow through a discharge space between the first and second electrodes, a plurality of heat pipes 40 disposed on the inside wall of the vessel, and a plurality of heat exchangers 50 disposed apart from each other in the vessel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

A gas laser apparatus and a method of manufacturing an electronic device are provided. This gas laser device is provided with: a cavity device that includes a pair of electrodes in an internal space in which a laser gas is sealed, and that emits pulsed laser light; and a pulse stretcher including a ring-shaped optical path configured from a beam splitter and a plurality of reflectors, and a light guide optical system including a plurality of light guide reflectors, the light guide optical system being configured so that the pulse laser light incident on the pulse stretcher is emitted from the pulse stretcher via the beam splitter, the ring-shaped optical path being configured so that the ring-shaped optical path is configured so that the ring-shaped optical path is configured so that the ring-shaped optical path is configured so that the ring-shaped optical path is configured so that the ring-shaped optical path is configured so that the ring-shaped optical path is configured so that the ring-shaped optical path is separated from the ring-shaped optical path. And a ring-shaped optical path disposed between a first straight line along the input optical path and a second straight line along the output optical path, the ring-shaped optical path being disposed between the first straight line along the input optical path and the second straight line along the output optical path, and the ring-shaped optical path being disposed between the first straight line along the input optical path and the second straight line along the output optical path. The input light path is a light path of pulse laser emitted to the pulse stretcher, and the output light path is a light path of pulse laser emitted from the pulse stretcher.

A gas laser device includes a chamber device including a pair of electrodes at an internal space thereof to be filled with a laser gas and configured to output, through a window to an outside thereof, light generated from the laser gas when a voltage is applied to the electrodes; a shutter arranged outside the chamber device and configured to be capable of shielding the light; a movement mechanism capable of moving the shutter onto an optical path of the light and a first retraction position outside the optical path of the light; and a coupling portion capable of coupling an optical component capable of receiving the light to the shutter. Here, the optical component is positioned on the optical path in a state in which the shutter is positioned at the first retraction position when the coupling portion is coupled to the optical component.

The discharge electrode of the gas laser device used to excite a fluorine-containing laser gas by discharge has a cathode (11a) and an anode (11b). The anode (11b) is disposed opposite the cathode (11a) in the discharge direction perpendicular to the length direction of the cathode (11a). The anode (11b) includes an electrode substrate (111) containing metal and a coating (112) covering a portion of the surface of the electrode substrate (111) and containing an insulating material. The first corner (C1) of the anode in the cross section perpendicular to the length direction is closer to the cathode in the discharge direction than the second corner (C2) in the cross section. The first corner (C1) is connected to the first straight section (S1) formed by the first side surface (SS1) which is the side surface of the electrode substrate (111) and the first curved section (D1) formed by the first discharge surface (DS1) which is the discharge surface of the electrode substrate (111). The second corner (C2) is connected to the second straight section (S2) formed by the second side surface (SS2) which is the side surface of the coating (112) and the second curved section (D2) formed by the second discharge surface (DS2) which is the discharge surface of the coating (112).

A laser cavity device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is provided with a magnetic coupling mechanism that transmits a driving force to a rotating shaft of a fan that circulates a laser gas, the magnetic coupling mechanism including an inner rotor in which a first magnet is disposed, and an outer rotor in which a second magnet is disposed at a position facing the first magnet on the outside of the inner rotor. At least one of the first magnet and the second magnet is movable in the thrust direction of the bearing.