Excimer Laser Gas Purifier for Noble Gas Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Excimer lasers face high operating costs due to the depletion of costly noble gases and the formation of impurities, which reduce laser output and require frequent maintenance, as existing solutions are complex and inefficient in gas handling and purification.
Innovation Solution
A multi-stage gas purifier system with a single premix halogen-rich gas bottle is used to maintain optimal halogen and noble gas ratios, incorporating a scrubber to remove halogen gas and impurities, and a controller to manage gas circulation and replenishment, allowing for continuous purification and halogen replenishment without disrupting noble and buffer gas concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the voltage applied to the laser's electrodes is increased to overcome the reduction in output power caused by contaminants and depleted halogen, then the laser output power is maintained, but the electrode materials deteriorate more rapidly and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes harmful impurities (H2O, N2, O2, and other contaminants) from the laser gas mixture using a purifier system. By taking out these contaminants that cause power degradation, the system maintains laser output power without needing to increase voltage, thereby preventing electrode deterioration and extending electrode life.
2Power
If the laser gas mixture is replaced to return the laser back to full output, then the laser output power is restored, but the operating cost increases due to the cost of costly high purity noble gases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent discards only the depleted halogen component from the gas mixture while recovering and retaining the expensive noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe, Ne) and buffer gases. The purifier removes impurities and the system replenishes only the halogen component, allowing continuous operation without replacing the entire gas mixture, thus significantly reducing noble gas consumption and operating costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the gas mixture into different components (noble gases, buffer gases, halogen gas, and impurities) and treats each component separately. The purifier selectively removes impurities and the system selectively replenishes only the depleted halogen, rather than replacing the entire gas mixture, enabling cost-effective continuous operation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional multi-stage filtration process with multiple source bottles and flow controllers is used for gas purification, then impurities are removed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple source bottles, flow controllers, and filtration systems into a single integrated purifier unit. This unified device performs impurity removal, gas purification, and selective replenishment operations, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining effective impurity removal capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The purifier system is designed as a multi-functional device that can remove multiple types of impurities (H2O, N2, O2, and other contaminants), purify the noble and buffer gases, and work in conjunction with the halogen replenishment system. This universal device handles all gas purification needs without requiring separate specialized systems for each function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces operating costs by extending the life of noble gases, maintaining consistent laser output, and minimizing maintenance through efficient gas recycling and purification, reducing impurity levels and electrode deterioration.
Implementation Method 1
a scrubber coupled to the gas output port for removal of the halogen gas
Implementation Method 2
a gas purifier coupled between the scrubber and the gas input port for removing impurities from the noble and buffer gases
Data Source
AI summary
An excimer laser system in which the expensive noble gases are reclaimed, while the halogen gas is sacrificed, and the impurities developed during operation of the excimer laser are removed. In the approach disclosed a multi-stage gas purifier is used with a single, premix gas bottle containing a halogen-rich laser gas mixture comprising noble, buffer and halogen gas, to maintain the optimum halogen content of the laser, while also maintaining a consistent ratio of noble, buffer and halogen gases without complicated control apparatus.