Patents by Inventor Yoshifumi Ueno

Yoshifumi Ueno has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240126185
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus includes a target supply unit, a target passage detection device, a delay circuit, a laser device, a target image capturing device, and a processor. Here, the processor controls the vibrating element to provide irregular intervals between droplet targets adjacent to each other; generates integrated image data by integrating plural pieces of image data imaged at different times; specifies a position, in the integrated image data, of the droplet target most emphasized in the integrated image data; and sets a delay time based on a distance from a position of the most emphasized droplet target to a second detection position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi UENO, Shogo KITASAKA, Yuichi NISHIMURA
  • Patent number: 11940736
    Abstract: A tin trap device for collecting tin in a chamber device which causes tin to be turned into plasma with laser light in an internal space thereof may include a housing provided with a gas inlet port through which exhaust gas in the chamber device flows and a gas exhaust port through which the exhaust gas is exhausted; and a main heater arranged in the housing, configured to have a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of tin and lower than the boiling point thereof, and having a projection surface projected toward a direction in which the exhaust gas flows in the gas inlet port cover the gas inlet port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Gota Niimi, Yoshifumi Ueno, Shinji Nagai
  • Publication number: 20240023223
    Abstract: An EUV light generation system includes a prepulse laser device outputting prepulse laser light to be radiated to a target supplied into a chamber; a main pulse laser device outputting main pulse laser light to be radiated to a diffusion target generated by the radiation of the prepulse laser light; a first actuator adjusting an irradiation position of the prepulse laser light; a second actuator adjusting an irradiation position of the main pulse laser light; an EUV sensor detecting EUV energy; a laser energy sensor detecting laser energy of the main pulse laser light; a target sensor imaging the diffusion target; and a controller controlling, after controlling the first actuator based on a characteristic value of the diffusion target calculated from an image of the diffusion target, the second actuator so that a ratio of the EUV energy to the laser energy detected by the laser energy sensor becomes large.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi NISHIMURA, Yoshifumi UENO
  • Publication number: 20230101779
    Abstract: An EUV light generation apparatus includes a chamber; a prepulse laser outputting prepulse laser light; a main pulse laser outputting main pulse laser light; a combiner combining optical paths of the prepulse laser light and the main pulse laser light; a light concentrating unit concentrating, on the target, the prepulse laser light and the main pulse laser light having the optical paths combined; a stage changing a position of the light concentrating unit; a first actuator changing a travel direction of the main pulse laser light; an EUV light sensor detecting EUV energy; a laser energy sensor detecting pulse energy of the main pulse laser light; and an EUV light generation control unit controlling the stage so that temporal variation of the EUV energy decreases and controlling the first actuator so that a ratio of the EUV energy to the pulse energy increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Yuichi NISHIMURA, Yoshifumi UENO
  • Patent number: 11553583
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system may include a laser device configured to emit pulse laser light, an EUV light concentrating mirror configured to reflect and concentrate extreme ultraviolet light generated by irradiating a target with the pulse laser light, and a processor configured to receive a first energy parameter of the extreme ultraviolet light and control an irradiation frequency of the pulse laser light with which the target is irradiated so that change in a second energy parameter related to energy per unit time of the extreme ultraviolet light reflected by the EUV light concentrating mirror is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Takayuki Yabu, Yoshifumi Ueno
  • Publication number: 20220110205
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system may include a laser device configured to emit pulse laser light, an EUV light concentrating mirror configured to reflect and concentrate extreme ultraviolet light generated by irradiating a target with the pulse laser light, and a processor configured to receive a first energy parameter of the extreme ultraviolet light and control an irradiation frequency of the pulse laser light with which the target is irradiated so that change in a second energy parameter related to energy per unit time of the extreme ultraviolet light reflected by the EUV light concentrating mirror is suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Takayuki YABU, Yoshifumi UENO
  • Patent number: 11228156
    Abstract: A laser system according to the present disclosure includes: a laser apparatus configured to emit a laser beam; a transmission optical system disposed on a path between the laser apparatus and a target supplied into an EUV chamber in which EUV light is generated; a reflection optical system configured to reflect, toward the target, the laser beam from the transmission optical system; a first sensor configured to detect the laser beam traveling from the laser apparatus toward the reflection optical system; a second sensor configured to detect return light of the laser beam reflected by the reflection optical system and traveling backward to the laser apparatus; and a control unit configured to determine that the reflection optical system is damaged when no anomaly of the laser beam is detected and a light amount of the return light exceeds a predetermined light amount value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Ueno, Yuta Takashima
  • Patent number: 11219116
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system may include an irradiation position adjustment mechanism adjusting an irradiation position of the laser light; an extreme ultraviolet light sensor measuring energy of extreme ultraviolet light; a return light sensor measuring energy of return light traveling backward on the laser light path; and a processor controlling the irradiation position adjustment mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuta Takashima, Yuichi Nishimura, Takayuki Yabu, Yoshifumi Ueno
  • Publication number: 20210410262
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system may include an irradiation position adjustment mechanism adjusting an irradiation position of the laser light; an extreme ultraviolet light sensor measuring energy of extreme ultraviolet light; a return light sensor measuring energy of return light traveling backward on the laser light path; and a processor controlling the irradiation position adjustment mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuta TAKASHIMA, Yuichi NISHIMURA, Takayuki YABU, Yoshifumi UENO
  • Publication number: 20210364928
    Abstract: A tin trap device for collecting tin in a chamber device which causes tin to be turned into plasma with laser light in an internal space thereof may include a housing provided with a gas inlet port through which exhaust gas in the chamber device flows and a gas exhaust port through which the exhaust gas is exhausted; and a main heater arranged in the housing, configured to have a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of tin and lower than the boiling point thereof, and having a projection surface projected toward a direction in which the exhaust gas flows in the gas inlet port cover the gas inlet port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Gota NIIMI, Yoshifumi UENO, Shinji NAGAI
  • Patent number: 11043784
    Abstract: A laser apparatus includes: a plurality of envelope blocks each provided with an optical element and a first temperature sensor and covering part of a laser beam path, the optical element being disposed on the laser beam path, the first temperature sensor being configured to measure a first temperature of gas at a position away from the optical element; an envelope body including the envelope blocks and covering the laser beam path; and a control unit connected with each first temperature sensor and configured to specify an envelope block at which increase of the first temperature is measured in the envelope body as an envelope block at which anomaly is occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Hori, Yoshifumi Ueno, Takayuki Yabu, Yoshiaki Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 10955751
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus that generates plasma by irradiating a target substance with a pulse laser beam and generates extreme ultraviolet light from the plasma includes: a droplet detection unit configured to detect a droplet passing through a predetermined position between a target supply unit and a plasma generation region; and a control unit configured to control a laser apparatus configured to output the pulse laser beam. The control unit performs control to determine whether there is a defective droplet based on a droplet detection signal obtained from the droplet detection unit and to stop, when it is determined that there is a defective droplet, irradiation of the defective droplet determined to be defective, a preceding droplet output one droplet before the defective droplet, and a following droplet output one droplet after the defective droplet with the pulse laser beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuta Takashima, Yoshifumi Ueno
  • Publication number: 20200236769
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus that generates plasma by irradiating a target substance with a pulse laser beam and generates extreme ultraviolet light from the plasma includes: a droplet detection unit configured to detect a droplet passing through a predetermined position between a target supply unit and a plasma generation region; and a control unit configured to control a laser apparatus configured to output the pulse laser beam. The control unit performs control to determine whether there is a defective droplet based on a droplet detection signal obtained from the droplet detection unit and to stop, when it is determined that there is a defective droplet, irradiation of the defective droplet determined to be defective, a preceding droplet output one droplet before the defective droplet, and a following droplet output one droplet after the defective droplet with the pulse laser beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuta TAKASHIMA, Yoshifumi UENO
  • Patent number: 10667376
    Abstract: A target supply device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a vibration element configured to generate a droplet by vibrating a target substance to be output from a nozzle 80, a droplet detection unit configured to detect the droplet, and a control unit 70. A first detection threshold and a second detection threshold to be compared with a detection signal from the droplet detection unit are set to the control unit 70. The first detection threshold is used to generate a light emission trigger for a laser beam. The second detection threshold has a smaller absolute value from a base line of the detection signal than the first detection threshold. The control unit 70 calculates an evaluation parameter for a satellite based on the detection signal and the second detection threshold, and determines a duty value of an electric signal suitable for operation of the vibration element based on the evaluation parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuta Takashima, Yoshifumi Ueno
  • Patent number: 10609803
    Abstract: An EUV light generating apparatus includes: EUV light sensors configured to measure energy of EUV light from mutually different directions, the EUV light being generated by applying laser light to a target supplied to a predetermined region in a chamber; an application position adjusting unit configured to adjust an application position of the laser light to the target supplied to the predetermined region; and a controller configured to control the application position adjusting unit such that a centroid of the EUV light becomes a target desired centroid, the centroid of the EUV light being specified from measurement results of the EUV light sensors. The controller calibrates the target desired centroid based on EUV light centroids obtained from the energy of the EUV light measured by the EUV light sensors, and a parameter related to the measured energy of the EUV light corresponding to the EUV light centroids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi Nishimura, Yoshifumi Ueno, Takayuki Yabu
  • Publication number: 20200044407
    Abstract: A laser apparatus includes: a plurality of envelope blocks each provided with an optical element and a first temperature sensor and covering part of a laser beam path, the optical element being disposed on the laser beam path, the first temperature sensor being configured to measure a first temperature of gas at a position away from the optical element; an envelope body including the envelope blocks and covering the laser beam path; and a control unit connected with each first temperature sensor and configured to specify an envelope block at which increase of the first temperature is measured in the envelope body as an envelope block at which anomaly is occurring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Tsukasa HORI, Yoshifumi UENO, Takayuki YABU, Yoshiaki KUROSAWA
  • Publication number: 20200033731
    Abstract: A target supply device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a vibration element configured to generate a droplet by vibrating a target substance to be output from a nozzle 80, a droplet detection unit configured to detect the droplet, and a control unit 70. A first detection threshold and a second detection threshold to be compared with a detection signal from the droplet detection unit are set to the control unit 70. The first detection threshold is used to generate a light emission trigger for a laser beam. The second detection threshold has a smaller absolute value from a base line of the detection signal than the first detection threshold. The control unit 70 calculates an evaluation parameter for a satellite based on the detection signal and the second detection threshold, and determines a duty value of an electric signal suitable for operation of the vibration element based on the evaluation parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuta TAKASHIMA, Yoshifumi UENO
  • Publication number: 20190363508
    Abstract: A laser system according to the present disclosure includes: a laser apparatus configured to emit a laser beam; a transmission optical system disposed on a path between the laser apparatus and a target supplied into an EUV chamber in which EUV light is generated; a reflection optical system configured to reflect, toward the target, the laser beam from the transmission optical system; a first sensor configured to detect the laser beam traveling from the laser apparatus toward the reflection optical system; a second sensor configured to detect return light of the laser beam reflected by the reflection optical system and traveling backward to the laser apparatus; and a control unit configured to determine that the reflection optical system is damaged when no anomaly of the laser beam is detected and a light amount of the return light exceeds a predetermined light amount value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi UENO, Yuta TAKASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20190361361
    Abstract: An EUV light generating apparatus includes: EUV light sensors configured to measure energy of EUV light from mutually different directions, the EUV light being generated by applying laser light to a target supplied to a predetermined region in a chamber; an application position adjusting unit configured to adjust an application position of the laser light to the target supplied to the predetermined region; and a controller configured to control the application position adjusting unit such that a centroid of the EUV light becomes a target centroid, the centroid of the EUV light being specified from measurement results of the EUV light sensors. The controller calibrates the target centroid based on EUV light centroids obtained from the energy of the EUV light measured by the EUV light sensors, and a parameter related to the measured energy of the EUV light corresponding to the EUV light centroids.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi NISHIMURA, Yoshifumi UENO, Takayuki YABU
  • Patent number: 10455679
    Abstract: The extreme ultraviolet light generation device includes a chamber having a first through-hole that allows a pulse laser beam to enter the chamber, a target supply unit held by the chamber and configured to output a target toward a predetermined region in the chamber, a shield member surrounding the predetermined region in the chamber and having a target path that allows the target outputted from the target supply unit to pass toward the predetermined region, and a tubular member surrounding at least a part of an upstream portion of the trajectory of the target outputted from the target supply unit toward the predetermined region, the upstream portion being upstream from the target path of the shield member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Saito, Yoshifumi Ueno, Georg Soumagne