Abstract: A machine learning method according to a viewpoint of the present disclosure is a machine learning method for creating a learning model configured to estimate the life of a consumable of a laser apparatus, the method including acquiring first life-related information containing data on a parameter relating to the life of the consumable, the data recorded in correspondence with different numbers of oscillation pulses during a period from the start of use of the consumable to replacement thereof, dividing the first life-related information into a plurality of levels each representing the degree of degradation of the consumable in accordance with the numbers of oscillation pulses to create training data, creating the learning model by performing machine learning using the created training data, and saving the created learning model.

Abstract: A sensor degradation evaluation method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an evaluation step of evaluating degradation of at least one of a sensor for coarse measurement that receives interference fringes produced by a spectrometer for coarse measurement and a sensor for fine measurement that receives interference fringes produced by a spectrometer for fine measurement, and the evaluation step includes causing a plurality of kinds of laser light having wavelengths different from one another to be sequentially incident on the spectrometer for coarse measurement and the spectrometer for fine measurement and acquiring a coarse-measurement wavelength and a fine-measurement wavelength on a wavelength basis from a plurality of the received interference fringes, acquiring a degradation parameter on a wavelength basis from the coarse-measurement wavelength and the fine-measurement wavelength on a wavelength basis, and comparing the degradation parameter on a wavelength basis with a threshold.

Abstract: A laser system connectable to an exposure apparatus includes a spectrometer configured to acquire a measurement waveform from an interference pattern of laser light output from the laser system, and a processor configured to calculate a convolution spectrum waveform using the measurement waveform and a first intermediate function obtained through a process of deconvolution of an aerial image function of the exposure apparatus with an instrument function of the spectrometer.

Abstract: A laser apparatus includes a grating system; an actuator system configured to adjust a first incident angle on the grating system and a second incident angle on the grating system, the first incident angle being an angle of a first part of an optical beam incident on the grating system, the second incident angle being an angle of a second part of the optical beam incident on the grating system; and a processor configured to control the actuator system to periodically vary the first and second incident angles so that the first and second incident angles are different from each other in at least one of phase and variation range.

Abstract: A laser system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first solid-state laser device, a wavelength conversion system, an excimer amplifier, and a control unit. The first solid-state laser device includes a first multiple semiconductor laser system, a first semiconductor optical amplifier, and a first fiber amplifier. The first multiple semiconductor laser system includes a plurality of first semiconductor lasers configured to perform continuous wave oscillation in a single longitudinal mode with different wavelengths, a first spectrum monitor, and a first beam combiner. The control unit controls an oscillation wavelength and light intensity of each line of a first multiline spectrum generated by the first semiconductor lasers to obtain an excimer laser beam having at least a target center wavelength or a target spectral line width instructed by an external device.

Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus may include a chamber, a first partition wall covering a plasma generation region in the chamber and having a first opening, an EUV light concentrating mirror located in a first space inside the chamber and outside the first partition wall and configured to concentrate extreme ultraviolet light generated in the plasma generation region and having passed through the first opening, a first gas supply port formed at the chamber and configured to supply gas to the first space, and a gas exhaust port formed in the first partition wall and configured to exhaust gas in a second space inside the first partition wall to outside of both the first partition wall and the chamber.

Abstract: A laser system includes a beam shaping unit, a random phase plate, and a collimating optical system in an optical path between a solid-state laser device and an excimer amplifier. When a traveling direction of a laser beam entering the excimer amplifier is a Z direction, a discharge direction of a pair of discharge electrodes is a V direction, a direction orthogonal to the V and Z directions is an H direction, a shaping direction of the beam shaping unit corresponding to the V direction is a first direction, a shaping direction of the beam shaping unit corresponding to the H direction is a second direction, an expansion rate in the first direction is E1, and an expansion rate in the second direction is E2, the beam shaping unit expands a beam section of the laser beam such that an expansion ratio defined by E2/E1 is higher than 1.

Abstract: A laser machining method forms a machined portion in a machining area of a machining object by irradiating the machining area with a pulse laser beam. The laser machining method includes an irradiation process of irradiating the machining area with the pulse laser beam output from an excimer laser apparatus by guiding the pulse laser beam to part of the machining area and moving the guided pulse laser beam through irradiation spots, and a movement process of moving the machining object in a height direction of the machining object. The irradiation process is performed at a plurality of height positions on the machining object moved in the height direction in the movement process. In the irradiation process, at least part of each of the irradiation spots of the pulse laser beam overlaps another irradiation spot adjacent to the irradiation spot.

Abstract: A laser system includes an oscillation stage laser configured to output first laser light, and an amplification stage laser configured to amplify the first laser light and output second laser light. A control method of the laser system includes determining a condition under which an amplification characteristic of the amplification stage laser changes, acquiring relationship between pulse energy of the first laser light and a parameter of the second laser light when the condition is determined to be satisfied, and setting target pulse energy of the first laser light based on the relationship.

Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system includes a target supply unit configured to supply a target substance to a first predetermined region, a laser system configured to output pulse laser light to be radiated to the target substance in the first predetermined region, a first sensor configured to detect an arrival timing at which the target substance has reached a second predetermined region between the target supply unit and the first predetermined region, an optical adjuster arranged on an optical path of the pulse laser light between the laser system and the first predetermined region, and a processor configured to control transmittance of the pulse laser light through the optical adjuster based on the arrival timing.

Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus includes a chamber including a plasma generation region; a target supply unit configured to supply a target to the plasma generation region; a laser light concentrating mirror configured to concentrate pulse laser light on the plasma generation region; and an EUV light concentrating mirror having a reflection surface reflecting extreme ultraviolet light radiated from the plasma generation region, and arranged such that the reflection surface falls within an angle range in which ion energy is less than an average value of the ion energy in a spatial distribution of the ion energy of ions diffused from the plasma generation region at positions of a predetermined distance from the plasma generation region.

Abstract: A laser radiation system according to a viewpoint of the present disclosure includes a first optical system configured to convert a first laser flux into a second laser flux, a multimirror device including mirrors, configured to be capable of controlling the angle of the attitude of each of the mirrors, and configured to divide the second laser flux into laser fluxes and reflect the laser fluxes in directions to produce the divided laser fluxes, a Fourier transform optical system configured to focus the divided laser fluxes, and a control section configured to control the angle of the attitude of each of the mirrors in such a way that the Fourier transform optical system superimposes the laser fluxes, which are divided by the mirrors separate from each other by at least a spatial coherence length of the second laser flux, on one another.

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 so that an interval between the adjacent droplet targets becomes irregular, specifies the droplet targets with which standard deviation of a distance from the second detection position to each droplet target is equal to or less than a first threshold, and sets the delay time based on a distance from each of the specified droplet targets to the second detection position so that the specified droplet targets are to be located at the second detection position.

Abstract: In a laser system according to a viewpoint of the present disclosure, a first amplifier amplifies first pulsed laser light outputted from a first semiconductor laser system into second pulsed laser light, a wavelength conversion system converts the second pulsed laser light in terms of wavelength into third pulsed laser light, and an excimer amplifier amplifies the third pulsed laser light. The first semiconductor laser system includes a first current controller that controls current flowing through a first semiconductor laser in such a way that first laser light outputted from the first semiconductor laser is caused to undergo chirping and a first semiconductor optical amplifier that amplifies the first laser light into pulsed light. The laser system includes a control section that controls the amount of chirping performed on the first pulsed laser light in such a way that excimer laser light having a target spectral linewidth is achieved.

Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus includes a target supply unit configured to output a droplet target into a chamber device, a prepulse laser light irradiation system configured to irradiate the droplet target with prepulse laser light having linear polarization to generate a diffusion target, and a main pulse laser light irradiation system configured to irradiate the diffusion target with main pulse laser light to generate extreme ultraviolet light. Here, a cross section perpendicular to an optical axis of the main pulse laser light when being radiated to the diffusion target having a shape longer in a polarization direction of the prepulse laser light when being radiated to the droplet target than in directions other than the polarization direction.

Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system configured to generate extreme ultraviolet light by irradiating a target substance with laser light includes a nozzle configured to output the target substance, a vibration element that is driven by an input of an electric signal of a rectangular wave and applies vibration to the target substance to be output from the nozzle to generate droplets of the target substance, a first sensor configured to detect energy of the generated extreme ultraviolet light, a second sensor configured to detect energy of the laser light to be radiated to the target substance, and a processor configured to control a duty value of the electric signal for vibrating the vibration element so as to reduce a variation of an energy conversion efficiency calculated based on an output of the first sensor and an output of the second sensor.

Abstract: A target supply system includes a target generation unit configured to generate a liquid target substance by melting a solid target substance at an inside thereof, and output the liquid target substance; an input mechanism configured to introduce the solid target substance to the target generation unit; a heater arranged at the target generation unit; a sensor configured to detect a temperature of the target generation unit; and a processor configured to control an input timing at which the solid target substance is introduced to the target generation unit, perform feedback control on the heater based on a present temperature detected by the sensor, and perform feedforward control on the heater based on the input timing while performing feedback control on the heater.

Abstract: Discharge electrodes include a cathode and an anode. The anode is disposed to face the cathode in a discharge direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the cathode, and includes an electrode base 1, and a coating layer that covers a portion of a surface of the electrode base. First corners in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction connect first straight sections formed of first side surfaces that are side surfaces of the electrode base to a first curved section formed of a first discharge surface that is a discharge surface of the electrode base. The first corners are closer to the cathode in the discharge direction than second corners connecting second straight sections formed of second side surfaces that are side surfaces of the coating layer to a second curved section formed of a second discharge surface that is a discharge surface of the coating layer.

Abstract: A target supply system includes a load lock chamber configured to contain a solid target substance, a solid target supply pipe connected to the load lock chamber, a pressure regulator configured to regulate an externally supplied gas pressure, a gas pressure supply pipe connected to the pressure regulator, a melting tank connected to both the solid target supply pipe and the gas pressure supply pipe, and configured to melt the solid target substance supplied from the load lock chamber via the solid target supply pipe to generate a liquid target substance, a nozzle configured to discharge the liquid target substance by a gas pressure supplied from the pressure regulator to the melting tank via the gas pressure supply pipe, and a buffer tank configured to communicate with the melting tank and supply a gas pressure thereto when the solid target substance is supplied to the melting tank.

Abstract: A gas laser apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a main discharge circuit that supplies main discharge voltage that causes main discharge to a pair of main discharge electrodes, and a pre-ionization circuit that supplies pre-ionization voltage that causes corona discharge to a pre-ionization electrode. The main discharge circuit includes a step-up pulse transformer, a main capacitor and a switch connected to a primary side of the step-up pulse transformer, a first power source that charges the main capacitor, a first capacitor connected in parallel to a secondary side of the step-up pulse transformer, a first magnetic switch connected to the first capacitor, and a peaking capacitor connected in parallel to the first capacitor through the first magnetic switch and to the main discharge electrodes. An interval between start timings of the corona discharge and the main discharge is 30 ns to 60 ns inclusive.