Patents Assigned to Gigaphoton
  • Publication number: 20230187896
    Abstract: A line narrowing module includes an enclosure, a prism which is disposed in an internal space of the enclosure and through which light passes, a mounter which is disposed in the internal space and on which the prism is mounted, a fixing unit which is disposed in the internal space and fixes the prism to the mounter, and a light blocking member. The light blocking member is disposed in the internal space and blocks scattered light in the internal space, the scattered light produced from the light and traveling to the fixing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2023
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Junichi MAEKAWA, Hiroshi FURUSATO
  • Publication number: 20230187286
    Abstract: An electronic device manufacturing method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes determining magnification in a scanning width direction based on a pattern formed in a scanning field of a wafer; measuring a wafer height at points in the scanning field and determining an average value of the wafer height in the scanning width direction; determining a wavelength range of a pulse laser beam in which an allowable CD value is obtained in a case of a focus position based on the average value of the wafer height; determining a first wavelength of the pulse laser beam at which the determined magnification is obtained and determining a target wavelength based on the wavelength range and the first wavelength; outputting a pulse laser beam controlled to have the target wavelength for each pulse; and performing exposure of the scanning field of the wafer to the pulse laser beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2023
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Toshihiro OGA, Koichi FUJII, Osamu WAKABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20230178957
    Abstract: A solid-state laser system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first non-linear crystal that generates first wavelength-converted light based on a first laser beam, a first adjustment unit configured to perform phase matching of the first wavelength-converted light in the first non-linear crystal, a second non-linear crystal that generates second wavelength-converted light based on a second laser beam and the first wavelength-converted light, a second adjustment unit configured to perform phase matching of the second wavelength-converted light in the second non-linear crystal, a light detection unit configured to detect light having a selected wavelength, and a processor configured to control the first adjustment unit based on intensity of at least one of the first wavelength-converted light and the first laser beam and to control the second adjustment unit based on intensity of at least one of the second wavelength-converted light and the first wavelength-converted light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yohei TANAKA, Chen QU
  • Publication number: 20230161262
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system includes a chamber, a target supply unit supplying a target substance to a plasma generation region including a first point in the chamber, a window allowing pulse laser light with which the target substance is irradiated to pass therethrough, an EUV light concentrating mirror concentrating extreme ultraviolet light generated at the first point on a second point, a planar mirror arranged on an optical path of the extreme ultraviolet light reflected by the EUV light concentrating mirror and between the first and second points, an actuator causing the second point to be switched between a first position and a second position, a connection portion connectable to an external apparatus, a first EUV measurement unit on which the extreme ultraviolet light having passed through the second position is incident, and a processor controlling the actuator based on a signal from the external apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Gouta NIIMI, Kotaro MIYASHITA
  • Patent number: 11659646
    Abstract: A target supply device may include a tank configured to store a target substance, a pressure adjuster configured to adjust a pressure in the tank, a filter configured to filter the target substance in the tank, a nozzle configured to output a droplet of the target substance having passed through the filter, a droplet detector configured to detect outputting of the droplet from the nozzle, and a processor configured to control the pressure adjuster so that a pressure-increasing speed of the pressure in the tank is higher after detection of outputting of the droplet than before detection of outputting of the droplet, during a period in which the pressure in the tank is increased to a target pressure from a pressure at which outputting of the droplet is detected by the droplet detector for the first time after installation of the target supply device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Yamasaki, Fumio Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20230155343
    Abstract: A laser apparatus includes a first optical element, a second optical element, a first actuator configured to change a first wavelength component included in a pulse laser beam by changing a posture of the first optical element, a second actuator configured to change a second wavelength component included in the pulse laser beam by changing a posture of the second optical element, a first encoder configured to measure a position of the first actuator, a second encoder configured to measure a position of the second actuator, and a processor. The processor reads a first relation and a second relation and performs control of the first actuator based on the first relation and the position of the first actuator measured by the first encoder and control of the second actuator based on the second relation and the position of the second actuator measured by the second encoder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Junichi FUJIMOTO, Takahito KUMAZAKI, Akiyoshi SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20230142875
    Abstract: An EUV light generation apparatus to generate EUV light by irradiating a target with pulse laser light to turn the target into plasma includes a chamber, a target supply unit configured to supply the target to a plasma generation region in the chamber, a pulse laser device configured to generate pulse laser light to be radiated to the target, and a processor configured to change a generation frequency of the target generated by the target supply unit to a natural number multiple of an irradiation frequency of the pulse laser light based on a size of the target or related information related to the size of the target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Fumio IWAMOTO, Yutaka SHIRAISHI
  • Publication number: 20230126340
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation method includes a target supply step of outputting a droplet target into a chamber, a prepulse laser light irradiation step of irradiating the droplet target with prepulse laser light to generate a diffusion target, and a main pulse laser light irradiation step of irradiating the diffusion target with main pulse laser light to generate extreme ultraviolet light. Here, the main pulse laser light includes first main pulse laser light and second main pulse laser light, and in the main pulse laser light irradiation step, the diffusion target is irradiated with the first main pulse laser light having higher energy density at a central portion than at an outer peripheral portion and the second main pulse laser light having higher energy density at the outer peripheral portion than at the central portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki HONDA, Hirokazu HOSODA, Kouichiro KOUGE
  • Publication number: 20230117651
    Abstract: A training data creation method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is used for machine learning of a learning model for predicting lifetime of a consumable of a laser device. The method includes acquiring first lifetime-related information including data of at least one lifetime-related parameter of the consumable recorded in association with each of numbers of oscillation pulses during a period from start of use to replacement of the consumable, determining a first deterioration degree of the consumable based on the number of oscillation pulses, determining a second deterioration degree of the consumable based on the at least one lifetime-related parameter, determining a third deterioration degree of the consumable based on the first deterioration degree and the second deterioration degree, and creating training data in which the first lifetime-related information and the third deterioration degree are associated with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventor: Kunihiko ABE
  • Publication number: 20230108886
    Abstract: A gas laser apparatus includes an enclosure, a window holder, a window, and a sealing member. The window holder further having an extending surface located on the side toward which reflected light travels, the reflected light being reflected off the window, the extending surface being continuous with the end surface and extending in a direction away from the window, the extending surface irradiated with the reflected light. A line is obtained by symmetrically folding back the optical axis of the reflected light at the position, on the extending surface, that is irradiated with the reflected light with respect to a reference line passing through the irradiated position and perpendicular to the extending surface. The line 602 extends across a normal to the window in the direction from the extending surface toward the window from the side facing the outer circumference of the window toward the center axis of the window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Daisuke TEI, Keita KOUZAI
  • Publication number: 20230098685
    Abstract: An exposure method includes reading data indicating a relation between parameters and a wavelength difference between a first pulse laser beam and a second pulse laser beam, the parameters being related to exposure conditions under which a semiconductor wafer is exposed to a plurality of pulse laser beams including the first and second pulse laser beams, determining a target value of the wavelength difference based on the data and command values of the parameters; determining a first wavelength of the first pulse laser beam and a second wavelength of the second pulse laser beam based on the target value; outputting a wavelength setting signal to a laser apparatus to cause emission of the pulse laser beams including the first pulse laser beam having the first wavelength and the second pulse laser beam having the second wavelength; and exposing the semiconductor wafer to the pulse laser beams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Koichi FUJII, Osamu WAKABAYASHI
  • 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: 11614572
    Abstract: A mirror for extreme ultraviolet light includes: a substrate (41); a multilayer film (42) provided on the substrate and configured to reflect extreme ultraviolet light; and a capping layer (53) provided on the multilayer film, and the capping layer includes a first layer (61) containing an oxide of a metal, and a second layer (62) arranged between the first layer and the multilayer film and containing at least one of a boride of the metal and a nitride of the metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Osamu Wakabayashi, Yoshiyuki Honda
  • Patent number: 11604416
    Abstract: A laser processing method of performing laser processing on a transparent material that is transparent to ultraviolet light by using a laser processing system includes: performing relative positioning of a transfer position of a transfer image and the transparent material in an optical axis direction of a pulse laser beam so that the transfer position is set at a position inside the transparent material at a predetermined depth ?Zsf from a surface of the transparent material in the optical axis direction; and irradiating the transparent material with the pulse laser beam having a pulse width of 1 ns to 100 ns inclusive and a beam diameter of 10 ?m to 150 ?m inclusive at the transfer position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Kakizaki, Masakazu Kobayashi, Akira Suwa, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20230071592
    Abstract: A laser processing method according to a viewpoint of the present disclosure includes radiating ultraviolet pulse laser light onto a workpiece having a stacked structure in which a conductor layer, an insulating layer, and a sacrificial layer are stacked on each other in the presented order, the pulse laser light radiated from the side facing the sacrificial layer, to change a laser ablation processing mode in the sacrificial layer and form a through hole in the sacrificial layer, radiating the pulse laser light onto the insulating layer through the through hole to form an opening in the insulating layer, and removing the sacrificial layer after the formation of the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Akira SUWA, Kouji KAKIZAKI, Masakazu KOBAYASHI, Junichi FUJIMOTO, Yasufumi KAWASUJI
  • Publication number: 20230074743
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus includes a first chamber, an EUV light concentrating mirror arranged in the first chamber and configured to concentrate extreme ultraviolet light generated at a first point in the first chamber onto a second point, a first planar mirror arranged on an optical path of the extreme ultraviolet light reflected by the EUV light concentrating mirror, a second chamber accommodating the first planar mirror, a flexible tube arranged between the first and second chambers, an alignment optical system arranged at the first chamber and configured to cause alignment light to be incident on the EUV light concentrating mirror, a detector arranged at the second chamber and configured to detect the alignment light reflected by the EUV light concentrating mirror, an actuator configured to change posture of the first planar mirror, and a processor configured to control the actuator based on output of the detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventor: Koutaro MIYASHITA
  • Publication number: 20230064314
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Takahito KUMAZAKI, Osamu WAKABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20230066377
    Abstract: An alignment adjuster includes a first holder made of a first material and configured to support an optical element, a first adjuster including a first expandable/contractable section made of a second material different from the first material and configured to rotate the first holder and the optical element around a first axis by adjusting the length of the first expandable/contractable section with the first expandable/contractable section being in contact with the first holder, and a first support member made of the second material and configured to support the first adjuster, and the first adjuster is configured to be capable of adjusting the position where the first expandable/contractable section and the first holder are in contact with each other to be located in a first plane containing a first end section of the first support member and the first axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventor: Hitoshi OHGA
  • Publication number: 20230061530
    Abstract: A pulse width extension device includes a first delay optical system having a first loop optical path formed on a first plane and configured by a first beam splitter and a plurality of first concave mirrors, a second delay optical system having a second loop optical path formed on a second plane parallel to and different from the first plane and configured by a second beam splitter and a plurality of second concave mirrors, and a first beam rotation mechanism arranged on an optical path between the first delay optical system and the second delay optical system and configured to rotate a beam of pulse laser light having passed through the first delay optical system so that a longitudinal direction of a beam cross-sectional shape of the pulse laser light traveling on the second loop optical path is perpendicular to the second plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Hitoshi OHGA, Shinichi MATSUMOTO, Hirotaka MIYAMOTO
  • Patent number: 11586032
    Abstract: A laser apparatus may include: a mirror configured to reflect a laser beam; an actuator configured to operate the mirror; and a controller configured to transmit a movement instruction to the actuator, wherein the controller predicts a movement completion time of the actuator, and transmits a polling signal so that the actuator receives the polling signal after expiration of the predicted movement completion time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ito, Hiroshi Tanaka