Patents by Inventor Andreas Targsdorf
Andreas Targsdorf 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).
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Patent number: 8411721Abstract: Two excimer lasers have individual pulsing circuits each including a storage capacitor which is charged and then discharged through a pulse transformer to generate an electrical pulse, which is delivered to the laser to generate a light pulse. The time between generation of the electrical pulse and creation of the light pulse is dependent on the charged voltage of the capacitor. The capacitors are charged while disconnected from each other. The generation of the electrical pulses is synchronized by connecting the capacitors together for a brief period after the capacitors are charged to equalize the charging voltages. The capacitors are disconnected from each other before they are discharged.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2012Date of Patent: April 2, 2013Assignee: Coherent GmbHInventors: Andreas Targsdorf, Rainer Desor
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Publication number: 20130034118Abstract: An excimer laser includes a laser housing containing a lasing-gas mixture including a halogen. Contaminants including particulate matter and a metal halide vapor are generated in the lasing-gas mixture during operation of the laser. A gas-cleaning arrangement extracts lasing-gas mixture from the housing and passes the lasing-gas mixture through an electrode assembly. A repeatedly pulsed gas discharge is created in the electrode assembly by driving the electrode assembly with repeated high-power short-duration pulses. The pulsed discharge causes disintegration of the metal halide vapor and electrostatic trapping in the electrode assembly of the particulate matter and products of the metal halide disintegration.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2011Publication date: February 7, 2013Applicant: Coherent GmbHInventors: Igor Bragin, Oleg Melnikov, Timur Misyuraev, Andreas Targsdorf, Kai Schmidt
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Publication number: 20120269223Abstract: Two excimer lasers have individual pulsing circuits each including a storage capacitor which is charged and then discharged through a pulse transformer to generate an electrical pulse, which is delivered to the laser to generate a light pulse. The time between generation of the electrical pulse and creation of the light pulse is dependent on the charged voltage of the capacitor. The capacitors are charged while disconnected from each other. The generation of the electrical pulses is synchronized by connecting the capacitors together for a brief period after the capacitors are charged to equalize the charging voltages. The capacitors are disconnected from each other before they are discharged.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2012Publication date: October 25, 2012Applicant: Coherent GmbHInventors: Andreas Targsdorf, Rainer Desor
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Patent number: 8238400Abstract: Two excimer lasers have individual pulsing circuits each including a storage capacitor which is charged and then discharged through a pulse transformer to generate an electrical pulse, which is delivered to the laser to generate a light pulse. The time between generation of the electrical pulse and creation of the light pulse is dependent on the charged voltage of the capacitor. The capacitors are charged while disconnected from each other. The generation of the electrical pulses is synchronized by connecting the capacitors together for a brief period after the capacitors are charged to equalize the charging voltages. The capacitors are disconnected from each other before they are discharged.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2010Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Coherent GmbHInventors: Andreas Targsdorf, Rainer Desor
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Publication number: 20120033689Abstract: Two excimer lasers have individual pulsing circuits each including a storage capacitor which is charged and then discharged through a pulse transformer to generate an electrical pulse, which is delivered to the laser to generate a light pulse. The time between generation of the electrical pulse and creation of the light pulse is dependent on the charged voltage of the capacitor. The capacitors are charged while disconnected from each other. The generation of the electrical pulses is synchronized by connecting the capacitors together for a brief period after the capacitors are charged to equalize the charging voltages. The capacitors are disconnected from each other before they are discharged.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2010Publication date: February 9, 2012Applicant: Coherent GmbHInventors: Andreas TARGSDORF, Rainer Desor
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Patent number: 7308013Abstract: A Master Oscillator (MO)—Power Amplifier (PA) configuration (MOPA) can be used advantageously in an excimer laser system for micro-lithography applications, where semiconductor manufacturers demand powers of 40 W or more in order to support the throughput requirements of advanced lithography scanner systems. The timing of discharges in discharge chambers of the MO and PA can be precisely controlled using a common pulser to drive the respective chambers. The timing of the discharges further can be controlled through the timing of the pre-ionization in the chambers, or through control of the reset current in the final compression stages of the pulser. A common pulser, or separate pulser circuits, also can be actively controlled in time using a feedback loop, with precision timing being achieved through control of the pre-ionization in each individual discharge chamber. Yet another system provides for real-time compensation of time delay jitter of discharge pulses in the chambers.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Lambda Physik AGInventors: Dirk Basting, Sergei Govorkov, Rainer Paetzel, Igor Bragin, Andreas Targsdorf
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Patent number: 6987790Abstract: Precise timing control can be obtained for a gas discharge laser, such as an excimer or molecular fluorine laser, using a timed trigger ionization. Instead of using a standard approach to control the timing of the emission or amplification of an optical pulse using the discharge of the main electrodes, the timing of which can only be controlled to within about 10 ns, a trigger ionization pulse applied subsequent to the charging of the main electrodes can be used to control the timing of the discharge, thereby decreasing the timing variations to about 1 ns. Since ionization of the laser gas can consume relatively small amounts of energy, such a circuit can be based on a fast, high-voltage, solid state switch that is virtually free of jitter. Trigger ionization also can be used to synchronize the timing of dual chambers in a MOPA configuration. In one such approach, ionization trigger can include at least a portion of the optical pulse from the oscillator in a MOPA configuration.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2004Date of Patent: January 17, 2006Assignee: Lambda Physik AGInventors: Sergei V. Govorkov, Rainer Paetzel, Igor Bragin, Rainer Desor, Andreas Targsdorf, Andriy Knysh
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Publication number: 20050058172Abstract: The stability of a gas discharge in an excimer or molecular fluorine laser system can be improved by generating multiple discharge pulses in the resonator chamber, instead of a single discharge pulse. Each of these discharges can be optimized in both energy transfer and efficient coupling to the gas. The timing of each discharge can be controlled using, for example, a common pulser component along with appropriate circuitry to provide energy pulses to each of a plurality of segmented main discharge electrodes. Applying the energy to the segmented electrodes rather than to a standard discharge electrode pair allows for an optimization of the temporal shape of the resulting superimposed laser pulse. The optimized shape and higher stability can allow the laser system to operate at higher repetition rates, while minimizing the damage to system and/or downstream optics.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2004Publication date: March 17, 2005Inventors: Rainer Paetzel, Igor Bragin, Andreas Targsdorf, Vadim Berger, Rustem Osmanow
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Publication number: 20050031004Abstract: A Master Oscillator (MO)—Power Amplifier (PA) configuration (MOPA) can be used advantageously in an excimer laser system for micro-lithography applications, where semiconductor manufacturers demand powers of 40 W or more in order to support the throughput requirements of advanced lithography scanner systems. The timing of discharges in discharge chambers of the MO and PA can be precisely controlled using a common pulser to drive the respective chambers. The timing of the discharges further can be controlled through the timing of the pre-ionization in the chambers, or through control of the reset current in the final compression stages of the pulser. A common pulser, or separate pulser circuits, also can be actively controlled in time using a feedback loop, with precision timing being achieved through control of the pre-ionization in each individual discharge chamber. Yet another system provides for real-time compensation of time delay jitter of discharge pulses in the chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2003Publication date: February 10, 2005Inventors: Dirk Basting, Sergei Govorkov, Rainer Paetzel, Igor Bragin, Andreas Targsdorf
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Publication number: 20040202219Abstract: Precise timing control can be obtained for a gas discharge laser, such as an excimer or molecular fluorine laser, using a timed trigger ionization. Instead of using a standard approach to control the timing of the emission or amplification of an optical pulse using the discharge of the main electrodes, the timing of which can only be controlled to within about 10 ns, a trigger ionization pulse applied subsequent to the charging of the main electrodes can be used to control the timing of the discharge, thereby decreasing the timing variations to about 1 ns. Since ionization of the laser gas can consume relatively small amounts of energy, such a circuit can be based on a fast, high-voltage, solid state switch that is virtually free of jitter. Trigger ionization also can be used to synchronize the timing of dual chambers in a MOPA configuration. In one such approach, ionization trigger can include at least a portion of the optical pulse from the oscillator in a MOPA configuration.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2004Publication date: October 14, 2004Inventors: Sergei V. Govorkov, Rainer Paetzel, Igor Bragin, Rainer Desor, Andreas Targsdorf, Andriy Knysh
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Patent number: 6226307Abstract: An isolation means used in conjunction with supplying energy to a laser, which isolates a power supply from the pulser circuit, and commutates a switch which activates the discharge of energy to the laser.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 1999Date of Patent: May 1, 2001Assignee: Lambda Physik GmbHInventors: Rainer Desor, Andreas Targsdorf, Spencer Merz, Hubertus Von Bergmann
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Patent number: 6020723Abstract: An isolation means used in conjunction with supplying energy to a laser, which isolates a power supply from the pulser circuit, and commutates a switch which activates the discharge of energy to the laser.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 1997Date of Patent: February 1, 2000Assignee: Lambada Physik GmbHInventors: Rainer Desor, Andreas Targsdorf, Spencer Merz, Hubertus Von Bergmann