Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Nakarai

Hiroaki Nakarai 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).

  • Patent number: 11778721
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi Nishimura, Takayuki Yabu, Hiroaki Nakarai
  • Publication number: 20220232690
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Applicant: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi NISHIMURA, Takayuki YABU, Hiroaki NAKARAI
  • Patent number: 9894743
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating extreme ultraviolet light may include: a chamber having an opening through which a laser beam is introduced into the chamber; a reference member on which the chamber is mounted; a target supply unit for supplying a target material to be irradiated by the laser beam to a predetermined region inside the chamber; a laser beam focusing optical system for focusing the laser beam in the predetermined region inside the chamber to turn the target material into plasma; and a collector mirror for collecting the extreme ultraviolet light emitted from the plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Yukio Watanabe, Miwa Igarashi, Masato Moriya, Hiroaki Nakarai
  • Publication number: 20160192469
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating extreme ultraviolet light may include: a chamber having an opening through which a laser beam is introduced into the chamber; a reference member on which the chamber is mounted; a target supply unit for supplying a target material to be irradiated by the laser beam to a predetermined region inside the chamber; a laser beam focusing optical system for focusing the laser beam in the predetermined region inside the chamber to turn the target material into plasma; and a collector mirror for collecting the extreme ultraviolet light emitted from the plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Yukio WATANABE, Miwa IGARASHI, Masato MORIYA, Hiroaki NAKARAI
  • Patent number: 9373926
    Abstract: There is provided a laser chamber housing a pair of discharge electrodes and a gas circulation fun, the laser chamber including: a magnetic bearing configured to support a shaft of the gas circulation fan, with the shaft being in non-contact with the magnetic bearing; and a touchdown bearing configured to operate as a bearing when the magnetic bearing is uncontrollable, the touchdown bearing being provided with solid lubricant configured of one or more of an Au plating layer, a Ni-containing plating layer, and a Cu plating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Tsushima, Hakaru Mizoguchi, Junichi Fujimoto, Hiroaki Nakarai, Natsushi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9301379
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating extreme ultraviolet light may include: a chamber having an opening through which a laser beam is introduced into the chamber; a reference member on which the chamber is mounted; a target supply unit for supplying a target material to be irradiated by the laser beam to a predetermined region inside the chamber; a laser beam focusing optical system for focusing the laser beam in the predetermined region inside the chamber to turn the target material into plasma; and a collector mirror for collecting the extreme ultraviolet light emitted from the plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Yukio Watanabe, Miwa Igarashi, Masato Moriya, Hiroaki Nakarai
  • Publication number: 20150249312
    Abstract: There is provided a laser chamber housing a pair of discharge electrodes and a gas circulation fun, the laser chamber including: a magnetic bearing configured to support a shaft of the gas circulation fan, with the shaft being in non-contact with the magnetic bearing; and a touchdown bearing configured to operate as a bearing when the magnetic bearing is uncontrollable, the touchdown bearing being provided with solid lubricant configured of one or more of an Au plating layer, a Ni-containing plating layer, and a Cu plating layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 3, 2015
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Hiroaki TSUSHIMA, Hakaru MIZOGUCHI, Junichi FUJIMOTO, Hiroaki NAKARAI, Natsushi SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 8885680
    Abstract: A laser apparatus may include a seed laser device configured to output a pulse laser beam, a pulse energy adjusting unit configured to vary pulse energy of the pulse laser beam, at least one amplifier for amplifying the pulse laser beam, at least one power source for varying an excitation intensity in the at least one amplifier, and a controller configured to control the pulse energy adjusting unit on a pulse-to-pulse basis for the pulse laser beam passing therethrough and to control the at least one power source for a group of multiple pulses of the pulse laser beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Nakarai, Osamu Wakabayashi, Hideo Hoshino
  • Publication number: 20140098830
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light generation system may include an optical device configured to cause an optical path of a pulse laser beam to approximately match one of a first optical path in which the pulse laser beam is focused at a plasma generation region and a second optical path in which the pulse laser beam passes outside the plasma generation region, and a control unit configured to output a control signal to the optical device so that the optical device sets the optical path of the pulse laser beam to the second optical path from when a predetermined time starts to when the number of pulses contained in a timing signal reaches a predetermined value and sets the optical path of the pulse laser beam to the first optical path from when the number of pulses reaches the predetermined value to when the predetermined time ends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Takayuki YABU, Takashi SAITO, Hideyuki HAYASHI, Kazuhiro SUZUKI, Hiroaki NAKARAI
  • Publication number: 20130105713
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating extreme ultraviolet light may include: a chamber having an opening through which a laser beam is introduced into the chamber; a reference member on which the chamber is mounted; a target supply unit for supplying a target material to be irradiated by the laser beam to a predetermined region inside the chamber; a laser beam focusing optical system for focusing the laser beam in the predetermined region inside the chamber to turn the target material into plasma; and a collector mirror for collecting the extreme ultraviolet light emitted from the plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Yukio Watanabe, Miwa Igarashi, Masato Moriya, Hiroaki Nakarai
  • Publication number: 20130099140
    Abstract: A laser apparatus may include a seed laser device configured to output a pulse laser beam, a pulse energy adjusting unit configured to vary pulse energy of the pulse laser beam, at least one amplifier for amplifying the pulse laser beam, at least one power source for varying an excitation intensity in the at least one amplifier, and a controller configured to control the pulse energy adjusting unit on a pulse-to-pulse basis for the pulse laser beam passing therethrough and to control the at least one power source for a group of multiple pulses of the pulse laser beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Nakarai, Osamu Wakabayashi, Hideo Hoshino
  • Publication number: 20110309270
    Abstract: Provided is a laser device which is installed within a predetermined space and on a predetermined floor area, the laser device may includes: a master oscillator; at least one amplifier unit that amplifies a laser beam outputted from the master oscillator; at least one power source unit that supplies excitation energy to the at least one amplifier unit; and a movement mechanism which enables at least one among the at least one amplifier unit and the at least one power source unit to be moved in a direction parallel with a floor surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: Yohichi Yamanouchi, Takashi Suganuma, Junichi Fujimoto, Osamu Wakabayashi, Hiroaki Nakarai, Hidenobu Kameda, Hitoshi Oga