Abstract: A laser-sustained broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure, a pump laser source, and a light collector element. The gas containment structure may include a body formed from an optically transparent material, such as fused silica, and one or more windows transmissive to vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light. The one or more windows may be bonded to one or more extension portions, thereby ensuring a sealed internal gas volume and avoiding exposure of metal components to destructive VUV radiation. The pump laser source may be configured to direct the pump beam into the gas containment structure to sustain a plasma, emitting broadband light through the one or more windows. Optional retroreflectors may be included to enhance light collection efficiency. The light source configuration extends the spectral range into the VUV and/or infrared regions, improves manufacturability, and enhances plasma stability.

Abstract: A refillable plasma lamp assembly for laser-sustained plasma light sources is disclosed. The lamp assembly includes a transparent lamp body defining a sealed internal volume, a glass-to-metal fitting with a metal flange, and a glass-to-metal seal hermetically coupling the lamp body and fitting. The lamp flange is configured to connect to an external gas fitting for supplying and removing working gas to and from the sealed internal volume during plasma operation. The lamp body may be connected to a glass portion of the glass-to-metal fitting via a glass-to-glass connection. The lamp assembly may include a fill port for gas exchange between the lamp flange and the external gas fitting. This construction enables dynamic control of gas composition and pressure in semiconductor metrology and inspection applications. The refillable design improves safety by permitting unpressurized shipping and resists deterioration from reactive gases.

Abstract: A high-power vacuum ultraviolet laser-sustained broadband plasma light source is disclosed. The light source includes a laser pump source to sustain a plasma within a gas chamber assembly. The gas chamber assembly includes a gas chamber and a laser input for directing a laser pump beam into a plasma region and a laser output for transmitting unabsorbed laser pump light outside the chamber. The gas chamber assembly includes one or more broadband output windows. The gas chamber assembly includes one or more transparent nozzles configured to direct gas flow into the plasma region and transmit the one or more laser pump beams to the plasma region. The gas chamber assembly includes one or more transparent cones configured to shield one or more optical collection paths from gas flow. The gas chamber assembly includes gas inlets and outlets for maintaining gas flow through the plasma region.

Abstract: A LSP broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure. The light source may include multiple jet nozzles, wherein the jet nozzles are configured to generate supersonic gas jets and direct the supersonic gas jets to collide within the gas containment structure to form a localized high-pressure region at the collision point. The light source may include a primary laser pump source, wherein the primary laser pump source is configured to direct a primary pump beam to a localized high-pressure region formed at the collision point. The light source may include a pulsed-assisting laser source, wherein the pulsed-assisting laser source is configured to direct a pulsed-assisting beam to the localized high-pressure region at the collision point. The light source may include a light collector element configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Abstract: A laser-sustained broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure for plasma generation. The gas containment structure may include a first portion formed from a first grade of sapphire and a second portion formed from a second grade of sapphire. The first portion is coupled to one or more sections of the second portion of second grade sapphire. The light source may include sapphire-to-sapphire bonding between the first-grade sapphire of the first portion and the second-grade sapphire of the second portion, thereby eliminating metal-to-sapphire brazing and avoiding exposure of metal components to destructive UV and/or VUV light. The light source may include a primary laser pump source configured to direct a primary pump beam into the gas containment structure to sustain a plasma and a light collector element configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Abstract: A compact LSP broadband light includes a gas containment structure containing a mixture of a first noble gas and a second noble gas, a filter tube positioned within the gas containment structure, an input window, and a pump source. The laser pump source directs an optical pump through the input window to sustain a plasma within the filter tube. The first noble gas absorbs broadband light within a first and a second wavelength band. The filter tube absorbs broadband light having a wavelength below a selected threshold. The absorption of broadband light by the first noble gas and the filter tube provide long-pass filtering to protect one or more downstream optical elements. The gas containment structure includes an output optical window for transmission of filtered broadband light. The gas containment structure includes a gas inlet and outlet for generating a reverse vortex flow pattern within the filter tube.

Abstract: A laser-sustained broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure for plasma generation. The gas containment structure may include a first portion formed from a first grade of sapphire and a second portion formed from a second grade of sapphire. The first portion is coupled to one or more sections of the second portion of second grade sapphire. The light source may include sapphire-to-sapphire bonding between the first-grade sapphire of the first portion and the second-grade sapphire of the second portion, thereby eliminating metal-to-sapphire brazing and avoiding exposure of metal components to destructive UV and/or VUV light. The light source may include a primary laser pump source configured to direct a primary pump beam into the gas containment structure to sustain a plasma and a light collector element configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Abstract: A LSP broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure for containing a gas. The light source may include a laser pump source configured to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma within the gas containment structure for generation of broadband light. The light source may include a tapered window configured to transmit broadband light through an aperture within a wall of the gas containment structure, the tapered window including a tapered section including a tapered surface, wherein the tapered surface is configured to deflect light impinging on a peripheral portion of the tapered window away from a portion of the gas containment structure to protect the portion of the gas containment structure.

Abstract: A LSP broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure. The light source may include multiple jet nozzles, wherein the jet nozzles are configured to generate supersonic gas jets and direct the supersonic gas jets to collide within the gas containment structure to form a localized high-pressure region at the collision point. The light source may include a primary laser pump source, wherein the primary laser pump source is configured to direct a primary pump beam to a localized high-pressure region formed at the collision point. The light source may include a pulsed-assisting laser source, wherein the pulsed-assisting laser source is configured to direct a pulsed-assisting beam to the localized high-pressure region at the collision point. The light source may include a light collector element configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Abstract: A LSP broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure for containing a gas. The light source may include a laser pump source configured to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma within the gas containment structure for generation of broadband light. The light source may include a tapered window configured to transmit broadband light through an aperture within a wall of the gas containment structure, the tapered window including a tapered section including a tapered surface, wherein the tapered surface is configured to deflect light impinging on a peripheral portion of the tapered window away from a portion of the gas containment structure to protect the portion of the gas containment structure.

Abstract: A compact LSP broadband light includes a gas containment structure containing a mixture of a first noble gas and a second noble gas, a filter tube positioned within the gas containment structure, an input window, and a pump source. The laser pump source directs an optical pump through the input window to sustain a plasma within the filter tube. The first noble gas absorbs broadband light within a first and a second wavelength band. The filter tube absorbs broadband light having a wavelength below a selected threshold. The absorption of broadband light by the first noble gas and the filter tube provide long-pass filtering to protect one or more downstream optical elements. The gas containment structure includes an output optical window for transmission of filtered broadband light. The gas containment structure includes a gas inlet and outlet for generating a reverse vortex flow pattern within the filter tube.

Abstract: A laser-sustained broadband light source is disclosed. The light source may include a gas containment structure containing a mixture of a first noble gas and a second noble gas. The light source may include a laser pump source to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma within the gas containment structure. The first noble gas absorbs broadband light within a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band. The light source may include a filter positioned within the gas containment structure and configured to absorb the broadband light emitted by the plasma having a wavelength below a selected wavelength threshold. The absorption of broadband light by the first noble gas and the filter provide long-pass filtering of broadband light below the selected wavelength to protect one or more downstream optical elements from damage.

Abstract: A laser-sustained broadband light source includes a gas containment structure and multiple jet nozzles. The jet nozzles are configured to direct multiple liquid jets of plasma-forming material in directions to collide with one another within the gas containment structure. The laser-sustained broadband light source further includes a laser pump source configured to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma in a region of the gas containment structure at a collision point of the plurality of liquid jets and a light collector element configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma.

Abstract: A plasma lamp for use in a laser-sustained plasma (LSP) light source is disclosed. The plasma lamp includes a gas containment structure for containing a gas, a gas seal positioned at a base of the gas containment structure, a gas inlet, and a gas outlet. The plasma lamp includes a gas swirler including a set of nozzles configured to generate a vortex gas flow and a swirler shaft including an inlet channel for delivering the gas from the gas inlet to the nozzles and an outlet channel for delivering the gas from the gas containment structure to the gas outlet. The plasma lamp includes a distributor including one or more plenums to distribute the gas from the gas inlet into the swirler. The plasma lamp may also include a deflector fluidically coupled to the swirler shaft and extending above the set of nozzles and configured to direct gas flow around the swirler.

Abstract: An illumination system includes a gas containment vessel configured to contain a gas. The illumination system also includes one or more pump sources configured to generate one or more pump beams. The illumination system includes an ozone generation unit including one or more illumination sources. The one or more illumination sources are configured to generate a beam of illumination of an energy sufficient for converting a portion of diatomic oxygen (O2) contained within the gas containment vessel to triatomic oxygen (O3). One or more energy sources are configured to ignite the plasma within the gas contained within the gas containment vessel via absorption of energy of the one or more energy sources by a portion of the triatomic oxygen, wherein the plasma emits broadband radiation.

Abstract: A pulse-assisted LSP broadband light source in flowing high-pressure liquid or supercritical fluid is disclosed. The light source includes a fluid containment structure for containing a high-pressure liquid or supercritical fluid. The light source includes a primary laser pump source and a high-repetition pulse-assisting laser light source. wherein the primary laser pump source is configured to direct a primary pump beam into a plasma-forming region of the fluid. The primary beam and the pulsed-assisting beam are configured to sustain a plasma within the plasma-forming region of the fluid within the fluid containment structure. A light collector element is configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma for use in downstream applications.

Abstract: A system for generating pump illumination for laser sustained plasma (LSP) is disclosed. The system may include an illumination source configured to output a pump beam, one or more focusing optics, and one or more beam shapers configured to reshape the pump beam to provide a shaped pupil power distribution at an illumination pupil plane of the one or more focusing optics. The shaped pupil power distribution may include at least one of a flat-top distribution or an inverted distribution with a central local intensity minimum. Further, the one or more focusing optics may receive the pump beam from the one or more beam shapers and direct the pump beam to a plasma-forming material, whereby the pump beam at least one of forms or maintains a plasma that emits broadband illumination.

Abstract: A plasma lamp is disclosed. The plasma lamp includes a gas containment structure configured to contain a gas and generate a plasma within the gas containment structure. The gas containment structure is formed from a glass material transparent to illumination from a pump laser and the broadband radiation emitted by the plasma. The gas containment structure includes a glass wall and the glass within the glass wall includes an OH concentration distribution that varies across a thickness of the glass wall.

Abstract: An illumination system includes a gas containment vessel configured to contain a gas. The illumination system also includes one or more pump sources configured to generate one or more pump beams. The illumination system includes an ozone generation unit including one or more illumination sources. The one or more illumination sources are configured to generate a beam of illumination of an energy sufficient for converting a portion of diatomic oxygen (O2) contained within the gas containment vessel to triatomic oxygen (O3). One or more energy sources are configured to ignite the plasma within the gas contained within the gas containment vessel via absorption of energy of the one or more energy sources by a portion of the triatomic oxygen, wherein the plasma emits broadband radiation.

Abstract: A laser-sustained broadband light source includes a gas containment structure and multiple jet nozzles. The jet nozzles are configured to direct multiple liquid jets of plasma-forming material in directions to collide with one another within the gas containment structure. The laser-sustained broadband light source further includes a laser pump source configured to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma in a region of the gas containment structure at a collision point of the plurality of liquid jets and a light collector element configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma.