Patents by Inventor Jerzy R. Hoffman
Jerzy R. Hoffman 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: 9735535Abstract: Devices and methods for generating EUV light are disclosed. The device comprises an oscillator having an oscillator cavity length, Lo, and defining an oscillator path and a multi-pass optical amplifier coupled with the oscillator to establish a combined optical cavity including the oscillator path, the combined cavity having a length, Lcombined, where Lcombined=(N+x)*Lo, where “N” is an integer and “x” is a number between 0.4 and 0.6. The amplifier comprises a polarization discriminating optic inputting light traveling along a first beam path from the oscillator and having substantially a first linear polarization into the amplifier and outputting light having substantially a linear polarization orthogonal to the first polarization out of the amplifier along a second beam path.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2013Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.Inventors: Alexander I. Ershov, Jerzy R. Hoffman, Norbert R. Bowering, Igor V. Fomenkov
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Publication number: 20130321901Abstract: A device comprising a laser source producing a continuous output on a beam path and an amplifier is disclosed. The device further includes a partially transmissive, partially reflective optic disposed on said beam path between said laser source and said amplifier. The device further includes a droplet generator positioned to deliver a droplet moving on a path intersecting said beam path, the droplet reflecting light to establish an optical cavity with said optic.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 6, 2013Publication date: December 5, 2013Applicant: CYMER, LLCInventors: Alexander I. Ershov, Jerzy R. Hoffman, Norbert R. Bowering, Igor V. Fomenkov
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Patent number: 8514486Abstract: A device comprising a laser source producing a continuous output on a beam path and an amplifier is disclosed. The device further includes a partially transmissive, partially reflective optic disposed on said beam path between said laser source and said amplifier. The device further includes a droplet generator positioned to deliver a droplet moving on a path intersecting said beam path, the droplet reflecting light to establish an optical cavity with said optic.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2010Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: Cymer LLCInventors: Alexander I. Ershov, Igor V. Fomenkov, Norbert R. Bowering, Jerzy R. Hoffman
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Patent number: 8304752Abstract: A method for producing extreme ultraviolet light includes producing a target material at a target location; supplying pump energy to a gain medium of at least one optical amplifier that has an amplification band to produce an amplified light beam; propagating the amplified light beam through the gain medium using one or more optical components of a set of optical components; delivering the amplified light beam to the target location using one or more optical components of the optical component set; producing with a guide laser a guide laser beam that has a wavelength outside of the amplification band of the gain medium and inside the wavelength range of the optical components; and directing the guide laser beam through the optical component set to thereby align one or more optical components of the optical component set.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2009Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Igor V. Fomenkov, Alexander I. Ershov, William N. Partlo, Jason Paxton, Nam-Hyong Kim, Jerzy R. Hoffman
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Publication number: 20110058588Abstract: A device is described herein which may comprise an oscillator having an oscillator cavity length, L0, and defining an oscillator path; and a multi-pass optical amplifier coupled with the oscillator to establish a combined optical cavity including the oscillator path, the combined cavity having a length, Lcombined, where Lcombined=(N+x)*L0, where “N” is an integer and “x” is a number between 0.4 and 0.6.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2010Publication date: March 10, 2011Applicant: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Alexander I. Ershov, Igor V. Fomenkov, Norbert R. Bowering, Jerzy R. Hoffman
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Publication number: 20100327192Abstract: A method for producing extreme ultraviolet light includes producing a target material at a target location; supplying pump energy to a gain medium of at least one optical amplifier that has an amplification band to produce an amplified light beam; propagating the amplified light beam through the gain medium using one or more optical components of a set of optical components; delivering the amplified light beam to the target location using one or more optical components of the optical component set; producing with a guide laser a guide laser beam that has a wavelength outside of the amplification band of the gain medium and inside the wavelength range of the optical components; and directing the guide laser beam through the optical component set to thereby align one or more optical components of the optical component set.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2009Publication date: December 30, 2010Applicant: CYMER INC.Inventors: Igor V. Fomenkov, Alexander I. Ershov, William N. Partlo, Jason Paxton, Nam-Hyong Kim, Jerzy R. Hoffman
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Publication number: 20100176313Abstract: An apparatus for generating EUV radiation is disclosed which may include a target material, a system generating a laser beam for interaction with the target material and a pair of electrodes. A pulse power electrical circuit may be provided for generating a discharge between said electrodes to produce EUV radiation from said target material.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2009Publication date: July 15, 2010Applicant: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Stephan T. Melnychuk, William N. Partlo, Igor V. Fomenkov, I. Roger Oliver, Richard M. Ness, Norbert Bowering, Oleh Khodykin, Curtis L. Rettiq, Gerry M. Blumenstock, Timothy S. Dyer, Rodney D. Simmons, Jerzy R. Hoffman, R. Mark Johnson
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Publication number: 20090161201Abstract: A device is described herein which may comprise an oscillator having an oscillator cavity length, Lo, and defining an oscillator path; and a multi-pass optical amplifier coupled with the oscillator to establish a combined optical cavity including the oscillator path, the combined cavity having a length, Lcombined, where Lcombined=(N+x)*Lo, where “N” is an integer and “x” is a number between 0.4 and 0.6.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2007Publication date: June 25, 2009Applicant: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Alexander I. Ershov, Jerzy R. Hoffman, Norbert R. Bowering, Alexander N. Bykanov
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Patent number: 7518787Abstract: A laser light source is disclosed having a laser oscillator producing an output beam; a first amplifier amplifying the output beam to produce a first amplified beam, and a second amplifier amplifying the first amplified beam to produce a second amplified beam. For the source, the first amplifier may have a gain medium characterized by a saturation energy (Es, 1) and a small signal gain (go, 1); and the second amplifier may have a gain medium characterized by a saturation energy (Es, 2) and a small signal gain (go, 2), with (go, 1)>(go, 2) and (Es, 2)>(Es, 1). In another aspect, a laser oscillator of a laser light source may be a cavity dumped laser oscillator, e.g. a mode-locked laser oscillator, q-switched laser oscillator and may further comprising a temporal pulse stretcher.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2006Date of Patent: April 14, 2009Assignee: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Alexander N. Bykanov, Jerzy R. Hoffman, Igor V. Fomenkov, William N. Partlo
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Patent number: 7402825Abstract: A laser produced plasma (“LPP”) extreme ultraviolet (“EUV”) light source and method of operating same is disclosed which may comprise an EUV plasma production chamber having a chamber wall; a drive laser entrance window in the chamber wall; a drive laser entrance enclosure intermediate the entrance window and a plasma initiation site within the chamber and comprising an entrance enclosure distal end opening; at least one aperture plate intermediate the distal opening and the entrance window comprising at least one drive laser passage aperture. The at least one aperture plate may comprise at least two aperture plates comprising a first aperture plate and a second aperture plate defining an aperture plate interim space. The at least one drive laser aperture passage may comprise at least two drive laser aperture passages.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2005Date of Patent: July 22, 2008Assignee: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Rodney D. Simmons, John W. Viatella, Jerzy R. Hoffman, R. Kyle Webb, Alexander N. Bykanov, Oleh Khodykin
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Patent number: 7394083Abstract: Systems and methods for EUV Light Source metrology are disclosed. In a first aspect, a system for measuring an EUV light source power output may include a photoelectron source material disposed along an EUV light pathway to expose the material and generate a quantity of photoelectrons. The system may further include a detector for detecting the photoelectrons and producing an output indicative of EUV power. In another aspect, a system for measuring an EUV light intensity may include a multi-layer mirror, e.g., Mo/Si, disposable along an EUV light pathway to expose the mirror and generate a photocurrent in the mirror. A current monitor may be connected to the mirror to measure the photocurrent and produce an output indicative of EUV power. In yet another aspect, an off-line EUV metrology system may include an instrument for measuring a light characteristic and MoSi2/Si multi-layer mirror.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2005Date of Patent: July 1, 2008Assignee: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Norbert R. Bowering, Jerzy R. Hoffman
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Patent number: 7368741Abstract: The present invention provides a reliable, high-repetition rate, production line compatible high energy photon source. A very hot plasma containing an active material is produced in vacuum chamber. The active material is an atomic element having an emission line within a desired extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range. A pulse power source comprising a charging capacitor and a magnetic compression circuit comprising a pulse transformer, provides electrical pulses having sufficient energy and electrical potential sufficient to produce the EUV light at an intermediate focus at rates in excess of 5 Watts. In preferred embodiments designed by Applicants in-band, EUV light energy at the intermediate focus is 45 Watts extendable to 105.8 Watts.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2005Date of Patent: May 6, 2008Assignee: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Stephan T. Melnychuk, William N. Partlo, Igor V. Fomenkov, I. Roger Oliver, Richard M. Ness, Norbert R. Bowering, Oleh Khodykin, Curtis L. Rettig, Gerry M. Blumenstock, Timothy S. Dyer, Rodney D. Simmons, Jerzy R. Hoffman, R. Mark Johnson
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Publication number: 20070291350Abstract: A laser light source is disclosed having a laser oscillator producing an output beam; a first amplifier amplifying the output beam to produce a first amplified beam, and a second amplifier amplifying the first amplified beam to produce a second amplified beam. For the source, the first amplifier may have a gain medium characterized by a saturation energy (Es, 1) and a small signal gain (go, 1); and the second amplifier may have a gain medium characterized by a saturation energy (Es, 2) and a small signal gain (go, 2), with (go, 1)>(go, 2) and (Es, 2)>(Es, 1). In another aspect, a laser oscillator of a laser light source may be a cavity dumped laser oscillator, e.g. a mode-locked laser oscillator, q-switched laser oscillator and may further comprising a temporal pulse stretcher.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2006Publication date: December 20, 2007Applicant: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Alexander I. Ershov, Alexander N. Bykanov, Jerzy R. Hoffman, Igor V. Fomenkov, William N. Partlo
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Patent number: 7217941Abstract: A system is disclosed for protecting an internal EUV light source component from ions generated at a plasma formation site. In one aspect, the system may comprise a plurality of foil plates and an arrangement for generating a magnetic field to deflect ions into one of the foil plate surfaces. In another aspect, an electrostatic grid may be positioned for interaction with ions to reduce ion energy, and a magnetic field may be used to deflect the reduced energy ions onto paths wherein the ions do not strike the internal component. In yet another aspect, a grid may be connected to a circuit tuned to a resonant frequency to reduce ion energy. For example, the resonant frequency may be substantially equal to an inverse of a time difference between the time when electrons reach the grid and a subsequent time when ions reach the grid.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2005Date of Patent: May 15, 2007Assignee: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Curtis L. Rettig, Jerzy R. Hoffman, Ernesto L. Vargas
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Patent number: 6972421Abstract: The present invention provides a reliable, high-repetition rate, production line compatible high energy photon source. A very hot plasma containing an active material is produced in vacuum chamber. The active material is an atomic element having an emission line within a desired extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range. A pulse power source comprising a charging capacitor and a magnetic compression circuit comprising a pulse transformer, provides electrical pulses having sufficient energy and electrical potential sufficient to produce the EUV light at an intermediate focus at rates in excess of 5 Watts. In preferred embodiments designed by Applicants in-band, EUV light energy at the intermediate focus is 45 Watts extendable to 105.8 Watts.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2003Date of Patent: December 6, 2005Assignee: Cymer, Inc.Inventors: Stephan T. Melnychuk, William N. Partlo, Igor V. Fomenkov, I. Roger Oliver, Richard M. Ness, Norbert Bowering, Oleh Khodykin, Curtis L. Rettig, Gerry M. Blumenstock, Timothy S. Dyer, Rodney D. Simmons, Jerzy R. Hoffman, R. Mark Johnson
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Publication number: 20040108473Abstract: The present invention provides a reliable, high-repetition rate, production line compatible high energy photon source. A very hot plasma containing an active material is produced in vacuum chamber. The active material is an atomic element having an emission line within a desired extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range. A pulse power source comprising a charging capacitor and a magnetic compression circuit comprising a pulse transformer, provides electrical pulses having sufficient energy and electrical potential sufficient to produce the EUV light at an intermediate focus at rates in excess of 5 Watts. In preferred embodiments designed by Applicants in-band, EUV light energy at the intermediate focus is 45 Watts extendable to 105.8 Watts.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 8, 2003Publication date: June 10, 2004Inventors: Stephan T. Melnychuk, William N. Partlo, Igor V. Fomenkov, I. Roger Oliver, Richard M. Ness, Norbert Bowering, Oleh Khodykin, Curtis L. Rettig, Gerry M. Blumenstock, Timothy S. Dyer, Rodney D. Simmons, Jerzy R. Hoffman, R. Mark Johnson