Patents by Inventor Takashi Suganuma

Takashi Suganuma 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).

  • Publication number: 20130240762
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus using a spectrum purity filter capable of obtaining EUV light with high spectrum purity. The apparatus includes a chamber; a target supply unit for supplying a target material; a driver laser using a laser gas containing a carbon dioxide gas as a laser medium, for applying a laser beam to the target material to generate plasma; a collector mirror for collecting and outputting the extreme ultraviolet light radiated from the plasma; and a spectrum purity filter provided in an optical path of the extreme ultraviolet light, for transmitting the extreme ultraviolet light and reflecting the laser beam, the spectrum purity filter including a mesh having electrical conductivity and formed with an arrangement of apertures having a pitch not larger than a half of a shortest wavelength of the laser beam applied by the driver laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Masato MORIYA, Osamu WAKABAYSHI, Tamotsu ABE, Takashi SUGANUMA, Akira ENDO, Akira SUMITANI
  • Patent number: 8536551
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus using a spectrum purity filter capable of obtaining EUV light with high spectrum purity. The apparatus includes a chamber; a target supply unit for supplying a target material; a driver laser using a laser gas containing a carbon dioxide gas as a laser medium, for applying a laser beam to the target material to generate plasma; a collector mirror for collecting and outputting the extreme ultraviolet light radiated from the plasma; and a spectrum purity filter provided in an optical path of the extreme ultraviolet light, for transmitting the extreme ultraviolet light and reflecting the laser beam, the spectrum purity filter including a mesh having electrical conductivity and formed with an arrangement of apertures having a pitch not larger than a half of a shortest wavelength of the laser beam applied by the driver laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Osamu Wakabayashi, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Akira Endo, Akira Sumitani
  • Publication number: 20130208742
    Abstract: An optical device may include: an optical module disposed in a beam delivery path of a laser beam; a beam adjusting unit disposed in the beam delivery path for adjusting the beam delivery path of the laser beam; a measuring unit disposed in the beam delivery path for detecting the beam delivery path; and a control unit for controlling the beam adjusting unit based on a detection result of the beam delivery path of the laser beam detected by the measuring unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Hakaru Mizoguchi, Takashi Suganuma, Hideo Hoshino, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 8481984
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus using a spectrum purity filter capable of obtaining EUV light with high spectrum purity. The apparatus includes a chamber; a target supply unit for supplying a target material; a driver laser using a laser gas containing a carbon dioxide gas as a laser medium, for applying a laser beam to the target material to generate plasma; a collector mirror for collecting and outputting the extreme ultraviolet light radiated from the plasma; and a spectrum purity filter provided in an optical path of the extreme ultraviolet light, for transmitting the extreme ultraviolet light and reflecting the laser beam, the spectrum purity filter including a mesh having electrical conductivity and formed with an arrangement of apertures having a pitch not larger than a half of a shortest wavelength of the laser beam applied by the driver laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Osamu Wakabayashi, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Akira Endo, Akira Sumitani
  • Patent number: 8477412
    Abstract: A collector mirror exchanging apparatus is capable of safely and easily exchanging a collector mirror for collecting extreme ultra violet light emitted from plasma generated within a chamber of an extreme ultra violet light source apparatus. The collector mirror exchanging apparatus includes: a supporting base for supporting a collector mirror or a collector mirror structure; and a guiding rail disposed on the supporting base and regulating a moving direction of the collector mirror or the collector mirror structure; wherein at least the collector mirror is taken out of the chamber by moving the collector mirror or the collector mirror structure along the guiding rail on the supporting base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Someya, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Hideo Hoshino, Akira Sumitani
  • Patent number: 8450706
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus in which only particles having a high transmittance for EUV light adhere to an EUV collector mirror even if fast ions emitted from plasma collide with a structural member in a vacuum chamber, and thereby, the reflectance thereof is not easily degraded. The apparatus includes: a vacuum chamber; a target supply unit for supplying a target to a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber; a driver laser for applying a laser beam to the target to generate the plasma; a collector mirror for collecting and outputting extreme ultraviolet light emitted from the plasma; a collector mirror holder for supporting the collector mirror; and a shielding member formed of a material having a high transmittance for the extreme ultraviolet light, for shielding the structural member such as the collector mirror holder from the ions generated from the plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Abe, Hiroshi Someya, Takashi Suganuma, Takayuki Yabu
  • Patent number: 8445876
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source apparatus in which a location or posture shift of an EUV collector mirror can be detected. The apparatus includes: a chamber; a target supply mechanism for supplying a target material into the chamber; a driver laser for irradiating the target material with a laser beam to generate plasma; a collector mirror having a first focal point and a second focal point, for reflecting light, which is generated at the first focal point, toward the second focal point; a splitter optical element provided in an optical path of the light reflected by the collector mirror, for splitting a part of the light reflected by the collector mirror; and an image sensor provided in an optical path of the light split by the splitter optical element, for detecting a profile of the light split by the splitter optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Suganuma, Masato Moriya, Tamotsu Abe, Kouji Kakizaki, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20130034116
    Abstract: An EUV light generation system includes a driver laser comprising a master oscillator such as a semiconductor laser, a spatial filter, gas slab amplification devices, relay optical systems, and high-speed axial-flow amplifiers. The slab amplification devices include beam adjusting optical units disposed, respectively, at input and output sides of the slab amplifiers SA to convert the beam profile and/or polarization direction and/or an elongated direction of the beam profile with the slab amplifiers is parallel to a free space axis AF of the slab waveguides, i.e. parallel to the discharge electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Krzysztof Nowak, Takashi Suganuma, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 8294129
    Abstract: An EUV light source apparatus can reliably detect and accurately judge deterioration of an optical element in a laser beam focusing optics disposed within an EUV light generation chamber. This EUV light source apparatus includes: the EUV light generation chamber; a target material supply unit; an EUV light collector mirror; a driver laser; a window; a parabolic mirror which focuses collimated laser beam by reflection and is disposed within the EUV light generation chamber; an energy detector detecting energy of the laser beam diffused without being applied to a target material after being focused by the laser beam focusing optics when the EUV light is not generated; and a processing unit for judging the deterioration of the window and the parabolic mirror according to the laser beam energy detected by the energy detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Hiroshi Someya, Takayuki Yabu, Akira Sumitani, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20120229889
    Abstract: A regenerative amplifier according to one aspect of this disclosure is used in combination with a laser device, and the regenerative amplifier may include: a pair of resonator mirrors constituting an optical resonator; a slab amplifier provided between the pair of the resonator mirrors for amplifying a laser beam with a predetermined wavelength outputted from the laser device; and an optical system disposed to configure a multipass optical path along which the laser beam is reciprocated inside the slab amplifier, the optical system transferring an optical image of the laser beam at a first position as an optical image of the laser beam at a second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Inventors: Takashi Suganuma, Krzysztof Nowak, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 8173984
    Abstract: An EUV light source apparatus can reliably detect and accurately judge deterioration of an optical element in a laser beam focusing optics disposed within an EUV light generation chamber. This EUV light source apparatus includes: the EUV light generation chamber; a target material supply unit; an EUV light collector mirror; a driver laser; a window; a parabolic mirror which focuses collimated laser beam by reflection and is disposed within the EUV light generation chamber; an energy detector detecting energy of the laser beam diffused without being applied to a target material after being focused by the laser beam focusing optics when the EUV light is not generated; and a processing unit for judging the deterioration of the window and the parabolic mirror according to the laser beam energy detected by the energy detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignees: Komatsu Ltd., Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Hiroshi Someya, Takayuki Yabu, Akira Sumitani, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20110180734
    Abstract: An EUV light source apparatus can reliably detect and accurately judge deterioration of an optical element in a laser beam focusing optics disposed within an EUV light generation chamber. This EUV light source apparatus includes: the EUV light generation chamber; a target material supply unit; an EUV light collector mirror; a driver laser; a window; a parabolic mirror which focuses collimated laser beam by reflection and is disposed within the EUV light generation chamber; an energy detector detecting energy of the laser beam diffused without being applied to a target material after being focused by the laser beam focusing optics when the EUV light is not generated; and a processing unit for judging the deterioration of the window and the parabolic mirror according to the laser beam energy detected by the energy detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: GIGAPHOTON INC.
    Inventors: Masato MORIYA, Tamotsu ABE, Takashi SUGANUMA, Hiroshi SOMEYA, Takayuki YABU, Akira SUMITANI, Osamu WAKABAYASHI
  • Patent number: 7923705
    Abstract: An EUV light source apparatus capable of easily detecting deterioration etc. of a window of an EUV light generating chamber. The EUV light source apparatus includes a driver laser, an EUV light generating chamber, a window which passes the laser beam into the EUV light generating chamber, an EUV light collector mirror, laser beam focusing optics which focuses a laser beam onto a trajectory of a target material, a temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the window, and a laser beam optics deterioration determination processing unit which determines deterioration of the window based on the temperature of the window detected by the temperature sensor when extreme ultra violet light is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Hiroshi Someya, Takayuki Yabu, Akira Sumitani, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 7903715
    Abstract: A slab type laser apparatus has a slab type gas laser medium part formed in a region defined by a pair of electrode flat plates oppositely disposed in parallel with each other in a space to be filled with a gas laser medium which is excited by high-frequency electric power. The apparatus includes an oscillator part including a pair of resonator mirrors oppositely disposed with a part of the gas laser medium part in between, and for amplifying a laser beam to have predetermined light intensity to emit the laser beam, and the amplifier part including a plurality of return mirrors oppositely disposed with a part of the gas laser medium part in between. The incident laser beam goes and returns plural times between the return mirrors, and the laser beam is amplified to have predetermined power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Krzysztof Nowak, Takashi Suganuma, Osamu Wakabayashi, Akira Endo
  • Patent number: 7880153
    Abstract: An EUV light source apparatus capable of preventing deterioration and/or breakage of a filter for filtering EUV light. The EUV light source apparatus includes an EUV generation chamber in which EUV light is generated; a target material supply unit for supplying a target material into the EUV light generation chamber; a laser source for applying a laser beam to the target material supplied into the EUV light generation chamber to generate plasma; collection optics for collecting EUV light radiated from the plasma; a filter for filtering the EUV light collected by the collection optics; and a filter protecting member provided between the plasma and the filter, for protecting the filter by blocking flying matter flying from the plasma toward the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Suganuma, Tamotsu Abe, Hiroshi Someya, Akira Sumitani
  • Publication number: 20100193710
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus comprises a laser apparatus having a master oscillator outputting one or more longitudinal-mode-laser lights, an amplifier with a molecular gas as an amplifying agency amplifying a longitudinal-mode laser light of which wavelength is included in one of amplifiable lines, and a controller adjusting the master oscillator so that the wavelength of the longitudinal-mode laser light outputted from the master oscillator is included in one of the amplifiable lines, the laser apparatus being used as a driver laser, wherein the laser apparatus irradiates a target material with a laser light for generating plasma, and the extreme ultraviolet light is emitted from the plasma and outputted from the extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Inventors: Osamu Wakabayashi, Akira Endo, Krzysztof Nowak, Takashi Suganuma, Masato Moriya
  • Publication number: 20100176310
    Abstract: An EUV light source apparatus capable of easily detecting deterioration etc. of a window of an EUV light generating chamber. The EUV light source apparatus includes a driver laser, an EUV light generating chamber, a window which passes the laser beam into the EUV light generating chamber, an EUV light collector mirror, laser beam focusing optics which focuses a laser beam onto a trajectory of a target material, a temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the window, and a laser beam optics deterioration determination processing unit which determines deterioration of the window based on the temperature of the window detected by the temperature sensor when extreme ultra violet light is generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Hiroshi Someya, Takayuki Yabu, Akira Sumitani, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20100171049
    Abstract: An EUV light source apparatus can reliably detect and accurately judge deterioration of an optical element in a laser beam focusing optics disposed within an EUV light generation chamber. This EUV light source apparatus includes: the EUV light generation chamber; a target material supply unit; an EUV light collector mirror; a driver laser; a window; a parabolic mirror which focuses collimated laser beam by reflection and is disposed within the EUV light generation chamber; an energy detector detecting energy of the laser beam diffused without being applied to a target material after being focused by the laser beam focusing optics when the EUV light is not generated; and a processing unit for judging the deterioration of the window and the parabolic mirror according to the laser beam energy detected by the energy detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Hiroshi Someya, Takayuki Yabu, Akira Sumitani, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20100140512
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source apparatus in which a location or posture shift of an EUV collector mirror can be detected. The apparatus includes: a chamber; a target supply mechanism for supplying a target material into the chamber; a driver laser for irradiating the target material with a laser beam to generate plasma; a collector mirror having a first focal point and a second focal point, for reflecting light, which is generated at the first focal point, toward the second focal point; a splitter optical element provided in an optical path of the light reflected by the collector mirror, for splitting a part of the light reflected by the collector mirror; and an image sensor provided in an optical path of the light split by the splitter optical element, for detecting a profile of the light split by the splitter optical element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Inventors: Takashi SUGANUMA, Masato MORIYA, Tamotsu ABE, Kouji KAKIZAKI, Osamu WAKABAYASHI