Exposure device with laser device
First Claim
1. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, whereinthe laser device includes:
- a laser light generation section which generates laser light having a single wavelength within a wavelength range ranging from an infrared band to a visible band;
an optical amplification section including plural stages of optical fiber amplifiers which serially amplify the laser light generated by the laser light generation section, and a narrow band filter and an isolator disposed between the plural stages of the optical fiber amplifiers; and
a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An exposure apparatus has a light source comprising a laser device that is small and easy to maintain. The laser device comprises a laser oscillator for generating a single-wavelength laser beam (LB3) within a wavelength range including infrared and visible regions; an optical amplifier (18) for amplifying a laser beam (LB3); and a wavelength converter for converting the amplified laser beam into ultraviolet light using a nonlinear optical crystal. The optical amplifier (18) includes a plurality of stages of optical fiber amplifiers (22, 25) for sequential amplification of the laser beam (LB3), and a narrow-band filter (24A) and an isolator (IS3) arranged between optical fiber amplifiers.
41 Citations
47 Claims
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1. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, wherein
the laser device includes: -
a laser light generation section which generates laser light having a single wavelength within a wavelength range ranging from an infrared band to a visible band;
an optical amplification section including plural stages of optical fiber amplifiers which serially amplify the laser light generated by the laser light generation section, and a narrow band filter and an isolator disposed between the plural stages of the optical fiber amplifiers; and
a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 27)
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20. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, wherein
the laser device includes: -
a laser light generation section which generates laser light of a single wavelength, having a single wavelength within a wavelength range ranging from an infrared band to a visible band;
an optical amplification section including plural stages of amplifying optical fibers which serially amplify the laser light generated by the laser light generation section, an excitation-light generating light source which generates excitation light for at least one stage of the amplifying optical fiber of the plural stages of the amplifying optical fibers, a narrow band filter or an isolator disposed between the plural stages of the amplifying optical fibers, and a bypass member which passes the excitation light in parallel to the narrow band filter or the isolator; and
a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, wherein
the laser device includes: -
a laser light generation section which generates laser light having a single wavelength within a wavelength range ranging from an infrared band to a visible band;
an optical amplification section including plural stages of optical fiber amplifiers which serially amplify the laser light generated by the laser light generation section, a plurality of excitation-light generating light sources which individually generate excitation lights for each of the plural stages of the optical fiber amplifiers, and a narrow band filter disposed beween the plural stagesof the optical fiber anplifiers, wherein a reflection film which reflects the excitation light is formed at one end of each of the optical fibers coupled to both sides of the narrow band filter; and
a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, wherein
the laser device includes: -
a laser light generation section which includes a single wavelength oscillatory laser and an optical modulation section and which pulse-generates laser light having a single wavelength within a wavelength range ranging from an infrared band to a visible band;
an optical modulation section which modulates the laser light generated by the laser light generation section with a predetermined repetition frequency into pulsed light having a predetermined width;
an optical amplification section including an optical fiber amplifier which amplifies the laser light which has passed through the optical modulation section; and
a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal, wherein the width of the pulsed light modulated by the optical modulation section is set wider than a pulsewidth set for obtaining a predetermined wavelength width with finally generated ultraviolet light. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, wherein
the laser device includes: -
a laser light generation section which generates laser light having a single wavelength within a wavelength range ranging from an infrared band to a visible band;
an optical amplification section including an optical fiber amplifier which amplifies the laser light generated by the laser light generation section, a transmitting optical fiber which propagates the laser amplified by the optical fiber amplifier, and a narrow band filter disposed between the optical fiber amplifier and the transmitting optical fiber; and
a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the first object, wherein
the laser device includes: -
a laser generation section which generates laser light having a wavelength within a wavelength range ranging from an infrared band to a visible band, an optical splitter which splits the laser light into a plurality of laser light beams, a plurality of optical fiber amplifiers which respectively and independently amplify the plurality of split laser light beams, a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the amplified laser light beams, and the laser device includes a regulator which regulates an amplification gain at at least one of the plurality of the optical fiber amplifiers so that outputs of the plurality of split laser light beams are substantially uniformalized. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and that expose a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, comprising configuring the laser device by disposing, with a predetermined relationship,
a laser light generation section which generates single wavelength laser light in a wavelength range of from an infrared region to a visible region, an optical amplification section including plural stages of optical fiber amplifiers which serially amplify the laser light generated by the laser light generation section, and a narrow band filter and an isolator disposed between the plural stages of the optical fiber amplifiers, and a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal.
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37. A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus which illuminates a pattern of a first object with ultraviolet light from a laser device and which exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light which has passed through the pattern of the first object, comprising configuring the laser device by disposing, with a predetermined relationship, a laser light generation section which generates single wavelength laser light in a wavelength range of from an infrared region to a visible region;
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an optical amplification section including plural stages of amplifying optical fibers which serially amplify the laser light generated by the laser light generation section, an excitation-light generating light source which generates excitation light for at least one stage of the amplifying optical fiber of the plural stages of the amplifying optical fibers, a narrow band filter or an isolator disposed between the plural stages of the amplifying optical fibers, and a bypass member which passes the excitation fight in parallel to the narrow band filter or the isolator; and
a wavelength conversion section which performs wavelength conversion of the laser light amplified by the optical amplification section into ultraviolet light by using a nonlinear optical crystal.
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38. An exposure apparatus which illuminates a first object having a pattern with ultraviolet light and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light from the first object, comprising:
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an illumination optical system disposed on an optical path through which the ultraviolet light passes; and
a laser device optically connected to the illumination optical system, wherein the laser device includes;
a laser light generation section which includes a single wavelength oscillatory laser and generates single wavelength pulsed light in a wavelength range of about 1.51 μ
m to about 1.59 μ
m;
an optical amplification section including an optical fiber amplifier for amplifying the pulsed light and being optically connected to the laser light generation section;
a wavelength conversion section including a plurality of nonlinear optical crystals for performing wavelength conversion of the amplified pulsed light into a wavelength associated with ultraviolet light and being optically connected to the optical amplification section; and
a suppressing section which suppresses expansion of a wavelength width of light originated in a nonlinear effect of an optical element of the laser device between the single wavelength oscillatory laser and the wavelength conversion section. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus which illuminates a first object having a pattern with ultraviolet light and exposes a second object with the ultraviolet light from the first object, comprising:
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providing an illumination optical system to be disposed on an optical path through which the ultraviolet light passes; and
optically connecting a laser device to the illumination optical system, the laser device including;
a laser light generation section which includes a single wavelength oscillatory laser and generates single wavelength pulsed light in a wavelength range of about 1.51 μ
m to about 1.59 μ
m;
an optical amplification section including an optical fiber amplifier for amplifying the pulsed light;
a wavelength conversion section including a plurality of nonlinear optical crystals for performing wavelength conversion of the amplified pulsed light into a wavelength associated with ultraviolet light; and
a suppressing section which suppresses expansion of a wavelength width of light originated via a nonlinear effect of the optical fiber amplifier between the single wavelength oscillatory laser and the wavelength conversion section.
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Specification