Immersion lithography laser light source with pulse stretcher

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed which may comprise a pulsed gas discharge laser lithography light source which may comprise a seed laser portion providing a seed laser output light beam of seed pulses; an amplifier portion receiving the seed laser output light beam and amplifying the optical intensity of each seed pulse to provide a high power laser system output light beam of output pulses; the amplifier portion may comprise a ring power amplifier comprising amplifier portion injection optics comprising at least one beam expanding prism, a beam reverser and an input/output coupler; the beam expansion optics and the output coupler may be mounted on an optics assembly with the beam expansion optics rigidly mounted with respect to the optics assembly and the input/output coupler mounted for relative movement with respect to the optics assembly for optical alignment purposes.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a pulsed gas discharge laser lithography light source comprising:   a seed laser portion providing a seed laser output light beam of seed pulses;   an amplifier portion receiving the seed laser output light beam and amplifying the optical intensity of each seed pulse to provide a high power laser system output light beam of output pulses;   the amplifier portion comprising a ring power amplifier comprising amplifier portion injection optics comprising at least one beam expanding prism, a beam reverser and an input/output coupler;   the beam expansion optics and the output coupler being mounted on an optics assembly with the beam expansion optics rigidly mounted with respect to the optics assembly and the input/output coupler mounted for relative movement with respect to the optics assembly for optical alignment purposes.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 the input/output coupler being mounted for movement with respect to the optic assembly in a first axis and a second axis.   
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  further comprising:
 the first axis and second axis being generally orthogonal to each other.   
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 the amplifier injection optics being contained within an amplifier portion injection optics assembly box and the input/output coupler comprising at least one through-the-wall adjusting actuator to adjust the position of the input/output coupler in at least one axis.