A line narrowing module includes a prism including an entrance side surface that light enters, an exit side surface from which the light is emitted, and a bottom surface, and configured to wavelength-disperse the light having entered the entrance side surface and to emit the light from the exit side surface; a holder portion having a stationary surface on which the bottom surface of the prism is secured; a rotary mechanism portion including a rotary stage on which the holder portion is secured, the rotary stage being configured to rotate the prism around an axis perpendicular to a dispersion plane of the light emitted from the prism; a drive unit configured to rotate the rotary stage; and a grating configured to reflect the light emitted from the prism, centroids of the prism, the holder portion, and the rotary stage being located on the axis.

An excimer laser system includes first and second gas cylinders connected to a laser chamber for selectively supplying the laser chamber with gases that are needed to generate and emit laser pulsations having a certain energy level from the laser chamber. At least one of the first and second gas cylinders includes a halogen gas. The halogen gas is consumed during the operation of the excimer laser system. A computer system, included within the excimer laser system, is used to determine whether to resupply the laser chamber with halogen gas from the first and/or second cylinders, or to entirely flush out the gas contents of the laser chamber, and to resupply the flushed gas chamber with gas sourced from the first and/or second cylinders.

An excimer laser system includes first and second gas cylinders connected to a laser chamber for selectively supplying the laser chamber with gases that are needed to generate and emit laser pulsations having a certain energy level from the laser chamber. At least one of the first and second gas cylinders includes a halogen gas. The halogen gas is consumed during the operation of the excimer laser system. A computer system, included within the excimer laser system, is used to determine whether to resupply the laser chamber with halogen gas from the first and/or second cylinders, or to entirely flush out the gas contents of the laser chamber, and to resupply the flushed gas chamber with gas sourced from the first and/or second cylinders.

A laser chamber of a discharge-excitation-type gas laser apparatus may include a container which contains laser gas therein; a pair of discharge electrodes arranged in the container; a cross flow fan configured to supply the laser gas to a discharge space between the discharge electrodes, the cross flow fan including a rotation shaft with which the cross flow fan rotates in a predetermined rotation direction and a plurality of blades, each longitudinal direction of which is parallel to an axial direction of the rotation shaft; and a stabilizer arranged outside a rotation trajectory of the cross flow fan, and arranged such that a difference between a maximum position and a minimum position of an end portion in the rotation direction on a side opposite to the rotation direction is larger than 0 and is smaller than an interval of two blades adjacent to each other among the plurality of blades.

A laser chamber of a discharge-excitation-type gas laser apparatus may include a container which contains laser gas therein; a pair of discharge electrodes arranged in the container; a cross flow fan configured to supply the laser gas to a discharge space between the discharge electrodes, the cross flow fan including a rotation shaft with which the cross flow fan rotates in a predetermined rotation direction and a plurality of blades, each longitudinal direction of which is parallel to an axial direction of the rotation shaft; and a stabilizer arranged outside a rotation trajectory of the cross flow fan, and arranged such that a difference between a maximum position and a minimum position of an end portion in the rotation direction on a side opposite to the rotation direction is larger than 0 and is smaller than an interval of two blades adjacent to each other among the plurality of blades.

An excimer laser apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a chamber configured to accommodate a laser gas and a pair of electrodes and generate pulse-oscillating laser light when the gas pressure of the laser gas is controlled in accordance with voltage applied between the pair of electrodes, a power supply configured to apply the voltage between the pair of electrodes, and a controller to which a target value of the spectral linewidth of the laser light is inputted, the controller configured to correct the voltage used to control the gas pressure, when the target value changes from a first target value to a second target value, based on a first function having the second target value as a parameter and control the gas pressure in accordance with the corrected voltage.

An excimer laser apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a chamber configured to accommodate a laser gas and a pair of electrodes and generate pulse-oscillating laser light when the gas pressure of the laser gas is controlled in accordance with voltage applied between the pair of electrodes, a power supply configured to apply the voltage between the pair of electrodes, and a controller to which a target value of the spectral linewidth of the laser light is inputted, the controller configured to correct the voltage used to control the gas pressure, when the target value changes from a first target value to a second target value, based on a first function having the second target value as a parameter and control the gas pressure in accordance with the corrected voltage.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor includes generating plasma in an amplifying tube using gas as a gain medium; detecting a state of the plasma generated in the amplifying tube; determining a virtual laser gain based on the detected state of the plasma; controlling the state of the plasma such that the virtual laser gain is within a target range; and manufacturing the semiconductor device including performing an exposure process on a substrate using a laser beam output from the amplifying tube adjusted to have the virtual laser gain within the target range.

A line narrowing module includes a prism including an entrance side surface that light enters, an exit side surface from which the light is emitted, and a bottom surface, and configured to wavelength-disperse the light having entered the entrance side surface and to emit the light from the exit side surface; a holder portion having a stationary surface on which the bottom surface of the prism is secured; a rotary mechanism portion including a rotary stage on which the holder portion is secured, the rotary stage being configured to rotate the prism around an axis perpendicular to a dispersion plane of the light emitted from the prism; a drive unit configured to rotate the rotary stage; and a grating configured to reflect the light emitted from the prism, centroids of the prism, the holder portion, and the rotary stage being located on the axis.

A laser chamber apparatus may include a pipe, an inner electrode extending along a longitudinal direction of the pipe and disposed in a through hole in the pipe, an outer electrode including a contact plate extending along the longitudinal direction of the pipe and being in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the pipe and a ladder section formed of bar members each having one end connected to the contact plate and juxtaposed along a longitudinal direction of the contact plate, and a leaf spring extending along the longitudinal direction of the pipe and configured to press the outer electrode against the pipe. The leaf spring may include leaf spring pieces separated by slits, and the leaf spring pieces may each include a bent section bent along the edge and are configured to press the bar members in a position shifted from the bent sections toward the edge.