MULTI-CHAMBERED EXCIMER OR MOLECULAR FLUORINE GAS DISCHARGE LASER FLUORINE INJECTION CONTROL

摘要

A multi-chambered excimer or molecular halogen gas discharge laser system comprising at least one oscillator chamber and at least one amplifier chamber producing oscillator output laser light pulses that are amplified in the at least one power chamber, having a fluorine injection control system and a method of using same is disclosed, which may comprise: a halogen gas consumption estimator: estimating the amount of halogen gas that has been consumed in one of the at least one oscillator chamber based upon at least a first operating parameter of one of the least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and the difference between a second operating parameter of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and estimating the amount of halogen gas that has been consumed in the other of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber based upon at least a third operating parameter of the other of the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber, and producing an output representative of an estimated halogen gas consumption in the at least one oscillator chamber and of the halogen gas consumption in the at least one amplifier chamber, and a halogen gas injection controller determining the amount of halogen gas injection for the at least one oscillator chamber and the at least one amplifier chamber based upon the estimated fluorine consumption outputs from the fluorine consumption estimator and a cost function comprising a plurality of weighted injection decision determinations.