INDUSTRIAL EXCIMER-LASER BEAM PROPERTIES

As excimer lasers have evolved over the last two decades, their beam p roperties and characteristics have become better understood by advance d diagnostic techniques. This understanding is crucial for two reasons , First, in large volume industrial processes yield is proportional to laser beam consistency and is a crucial factor in determining whether or not a process is economically viable. The second area is in unders tanding the ablation phenomenon. Usually, it is assumed during researc h or process development that a laser pulse is a laser pulse when, in actuality, the pulse characteristics vary. This paper presents methods which can be used to improve the characterization of KrF excimer lase r pulses in hopes of furthering cooperation between laser manufacturer s, system integrators, and users.