JP5050240B2 - High voltage pulse generator and discharge excitation gas laser device using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a high voltage pulse device and a discharge excitation gas laser device using the same.

  With the miniaturization and high integration of semiconductor integrated circuits, improvement in resolving power is demanded in the projection exposure apparatus for production. For this reason, the wavelength of the exposure light emitted from the exposure light source has been shortened, and a KrF excimer laser device having a wavelength of 248 nm is used as a semiconductor exposure light source in place of the conventional mercury lamp.

  At present, an ArF excimer laser device having a wavelength of 193 nm is beginning to be used, and a gas laser device that emits ultraviolet rays such as a fluorine molecular laser device having a wavelength of 157 nm is promising as a next-generation semiconductor exposure light source.

  In these exposure gas laser apparatuses, a pair of main discharge electrodes facing each other at a predetermined distance are installed inside a laser chamber in which a laser gas as a laser medium is sealed at several hundred kPa. Then, a high voltage pulse is applied to the main discharge electrode using a high voltage pulse generator to generate a pulse discharge, thereby exciting the laser gas and oscillating the laser beam. In the gas laser device, the above-described discharge operation is repeated, and pulse laser oscillation is performed at a predetermined oscillation frequency.

In an exposure gas laser device, in order to increase throughput and stabilize the exposure amount, high repetition oscillation (for example, an oscillation frequency of 4 kHz or more in a KrF excimer laser device or an ArF excimer laser device, an oscillation frequency in a fluorine molecular laser device) 2 kHz or more) is required.
In order to realize high repetition oscillation, it is desirable that the high voltage pulse applied to the main discharge electrode has a fast rise and a short pulse.

  FIG. 10 shows a high-voltage pulse generator for generating a main discharge in a laser chamber in which a laser gas is sealed in order to excite a laser gas as a laser medium in an exposure gas laser apparatus as shown in Patent Document 1 below. An example of this circuit is shown. In FIG. 10, the high voltage pulse generator includes a pulse generation circuit 24 that generates a high voltage pulse and a pulse compression circuit 25 that compresses the generated pulse.

  The pulse generation circuit 24 and the pulse compression circuit 25 are composed of three magnetic switches SR1, SR2, SR3 composed of a saturable reactor, a main capacitor C0, a first capacitor C1, a second capacitor C2, a peaking capacitor Cp, and a step-up transformer Tr. And a solid switch SW. In FIG. 10, GND is a ground side and HV is a high voltage side.

The magnetic switches SR1, SR2, SR3, capacitors C1, C2, and the step-up transformer Tr are installed inside an oil tank 11 filled with insulating oil, which is an insulating refrigerant, for insulation and cooling.
The exposure gas laser apparatus includes a laser chamber 12 in which a laser gas is sealed. Inside the laser chamber 12, main discharge electrodes 14 and 15, a preionization electrode 21, and a preionization capacitor Cc are installed.

Solid switch SW consists of semiconductor switch elements, such as IGBT, for example, and short-circuits rapidly based on the signal from the gate circuit which is not illustrated.
The magnetic switches SR1, SR2, SR3 are composed of, for example, saturable reactors, and the product of the voltage applied to both ends of the magnetic switches and the voltage application time (time integration value of the voltage) is determined by the characteristics of each magnetic switch. When the value becomes saturates, the impedance becomes abruptly low. The magnetic switch SR1 is used to reduce the switching loss in the solid switch SW, and is also called magnetic assist.

First, the pulse generation circuit 24 will be described.
The pulse generation circuit 24 includes a main capacitor C0, a magnetic assist SR1, a primary side of the step-up transformer Tr, and a solid state switch SW.
A predetermined high voltage is applied to the main capacitor C0 from the high voltage power supply CHG, and the main capacitor C0 is charged. At this time, the solid switch SW is in an off (insulated) state.

  When charging of the main capacitor C0 is completed and the solid switch SW is turned on (short circuit) from a controller (not shown), the voltage VC0 applied to both ends of the solid switch SW is applied to both ends of the magnetic assist SR1. As described above, when the time integration value of the voltage VC0 applied to both ends of the magnetic assist SR1 reaches a predetermined value determined by the characteristics of the magnetic assist SR1, the magnetic assist SR1 is saturated and becomes low impedance.

  As a result, the current i1 flows through the primary winding 19 through the loop composed of the main capacitor C0, the magnetic assist SR1, the primary side of the step-up transformer Tr, and the solid switch SW. The magnetic flux generated in the step-up transformer Tr induces a current on the secondary side of the step-up transformer Tr. The current i2 flows through the first loop including the secondary side of the step-up transformer Tr and the first capacitor C1, and the first capacitor C1. Is charged with the voltage VC1.

  At this time, the voltage is boosted according to the ratio of the number of turns (turns) of the primary side winding to the secondary side winding of the step-up transformer Tr. As an example, the primary-to-secondary turns ratio is 1: 8. When a voltage VC0 of 3.8 kV is applied to the main capacitor C0 from the high-voltage power supply CHG, The high voltage VC1 of about 30 kV, which is almost eight times, is charged.

Next, the pulse compression circuit 25 will be described.
When the time integral value of the high voltage VC1 charged in the first capacitor C1 reaches a predetermined value determined by the characteristics of the magnetic switch SR2, the magnetic switch SR2 is saturated and becomes low impedance. As a result, a current (not shown) flows through the second loop including the first capacitor C1, the magnetic switch SR2, and the second capacitor C2, and the charge stored in the first capacitor C1 is transferred to the second capacitor C2.

  At this time, the second loop is configured such that the inductance is smaller than that of the first loop. As a result, the pulse is compressed, and the current flowing through the second loop is a pulse current having a smaller pulse width and a larger peak value than the current i2 flowing through the first loop.

When the electric charge is stored in the second capacitor C2 and the voltage VC2 time integral value applied to both ends of the magnetic switch SR3 becomes a predetermined value determined by the characteristics of the magnetic switch SR3, the magnetic switch SR3 is saturated and becomes low impedance.
As a result, a current (not shown) flows through a third loop including the second capacitor C2, the magnetic switch SR3, and the peaking capacitor Cp, and the charge stored in the second capacitor C2 shifts to the peaking capacitor Cp.

  The preionization electrode 21 includes a first preionization electrode 17 made of a rod-shaped metal, a dielectric tube 16 surrounding the periphery, and a metal second preionization electrode 18 in contact with the dielectric tube 16. . The first preliminary ionization electrode 17 is connected to the high-voltage HV side, and the second preliminary ionization electrode 18 is connected to the ground GND side.

  As the charging of the peaking capacitor Cp proceeds, the potential difference between the first preionization electrode 17 and the second preionization electrode 18 increases, and when a predetermined potential difference is reached, corona discharge is generated on the surface of the dielectric tube 16. By this corona discharge, ultraviolet rays are generated on the surface of the dielectric tube 16, whereby the laser gas between the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15 is ionized, and preliminary ionization occurs.

When the peaking capacitor Cp is further charged and the voltage VCp of the peaking capacitor Cp reaches the breakdown voltage, dielectric breakdown occurs in the laser gas between the main discharge electrodes (14, 15), and main discharge is started in the discharge space. The Thereby, the laser gas is excited and laser light is generated.
Due to the main discharge, the voltage of the peaking capacitor Cp rapidly decreases.

Such a discharge operation is repeated by the switching operation of the solid switch SW, whereby pulse laser oscillation is performed at a predetermined oscillation frequency.
The pulse compression circuit 25 is also called a magnetic pulse compression circuit because it uses a magnetic switch.
JP 2001-217492 A

However, the prior art has the following problems.
FIG. 11 shows a layout of component parts in the high voltage pulse generator as described above.
The magnetic assist SR1 and step-up transformer Tr of the pulse generation circuit 24 and the magnetic switches SR2 and SR3, the first capacitor C1, and the second capacitor C2 of the pulse compression circuit 25 are cooled because they generate large amounts of heat during operation. There is a need to.

Normally, these are filled with an insulating refrigerant such as insulating oil for cooling, and are installed inside the oil tank 11.
That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the magnetic assist SR 1 and the step-up transformer Tr are installed inside the oil tank 11. Reference numerals 37 and 38 denote first and second current introduction terminals for introducing current into the oil tank 11.

The first current introduction terminal 37 and the second current introduction terminal 38 have substantially the same structure. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the first current introduction terminal 37.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a metal rod 52 is inserted into the center of an insulating cylindrical insulating member 51 such as an insulator. A metal flange 53 is attached to the outside of the cylindrical insulating member 51, and a flange (not shown) is fixed between the flange 53 and the wall surface of the oil tank 11.

  An O-ring groove 54 is provided on the wall surface of the oil tank 11 and is sealed between the flange 53 by an O-ring (not shown). Further, an O-ring groove (not shown) is provided between the rod 52 and the cylindrical insulating member 51 and between the cylindrical insulating member 51 and the flange 53 and is sealed with an O-ring.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the rod 52 of the first current introduction terminal 37 is connected to the solid switch SW outside the oil tank 11. The rod 52 of the second current introduction terminal 38 is connected to the main capacitor C0 and the high voltage side HV of the high voltage power source CHG outside the oil tank 11.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the rod 52 of the first current introduction terminal 37 is connected to one end 19 </ b> A of the primary winding 19 inside the oil tank 11. The primary winding 19 passes outside the magnetic assist SR1 and the step-up transformer Tr, and turns the step-up transformer Tr and the magnetic assist SR1 a predetermined number of times. The other end 19 </ b> B of the primary winding 19 is connected to the rod 52 of the second current introduction terminal 38 inside the oil tank 11.

At this time, in order to prevent short circuit and creeping discharge, the distance L1 between the rod 52 of the first current introduction terminal 37 and the rod 52 of the second current introduction terminal 38 is very large.
As a result, the area of the region 28 surrounded by the primary winding 19 and indicated by hatching in FIG. 11 is increased. As a result, the inductance of the pulse generation circuit 24 described above increases, and there is a problem that it is difficult to narrow the pulse width of the voltage pulse generated by the pulse generation circuit 24.

  Further, in the current introduction terminals 37 and 38, the rods 52 and 52, which are members for introducing current, are both rod-shaped members. Therefore, there is a problem that the floating inductance when the current passes through the rods 52 and 52 is large, and the inductance of the pulse generation circuit 24 is large.

  As described above, the exposure gas laser device (KrF laser device, ArF laser device, fluorine molecular laser device) is required to have high repetition oscillation. Further, as the wavelength of the laser beam emitted from the KrF laser device, ArF laser device, or fluorine molecular laser device becomes shorter, the energy input to the discharge space also increases.

  On the other hand, in order to meet the demand for higher repetition, the energy transfer time to the peaking capacitor Cp (the charge transfer time from the capacitor C2 at the final stage of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 in FIG. 1 to the peaking capacitor Cp) is shortened. There is a need.

  When the charging time to the peaking capacitor Cp is not short, that is, when the rise of the voltage pulse applied to the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15 is not fast, a discharge is caused between the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15 while the discharge start voltage Vb is small. Occurs, the laser output is reduced. In particular, a gas laser device that emits a laser beam having a short wavelength has a greater influence because a larger amount of energy must be input into the discharge space.

  Further, surplus current that cannot be transferred to the peaking capacitor Cp flows into the discharge space from the last stage capacitor (capacitor C2 in FIG. 1) of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25, but this surplus current does not contribute to laser oscillation. Therefore, in the second half of the discharge pulse, the discharge becomes non-uniform due to electric field concentration or the like, which may adversely affect the next pulse discharge.

  In particular, when the oscillation frequency is increased, the pulse interval is shortened, so that the possibility of being affected by the previous pulse discharge is increased. Therefore, in order not to be affected by the history, it is necessary to shorten the charging time for the peaking capacitor Cp as much as possible.

When the pulse width of the pulse generated by the pulse generation circuit 24 cannot be shortened as in the above example, the compression ratio of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 must be increased.
There are two ways to increase the compression ratio. One is a method of increasing the compression ratio at each stage without increasing the number of stages of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 (for example, two stages). That is, the number of turns of the saturable reactor that constitutes each magnetic switch is reduced to increase the cross-sectional area of the core. The other is a method of increasing the number of stages without increasing the compression ratio of each stage of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 as it is.

  In the former method, since the cross-sectional area of the core of the saturable reactor is increased, the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 is increased in size. On the other hand, in the latter method, since the compression ratio of each stage does not increase, the size of each stage does not increase, but the number of sets of magnetic switches and capacitors increases as the number of stages increases. 25 becomes larger.

In any case, when the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 is enlarged, the maintenance becomes large, and the material cost of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 itself increases.
Therefore, it is required to reduce the inductance of the pulse generation circuit 24 as much as possible.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and provides a high voltage pulse generator capable of applying a high voltage short pulse to a load with high efficiency, and a discharge excitation gas laser device using the same. It is aimed.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
A pulse generation circuit for generating a high voltage pulse and a pulse compression circuit for compressing the generated high voltage pulse;
Among the component parts constituting the pulse generation circuit and the pulse compression circuit, at least a part is installed in a container filled with an insulating refrigerant,
In the high-voltage pulse generator in which the component part installed in the container and the component part installed outside the container are electrically connected via the current introduction terminal,
The current introduction terminal includes a high-voltage side and a ground-side energization member.
As a result, the distance between the high-voltage side energizing member and the ground-side energizing member is shortened, so that the circuit area of the pulse generation circuit or the pulse compression circuit is reduced, the inductance is reduced, and a high voltage pulse with a short pulse width is generated. Can be generated.

The high voltage pulse generator according to the present invention is
At least one of the high-voltage side and ground-side current-carrying members has a surface structure.
As a result, the stray inductance of the current-carrying member is reduced, so that the inductance of the pulse generation circuit or the pulse compression circuit is reduced.

The high voltage pulse generator according to the present invention is
One of the high-voltage side and ground-side current-carrying members is columnar or cylindrical,
The other has a cylindrical shape surrounding it coaxially.
Thereby, a current introduction terminal can be constituted compactly.

The high voltage pulse generator according to the present invention is
The energization members on the high-voltage side and the grounding side have a flat plate shape that is disposed substantially parallel to each other.
As a result, the stray inductance of the current-carrying member is further reduced.

The discharge excitation gas laser apparatus of the present invention is
A laser chamber sealed with a laser gas;
A main discharge electrode disposed facing the inside of the laser chamber,
The main discharge is generated between the main discharge electrodes by the high voltage pulse generated from the above high voltage pulse generator, and the laser gas is excited to generate the laser beam.
As a result, a main discharge can be caused by a current having a narrow pulse width that rises quickly, so that a large amount of energy can be injected between the main discharge electrodes, and the laser light oscillation effect is improved. In addition, stable high repetition oscillation operation is possible.

The discharge excitation gas laser apparatus of the present invention is
The discharge excitation gas laser device is either an excimer laser device or a fluorine molecular laser device.
When the present invention is applied to an excimer laser device or a fluorine molecular laser device, the oscillation frequency is increased. Therefore, by using these laser devices as a light source for semiconductor exposure, the efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing is improved.

The discharge excitation gas laser apparatus of the present invention is
The discharge excitation gas laser device is a fluorine molecular laser device,
The oscillation frequency is 2 kHz or more.
In a fluorine molecular laser device, it is required to obtain an oscillation frequency of 2 kHz or more as a light source for semiconductor exposure. For this purpose, the present invention is applied to perform main discharge with a fast rising current with a narrow pulse width. It is necessary to wake up.

The discharge excitation gas laser apparatus of the present invention is
The discharge excitation gas laser device and the excimer laser device,
The oscillation frequency is 4 kHz or more.
In an excimer laser device, it is required to obtain an oscillation frequency of 4 kHz or more as a light source for semiconductor exposure. For this purpose, the present invention is applied to cause main discharge with a current having a high rise and a narrow pulse width. There is a need.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a high voltage pulse generator for generating a main discharge in a laser chamber in which a laser gas is sealed in order to excite a laser gas as a laser medium in the gas laser apparatus for exposure according to the first embodiment. Is shown.
2 is a perspective view of the high voltage pulse generator according to the first embodiment, FIG. 3 is a front view of the high voltage pulse generator as viewed from the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a diagram of the high voltage pulse generator. The side view seen from the arrow D direction of 2 is shown, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the high-voltage pulse generator includes main discharge electrodes 14 and 15 arranged in the vertical direction inside a laser chamber 12 filled with a laser gas.
A plurality of peaking capacitors Cp are arranged along the longitudinal direction on the side surface of the upper cathode 15 of the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the peaking capacitor Cp. The peaking capacitor Cp is a ceramic capacitor, and is provided with metal capacitor electrodes 30 and 30 at both ends of the cylindrical shape. The capacitor electrode 30 is provided with a threaded mounting hole 31, and a bolt can be screwed to fix the winding. The shapes of the capacitors C1 and C2 are substantially the same.
The peaking capacitor Cp is fixed so that the direction connecting the capacitor electrodes 30 on both sides is substantially perpendicular to the plane including the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15. The one-side capacitor electrode 30 is connected to the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15, and the other-side capacitor electrode 30 is grounded to the laser chamber 12.

  An opening 32 is provided in the upper part of the laser chamber 12 and is sealed with an insulating plate 33. A metal current-carrying member 34 protrudes from the upper portion of the cathode 15, penetrates through the insulating plate 33, and protrudes into the oil tank 11 installed at the upper portion of the laser chamber 12. The current conducting member 34, the insulating plate 33, and the oil tank 11 are sealed with O-rings (not shown).

At the lowermost stage inside the oil tank 11, a final stage magnetic switch SR3 having an elongated loop core is installed. In FIG. 2, as the shape of the loop, for example, a long hole shape such as a track in an athletics in which both ends of parallel straight lines are connected by curves is illustrated, but the shape is not limited thereto. For example, it may be an elongated loop shape such as an ellipse (oval) shape or a shape in which curvature is provided at four corners of a rectangle (R chamfering is performed).
In the following description, a plane parallel to the core end surface 47 is referred to as a core loop surface, and a direction parallel to the core side surface 48 is referred to as a core axial direction.

In the final stage magnetic switch SR3, the loop surface of the core is in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the opposing direction of the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15, and the major axis of the loop surface coincides with the longitudinal direction of the main discharge electrodes 14 and 15. It is installed to do.
Above the final stage magnetic switch SR3, a magnetic assist SR1 having a substantially circular core, a step-up transformer Tr, and a magnetic switch SR2 substantially match the axial direction of the core with the longitudinal direction of the main discharge electrodes 14, 15. And the central axes of the respective cores are substantially aligned.

  In the present embodiment, for cooling, the step-up transformer Tr is configured by dividing the core into three parts in the axial direction, and the magnetic switch SR1 is divided into two parts. This is because the heat dissipation of the core is performed only from both side end faces 47, 47, so that the number of end faces 47 is increased so that heat is not trapped inside the core. However, the number of divisions is not limited to this, and may not be divided.

  On both sides of the final stage magnetic switch SR3, a plurality of second capacitors C2 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the main discharge electrodes 14, 15 so that the direction connecting the capacitor electrodes 30, 30 is substantially vertical. ing. At this time, it is not essential to match the number of second capacitors C2 and the number of peaking capacitors Cp, but it is preferable.

As a result, the distance of “second capacitor C2−final stage magnetic switch SR3−peaking capacitor Cp” can be minimized, and stray inductance can be reduced. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the position of the second capacitor C2 is as close as possible to the position of the corresponding peaking capacitor Cp.
Above the second capacitor C2, approximately the same number of first capacitors C1 as the second capacitors C2 are arranged so that the direction connecting the capacitor electrodes 30, 30 along the longitudinal direction of the main discharge electrodes 14, 15 is substantially vertical. It is arranged.

The oil tank 11 is filled with insulating oil. A heat exchanger 39 for cooling the insulating oil is installed above the core inside the oil tank 11, and cooling water is introduced into the heat exchanger 39 from the outside.
As shown in FIG. 4, a cross flow fan 41 is installed on the lower side inside the oil tank 11 and on the side of the front side of the final stage magnetic switch SR3 so that the longitudinal direction of the oil tank 11 coincides (FIG. 4). 2, not shown in FIG.

  The cross flow fan 41 is driven by a motor (not shown) installed outside the oil tank 11 through, for example, a magnetic coupling (not shown), and circulates insulating oil inside the oil tank 11 (arrow 40). The dimension in the longitudinal direction of the cross flow fan 41 is as close as possible to the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the oil tank 11.

  Thereby, the insulating oil takes away the heat generated in the core, is cooled by the heat exchanger 39 and returns to the cross flow fan 41. At this time, the flow of the insulating oil passes between the core end faces 47 and 47 in parallel with the core end face 47. As described above, the core dissipates most of the heat from its both end faces 47, 47, so that heat can be efficiently taken away by passing the insulating oil between the end faces 47, 47 of the core. Cooling is possible.

Hereinafter, electrical connection will be described. The laser chamber 12 and the oil tank 11 are grounded, and the anode facing the cathode 15 is also grounded via the laser chamber 12.
The capacitor electrode 30 on the lower side of the second capacitor C2 is grounded to each oil tank 11 by a second grounding plate 36 made of copper, for example. The second winding 43 connected to the capacitor electrode 30 on the upper side of the second capacitor C2 is connected to the current conducting member 34 by turning the final stage magnetic switch SR3 by a predetermined number of turns.

  The lower capacitor electrode 30 of the first capacitor C1 is grounded to the oil tank 11 by a first ground plate 35 made of, for example, copper. In FIG. 3, the copper plate is drawn to be bent left and right in the drawing for the sake of explanation, but actually, as shown in FIG. 4, the copper plate is bent outside the second capacitor C2. ing.

Further, the upper capacitor electrodes 30 of the first capacitor C1 are short-circuited to each other by a copper plate-like electrode 29 that is passed in the horizontal direction. For example, a hole (not shown) is provided in the plate-like electrode 29, and the first winding 42 can be freely connected using a bolt and a nut. The first winding 42 is connected to the upper capacitor electrode 30 of the second capacitor C2 by turning the electrical switch SR2 by a predetermined number of turns.
Further, the secondary electrode 20 is also connected to the plate-like electrode 29, and the step-up transformer Tr is turned by a predetermined number of turns and is grounded to GND.

As shown in FIG. 3, a bipolar current introduction terminal 44 according to the embodiment is attached to the wall surface of the oil tank 11. Hereinafter, the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 will be described in detail.
6 is a front view showing the connection between the bipolar current introduction terminal 44, the magnetic switch SR1, and the step-up transformer Tr, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bipolar current introduction terminal 44. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 includes a metal column-shaped high-voltage current-carrying member 57 that penetrates the central portion, an insulating member 56 that surrounds the periphery, and a cylindrical shape around the periphery. A metal grounding side energizing member 58 surrounding and an insulating flange 59 surrounding the periphery thereof are provided.
The flange 59 is provided with an O-ring groove 60, which seals between the oil tank 11 and the wall surface by an O-ring (not shown). A bolt hole (not shown) is provided on the inner peripheral side of the O-ring groove 60 of the flange 59 and is fixed by a bolt from the outside of the oil tank 11.

  The ground-side energization member 58 of the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 is connected to one end 19 </ b> A of the primary winding 19 inside the oil tank 11. The primary winding 19 passes outside the magnetic assist SR1 and the step-up transformer Tr, and turns the step-up transformer Tr and the magnetic assist SR1 a predetermined number of times. The other end 19 </ b> B of the primary side winding 19 is connected to the high-voltage side energization member 57 of the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 inside the oil tank 11.

  On the other hand, the high-voltage side energizing member 57 is connected to the main capacitor C0 and the high-voltage side HV of the high-voltage power source CHG outside the oil tank 11. Further, the ground side energizing member 58 is connected to the solid switch SW outside the oil tank 11 (see FIG. 1).

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the current introduction terminal is a bipolar type, and one bipolar type current terminal 44 includes current-carrying members 57 and 58 on the high-voltage side and the ground side. As a result, the distance L2 between the current-carrying members is reduced, so that the area of the region 28 surrounded by the primary winding 19 is reduced.
As a result, since the inductance of the pulse generation circuit 24 is reduced, it is easy to narrow the pulse width of the voltage pulse generated by the pulse generation circuit 24.

  Further, since the ground-side current conducting member has a cylindrical shape, the floating inductance in the ground-side current conducting member is reduced, and the inductance of the pulse generation circuit 24 is similarly reduced.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the compression ratio of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25, and the charging time to the peaking capacitor Cp is shortened and high repetition oscillation is possible without increasing the size of the high voltage pulse generator.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a bipolar current introduction terminal 44 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 8, the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 includes a flat plate-type high-voltage side energization member 57 at the center, is surrounded by an insulating member 56, and has a flat plate-type ground-side energization member 58 disposed on both upper and lower sides thereof. Yes.
These members are fixed to the oil tank 11 by the flange 59. The front view when the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 is connected to the magnetic switch SR1 and the step-up transformer Tr using the primary winding 19 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  According to the second embodiment, the high-voltage side energizing member 57 is a flat plate. As a result, the stray inductance in the high-voltage side energizing member 57 is also reduced, so that the inductance of the pulse generation circuit 24 can be further reduced in addition to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bipolar current introduction terminal 44 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 9, the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 includes a rod-shaped insulating member 61 at the center and a cylindrical high-voltage side energizing member 57 surrounding the periphery. And the insulating member 56 surrounding the circumference | surroundings in the shape of a cylinder, the metal grounding side electricity supply member 58 surrounding the circumference | surroundings in the shape of a cylinder, and the insulating flange 59 surrounding the circumference | surroundings are provided.
The space between each is sealed by an O-ring (not shown).

According to the third embodiment, since the high-voltage side energizing member 57 has a cylindrical shape, the floating inductance of the high-voltage side energizing member 57 is reduced, and the entire configuration is coaxial. Becomes compact.
In the description of the first and third embodiments, the high-voltage side energizing member 57 and the ground-side energizing member 58 are columnar or cylindrical, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cross section is an ellipse or a polygon. Also, it may be columnar or cylindrical.

As an example of the circuit of the high voltage pulse generator, the case where the pulse generated by the pulse generator circuit is first amplified by the step-up transformer Tr and compressed by the magnetic pulse compression circuit 25 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the pulse compression circuit 25 may be in the preceding stage, and after the pulse is compressed, it may be amplified by the step-up transformer Tr. Alternatively, when the input is sufficiently large, the step-up transformer Tr may be omitted.
Even in such a case, since the inductance can be reduced by using the bipolar current introduction terminal 44 according to the present invention, the core of the pulse compression circuit 25 is small and the number of stages is reduced.

1 is a circuit diagram of a high voltage pulse generator according to a first embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of a high voltage pulse generator according to a first embodiment. The front view which looked at the high voltage pulse generator from the arrow C of FIG. The side view which looked at the high voltage pulse generator from the arrow D direction of FIG. The perspective view of a peaking capacitor. The front view which shows the connection of the bipolar | polar-polarity type current introduction terminal 44, a magnetic switch, and a step-up transformer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bipolar current introduction terminal 44. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bipolar current introduction terminal according to a second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bipolar current introduction terminal according to a third embodiment. The circuit diagram of the high voltage pulse generator concerning a prior art. The layout of the component parts of the high voltage pulse generator concerning a prior art. The perspective view of the current introduction terminal which concerns on a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

11: oil tank, 12: laser chamber, 14: main discharge electrode (anode), 15: main discharge electrode (cathode), 16: dielectric tube, 17: first preionization electrode, 18: second preionization electrode, 19: Primary winding, 20: Secondary winding, 21: Preionization electrode, 24: Pulse generation circuit, 25: Pulse compression circuit, 28: Region, 29: Plate electrode, 30: Capacitor electrode, 31 : Mounting hole, 32: opening, 33: insulating plate, 34: current conducting member, 35: first ground plate, 36: second ground plate, 37: first current introduction terminal, 38: second current introduction terminal, 39: Heat exchanger, 40: Oil flow, 41: Cross flow fan, 42: First winding, 43: Second winding, 44: Bipolar current introduction terminal, 47: Core electrode, 48: Core side surface, 51 : Cylindrical insulating member, 52: Rod 53: Flange, 54: O-ring groove, 56: insulating member, 57: high-pressure side energizing member, 58: ground side energizing member, 59: flange, 60: O-ring groove, 61: insulating member.

Claims (11)

A pulse generation circuit (24) for generating a high voltage pulse, and a pulse compression circuit (25) for compressing the generated high voltage pulse;
Among the component parts constituting the pulse generation circuit (24) and the pulse compression circuit (25), at least a part is installed in a container filled with an insulating refrigerant,
In the high-voltage pulse generator in which the element part installed in the container and the element part installed outside the container are electrically connected via the current introduction terminal (44),
Among the component parts constituting the pulse generation circuit (24) and the pulse compression circuit (25), at least the component parts constituting the pulse generation circuit are installed in a container filled with an insulating refrigerant,
The current introduction terminal is disposed on at least a part of the periphery of the insulating member and the high voltage side energizing member that penetrates the inside and outside of the container, the insulating member (56) surrounding the periphery of the high voltage side energizing member , and penetrates the inside and outside of the container A grounding side energizing member and an insulating flange surrounding the periphery of the high voltage side energizing member, the insulating member, and the grounding side energizing member and in close contact with the inner surface of the container to prevent the insulating refrigerant from flowing out. The high voltage pulse generator described above. A high-voltage power supply is provided outside the container,
Inside the container, the ground-side energization member of the current introduction terminal is connected to one end of the winding of the pulse generation circuit, and the other end of the winding is connected to the high-voltage side energization member of the current introduction terminal,
Outside the container, the high-voltage energization member of the current introduction terminal is connected to the high-voltage terminal side of the high-voltage power supply, and the ground-side energization member of the current introduction terminal is connected to the ground-side terminal of the high-voltage power supply. The high voltage pulse generator according to claim 1.   The high-voltage pulse generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an O-ring is provided between the insulating flange and the inner surface of the container to seal the insulating refrigerant.   The high-voltage pulse generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the high-voltage side energizing member is provided so as to surround the outside of the insulating member (61) extending in the inner and outer directions of the container, and has a cylindrical shape. In the high voltage pulse generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
At least one of the high-voltage side and ground-side current-carrying members (57, 58) has a surface shape. The high voltage pulse generator according to claim 5,
One of the high-voltage side and ground-side current-carrying members (57, 58) is columnar or cylindrical,
A high-voltage pulse generator characterized in that the other has a cylindrical shape surrounding it coaxially. The high voltage pulse generator according to claim 5,
The high-voltage pulse generator according to claim 1, wherein the high-voltage side and ground-side current-carrying members (57, 58) have a flat plate shape arranged substantially parallel to each other. In the discharge excitation gas laser device,
A laser chamber (12) in which a laser gas is sealed;
A main discharge electrode (14, 15) disposed facing the inside of the laser chamber (12),
A main discharge is generated between the main discharge electrodes (14, 15) by the high voltage pulse generated from the high voltage pulse generator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the laser gas is excited to generate laser light. A discharge-excited gas laser device. In the discharge excitation gas laser device according to claim 8,
The discharge excitation gas laser device is either an excimer laser device or a fluorine molecular laser device. In the discharge excitation gas laser device according to claim 9,
The discharge excitation gas laser device is a fluorine molecular laser device,
An oscillation frequency is 2 kHz or more. In the discharge excitation gas laser device according to claim 9,
The discharge excitation gas laser device is an excimer laser device;
An oscillation frequency is 4 kHz or more. A discharge excitation gas laser device characterized in that the oscillation frequency is 4 kHz or more.

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