JPH11274662A - Excimer laser device, excimer laser work system and its gas supply/exhaust method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify gas piping for gas supply/exhaust in an excimer laser device, to reduce the leakage of gas, and to stably oscillate a laser. SOLUTION: An excimer laser device 2 supplying the plural types of laser gases is provided with supply piping 8 for gas supply. Gas supply piping 8 is branched in a bomb box 10 and is connected to the plural types of gas bombs. A plurality of excimer laser devices 2 are connected to one gas supply device and one gas exhaust device. The gas supply device and the gas exhaust device supply and exhaust gas to/from a plurality of excimer laser devices 2. When the supply/exhaust of gas are required, gas is supplied/exhausted based on the request of gas supply/exhaust from the respective excimer laser devices 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for supplying and exhausting a laser gas of an excimer laser device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An excimer laser apparatus mixes a laser gas composed of a halogen gas (F2, etc.), a rare gas (Ar, Kr, etc.) and a buffer gas (He, Ne, etc.) in a laser chamber, and causes discharge to occur. The laser light is oscillated by the excitation. For this reason, it is necessary to connect the laser chamber and the gas cylinder in which the laser gas is sealed by a gas supply pipe via a valve, and supply an appropriate amount of the laser gas into the laser chamber. In addition, the laser chamber and the vacuum exhaust unit are connected by an exhaust line so that gas (including air) inside the laser chamber can be exhausted.

Further, these laser gases deteriorate with time in accordance with the oscillation of the excimer laser, and the laser output decreases. Therefore, after oscillating for a certain period of time,
It is necessary to perform a work called halogen injection for supplying a small amount of the halogen gas to the laser chamber.
At this time, a small amount of evacuation may be performed to keep the gas pressure in the laser chamber constant. If the halogen injection does not prevent the laser output from lowering even if the halogen injection is performed, it is necessary to exhaust all the laser gas in the laser chamber by the vacuum exhaust unit and supply a new laser gas. There is.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-29591. A conventional technique will be described below with reference to FIG. In the figure, a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2C are connected to exposure devices 1A to 1C, which are processing machines, and supply laser beams to the respective exposure devices 1A to 1C. These excimer laser devices 2A to 2C
Are connected to the vacuum evacuation unit 4 via the evacuation line 5 so as to exhaust the gas inside. The excimer laser devices 2A to 2C and the exposure devices 1A to 1C
The vacuum exhaust unit 4 is installed in a clean area where the cleanness is not so high, which is called a gray zone outside the cream room, where the dust in the air is extremely small and the cleanness is high.

As described above, in this publication, one vacuum exhaust unit 4 is connected to a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2A.
C is commonly used to exhaust the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C. Thereby, the evacuation unit 4
Installation space and exhaust line 5
Is shortened to simplify the configuration of the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C.

[0006]

However, the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-29591 includes:
There are the following problems.

As described above, the excimer laser device 2A
2C, it is necessary to connect the gas cylinders of the halogen gas, the rare gas, and the buffer gas to the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C with the gas supply piping via valves for gas supply. Although there is no description about this air supply pipe in the prior art, one excimer laser device 2A is generally used.
For ~ 2C, three air supply pipes connected from each gas cylinder are required. For this reason, the number of pipes is large, and arranging and connecting them requires a great deal of labor. In addition, since there are many connection points, gas leakage is likely to occur, and the laser output may decrease due to impurities mixed into the laser gas.

Further, since each of the above gas cylinders is brought in from the outside, it takes a great deal of time to remove the dirt on the surface of the gas cylinder when it is installed in a clean area. It is usually placed. Therefore, the distance from each gas cylinder to each of the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C becomes long (usually several meters or more). Generally, a stainless steel pipe used for the air supply pipe has a fixed length of about 3 to 5 m for convenience of transportation, and a plurality of pipes are used to form the air supply pipe. Must be connected to each other by means such as joints.
When arranging and connecting pipes in the clean area, it is necessary to wear special dustproof clothing, and cleaning of the surface is required when bringing pipes from outside into the clean area. Requires much more work than normal work.

Furthermore, a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A
When 2C is provided, it is necessary to prepare gas cylinders, valves, and air supply pipes by the number thereof. For this reason, the configuration of the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C becomes complicated, and the manufacturing cost increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an excimer laser apparatus and a gas supply / exhaust method which can supply and exhaust gas with a simple configuration. It is intended to be.

[0011]

Means for Solving the Problems, Action and Effect In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to the first configuration comprises a laser chamber 7, in which a plurality of types of laser gas cylinders are provided. In the excimer laser device 2 for supplying air, one gas supply pipe 8 for the gas supply is provided, and the gas supply pipe 8 is branched outside the excimer laser device 2 and is connected to the plurality of types of gas cylinders. It is connected.

According to the invention described in the first configuration, one gas supply pipe for supplying laser gas from the gas cylinder to the laser chamber is provided, and this gas supply pipe branches off outside the excimer laser device. Connected to gas cylinder. Thus, the number of pipes between the gas cylinder and the excimer laser device is reduced to one, so that labor for arranging and connecting the air supply pipe of the excimer laser device is reduced. Also,
Since the number of connection points of the air supply pipe is reduced, the possibility of gas leakage is reduced, the contamination of the laser gas with impurities is reduced, the laser output is less likely to be reduced, and the excimer laser can be operated stably. it can.

According to the invention described in the second configuration, in the excimer laser device 2 described in the first configuration, the position where the air supply pipe 8 branches is a gray zone where the gas cylinder is placed.

According to the invention described in the second configuration, one gas supply pipe for supplying the laser gas to the laser chamber is branched to each gas cylinder in a gray zone where the gas cylinder is placed. This reduces piping work in a clean area where special dustproof clothing must be worn, thereby reducing piping work.

According to the invention described in the third configuration, in the excimer laser device 2 according to the first or second configuration, the position where the air supply pipe 8 branches is the position of the cylinder box 10 that houses the gas cylinder. Inside.

According to the invention described in the third configuration, one air supply pipe is branched inside the cylinder box for storing the gas cylinder. Since most of the pipe connection points are concentrated inside the limited space called the cylinder box,
Gas leaks in piping can be easily found. Thereby, the laser can be stably operated while preventing impurities from being mixed into the pipe.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the excimer laser device 2 according to any one of the first to third aspects, the gas inside the laser chamber 7 is supplied to the outside via the air supply pipe 8. Exhaust.

According to the invention described in the fourth configuration, the laser gas is exhausted through the one air supply pipe. Thereby, the supply / exhaust piping connected to the laser chamber is reduced by one.
Since only books are needed, the labor for arranging the piping can be further reduced. Further, since the number of connection ports of piping provided in the laser chamber is reduced, the laser chamber can be manufactured at low cost.

The invention according to a fifth configuration is directed to an excimer laser processing system including a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2C for supplying laser gas from a plurality of types of laser gas cylinders into a laser chamber 7. The excimer laser devices 2A to 2C are provided with one gas supply pipe 8 for the air supply, and each of the gas supply pipes 8 is joined outside the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C, and this joined. One gas supply device is connected to the supply pipe 8.

According to the invention described in the fifth configuration, the plurality of excimer laser devices are provided with one gas supply pipe,
The gas supply pipe is connected outside the excimer laser device, and one gas supply apparatus is connected to the gas supply pipe. Accordingly, the laser gas can be supplied from one gas supply device to a plurality of excimer laser devices, so that it is not necessary to provide gas supply devices by the number of excimer laser devices, and the cost of the excimer laser processing system is reduced. Decrease. Further, since the number of air supply pipes is reduced, the work of arranging the pipes is simplified.

Further, according to the invention described in the sixth configuration, in the gas supply / exhaust method for the excimer laser device 2, the plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2C include one gas supply device and one gas exhaust device. Thus, gas supply and exhaust are performed, respectively.

According to the invention described in the sixth configuration, a plurality of excimer laser devices are supplied and exhausted by one gas supply device and one gas exhaust device. This eliminates the necessity of providing a gas supply device and a gas exhaust device for a plurality of excimer laser devices, and reduces the overall cost of the excimer laser device 2 including the gas supply device and the gas exhaust device. I do. Further, since the number of supply / exhaust pipes is reduced, the work required for arranging and connecting the pipes is simplified.

Further, the invention according to the seventh configuration is the same as the sixth configuration,
In the gas supply / exhaust method for the excimer laser device 2 described in the configuration, when gas supply / exhaust is required, gas supply / exhaust is performed based on the supply / exhaust request from each of the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C. I have to.

According to the invention described in the seventh configuration, only for an excimer laser device that requires gas supply or exhaust,
Gas supply and exhaust are selectively performed based on an interrupt request for supply or exhaust from the excimer laser device. Thereby, in addition to the effect of the sixth configuration, for example, when the output of the laser is lowered and the halogen injection or the total gas exchange has to be performed, it is possible to selectively and immediately cope with a small number of pipes. The excimer laser device can be operated stably for a long period of time.

[0025]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition,
The same elements as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of an excimer laser device 2 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, an excimer laser device 2 and a processing device 1 (corresponding to a conventional exposure device 1) are installed in a clean area, and a laser beam 6 emitted from the excimer laser device 2 is guided to the processing device 1, and Fine processing is performed inside. The excimer laser device 2 applies energy to a laser gas through discharge inside a laser chamber 7 to perform laser oscillation.

The excimer laser device 2 is provided with a laser controller 3 for oscillating a laser, monitoring its power and wavelength, and controlling them. The laser controller 3 controls a motor 12 for driving a fan (not shown) for circulating the laser gas, a power supply 13 for supplying power for causing the discharge, and a wavelength and power of the laser beam 6. The excimer laser device 2 is controlled by outputting a command to the optical module 14 and the like. Further, the entire excimer laser device 2 is covered with a laser housing 16 so that an operator does not approach the rotating motor 12 or the power supply 13 that generates a high voltage.

One laser supply pipe 8 is connected to the laser chamber 7. This air supply pipe 8 is branched into three in the gray zone, and each branch is provided with each of the valves 9A to 9A.
Via 9C, it is connected to each gas cylinder (not shown) of laser gas such as helium, krypton, fluorine and the like also installed in the gray zone. Hereinafter, these valves 9A to 9C and each gas cylinder are referred to as a gas supply device.

An exhaust pipe 5 (corresponding to an exhaust line in the prior art) is connected to the laser chamber 7. The exhaust pipe 5 is connected to a vacuum pump 20 via an exhaust valve 11 so that the gas in the laser chamber 7 can be exhausted. These vacuum pumps 2
0 and the exhaust valve 11 correspond to the vacuum exhaust unit 4 in the related art, and these are hereinafter referred to as a gas exhaust device. This gas exhaust device is installed in a gray zone like the gas supply device. In addition, each of these valves 9A
9C, the exhaust valve 11 and the vacuum pump 20 are operated and controlled by commands from a gas controller 19 equipped with a microcomputer, for example. This gas controller 1
Numeral 9 supplies and exhausts gas according to a command from the laser controller 3.

At this time, it is desirable that the branch of the gas supply pipe 8 and the gas supply device are arranged in a cylinder box 10 for accommodating each gas cylinder.
The cylinder box 10 is a box-shaped container made of, for example, an iron plate or the like. When a gas leak occurs, the gas is processed by a fan (not shown) or the like so that the gas does not leak into the atmosphere. It is general that the air is exhausted to the processing apparatus. In some cases, a gas leak detector (not shown) for detecting a gas leak may be mounted in the cylinder box 10. Also, as shown by the dotted line in the figure, the cylinder box 1
It is also possible to house the gas exhaust device and the gas controller 19 in the inside of the cylinder box 10 so that all the devices related to gas supply and exhaust are concentrated in the cylinder box 10.

At this time, the gas purifier 15 is connected to the supply pipe 8 and the exhaust pipe 5 as indicated by a chain line in FIG.
May be connected. The gas purifying device 15 has a built-in purifying means such as a filter and a gas circulation pump, and removes impurities generated in the laser gas, thereby keeping the laser gas clean and preventing a decrease in laser power. The laser oscillates stably for a long time.

As described above, in the present embodiment, one air supply pipe 8 is provided inside the laser housing 16, which is branched into three outside the laser housing 16, and each is branched into three gas cylinders. Connected to This branch is made in the gray zone, and more preferably, it is made inside the cylinder box 10. Thus, since the gas supply pipe 8 from the gas supply apparatus to the laser chamber 7 which is conventionally required to be three is constituted by one, the labor of arranging and connecting the gas supply pipe 8 is reduced. be able to. In addition, since the number of connection points is reduced, the possibility of gas leakage is reduced, impurities are less likely to be mixed into the laser gas, and the power of the laser is hardly reduced. Further, since the connection port of the air supply pipe provided in the laser chamber 7 is provided at one location, the laser chamber 7 can be manufactured at low cost. In addition, piping work in a clean area where special dustproof clothing must be worn is reduced, so that piping work can be reduced.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same elements as those in FIGS. 1 and 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. In the figure, one gas supply pipe 8 is connected to the laser chamber 7.
This air supply pipe 8 branches into the air supply pipe 8 and the exhaust pipe 5 outside the laser housing 16. The exhaust pipe 5 is connected to a vacuum pump 20 via an exhaust valve 11 as in the first embodiment. The air supply pipe 8 is branched into three in the cylinder box 10 and connected to helium, krypton, and fluorine gas cylinders (not shown) via valves 9A to 9C, respectively.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, gas supply and exhaust are performed through one supply pipe 8. Thus, the number of pipes connected to the laser chamber 7 can be reduced to one for supply and exhaust, so that the work of piping can be reduced. Laser chamber 7
Since there is only one connection port for the piping for air supply and exhaust,
The manufacturing of the laser chamber 7 can be made inexpensive.

Further, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2C are connected to processing devices 1A to 1C, respectively, and a laser beam (not shown) is guided inside to perform processing. In each of the laser chambers 7A to 7C,
Exhaust pipes 5A to 5C are connected respectively. These exhaust pipes 5A to 5C are respectively provided with exhaust valves 11A to 5C.
It is connected to one exhaust pipe 5 via A to 11C and connected to a vacuum pump 20.

Each of the laser chambers 7A to 7C has:
Each of the air supply pipes 8A to 8C is connected. These air supply pipes 8A to 8C are connected to one air supply pipe 8 via air supply selection valves 21A to 21C, respectively. Furthermore, the air supply pipe 8 branches into three pipes,
Helium, krypton, and fluorine gas cylinders are connected via valves 9A to 9C, respectively. With the above configuration, a single gas supply device supplies laser gas to a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2C, and a single gas exhaust device supplies a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2C. Exhaust. Here, the gas supply device, the gas exhaust device, and the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C are collectively referred to as an excimer laser processing system.

The gas supply device and the gas exhaust device are connected to each excimer laser device 2A according to a predetermined procedure.
給 2C gas is supplied and exhausted. The supply and exhaust of the gas are performed by receiving a signal output from the gas controller 19, opening and closing the above valves, and operating the vacuum pump 20.

The gas controller 19 is capable of bidirectional communication with the laser controllers 3A to 3C provided in each of the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C. Then, any one of the laser controllers 3A to 3C
On the other hand, when a signal for requesting the halogen injection or the total gas exchange is output, the gas is selectively supplied / exhausted to the corresponding excimer laser devices 2A to 2C according to the request signal.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure when any one of the laser controllers 3A to 3C outputs a signal for requesting the halogen injection or the total gas exchange to the gas controller 19. . Here, each step number is represented by adding S to it.

First, when starting up the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C, a total gas exchange command is output to the gas controller 19 to perform total gas exchange (S1). Then, laser oscillation is performed (S2), and it is determined whether a predetermined gas exchange time has come (S3). If the gas exchange time has come, laser oscillation is stopped (S4), and total gas exchange is performed. A command is output to the gas controller 19 (S5), and the process waits until the gas total exchange end notification is received from the gas controller 19 (S6). Then, if the gas total exchange end notification comes from the gas controller 19,
Returning to S2, the laser oscillation is continued. S4 to S
Step 6 is referred to as a total gas exchange flow. If the gas exchange time has not come in S3, the process shifts to S7 to monitor whether the laser power is normal (S7).
If the power of the laser is normal, the process returns to S2 to continue laser oscillation. If the power is abnormal, it is determined whether to perform halogen injection or total gas exchange (S8). When performing the halogen injection, the halogen injection command is sent to the gas controller 19.
(S9), and waits for the halogen injection end notification from the gas controller 19 (S10). Then, the halogen injection end notification is sent to the gas controller 1.
If it comes from 9, the process returns to S2 to perform laser oscillation. When the total gas exchange is performed in S8, the flow proceeds to S4 to execute the total gas exchange flow.
Then, the laser oscillation is performed. Note that S3 is omitted,
In some cases, the total gas exchange is not performed every predetermined gas exchange time.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for the gas controller 19 to supply and exhaust gas in response to commands from the laser controllers 3A to 3C.
First, an operation command is output from the gas controller 19 to the vacuum pump 20 (S11). Next, it is determined whether or not the total gas exchange command has come from the laser controllers 3A to 3C. S12). Then, when the total gas exchange command is received, it is determined which laser controller 3A to 3C it came from, and a total gas exchange process is performed for the corresponding laser controller 3A to 3C (S13). Hereinafter, a case where the total gas exchange of the excimer laser device 2A is performed will be described as an example. First, an open command is output to the exhaust valve 11A, and the gas inside the laser chamber 7A is exhausted to a predetermined pressure (S15A). Next, a close command is output to the exhaust valve 11A (S16A), and an open command is output to the air supply selection valve 21A (S17A). And each valve 9A-9C
Then, a command for sequentially opening and closing in a predetermined order is output to supply each laser gas to the laser chamber 7A at a predetermined pressure (S18).
A) After the air supply ends, a close command is output to the air supply selection valve 21A to close it (S19A). Then, the end of the total gas exchange is transmitted to the laser controller 3A (S20A). The above S15A to S20A correspond to the total gas exchange processing in the excimer laser device 2A. Excimer laser device 2
When the total gas exchange for B and 2C is performed, the same procedure is performed as shown in FIG. S11 to S13, S1 above
The procedure of 5A to S20C is hereinafter referred to as a main flow.

During this time, the gas controller 19 constantly monitors the signals from the laser controllers 3A to 3C, and when receiving the halogen injection request signal, generates an interrupt process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the interrupt processing.

In the figure, all the valves (the valves 9A to 9C, the exhaust valves 11A to 11C, and the air supply selection valves 21A) are immediately set upon the start of the interrupt processing.
To 21C), and the step at the time of occurrence of an interrupt in the main flow is stored (S31). Then, it is determined which of the laser controllers 3A to 3C the halogen injection request signal is from, and a halogen injection process is performed on the corresponding laser controllers 3A to 3C (S32). Hereinafter, a case where halogen injection is performed on the excimer laser device 2C will be described as an example. First, an open command is output to the air supply selection valve 21C and the valve 9A to supply fluorine (S34).
C) When a predetermined pressure is reached, a close command is output to the air supply selection valve 21C and the valve 9A to stop the fluorine air supply (S35C). Then, an open command is output to the exhaust valve 11C to lower the pressure of the laser gas to a predetermined value (S36).
C) When the pressure of the laser gas reaches a predetermined value, a close command is output to the exhaust valve 11C (S37C). Note that S36A to S36C and S37A to S37C surrounded by dotted lines
May not be performed. Then, a halogen injection termination command is output to the laser controller 3C, the interruption process is terminated, and the operation returns to the stored step of the main flow to resume the interrupted work (S40). The above S34C to S38C correspond to the halogen injection in the excimer laser device 2C. In the case of request signals from the other laser controllers 3A and 3B, the same may be performed as shown in FIG.

At this time, the total gas exchange is performed in the main flow, and the halogen injection is performed in the interrupt processing. However, both may be performed in the interrupt processing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a single gas supply device is used to convert a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2A to two.
The laser gas is supplied to 2C. Thereby, the number of the air supply pipes 8 is reduced to a plurality of excimer laser devices 2A to 2A.
Since the number is one for C, the work of arranging and connecting the air supply pipe 8 is simplified. Further, since the number of gas supply devices and gas exhaust devices is reduced, the manufacturing cost of the excimer laser processing system can be reduced. Furthermore, since the number of connection points of the pipes is reduced, the possibility of gas leakage is reduced, the possibility that the laser power is reduced due to contamination of the laser chamber 7 with impurities is reduced, and the operation rate of the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C is reduced. improves.

Further, only for the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C which need gas supply or exhaust, gas supply and exhaust are selectively performed based on the supply or exhaust interruption request from the excimer laser devices. Exhausting. Thereby, for example, when the power of one of the excimer laser devices 2A to 2C is reduced and the halogen injection or the total gas exchange has to be performed, the excimer laser device 2A can selectively respond immediately with a small number of pipes. The laser device can be operated stably for a long period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an excimer laser device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an excimer laser device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an excimer laser device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a laser controller for supplying and discharging gas.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a gas controller for supplying and discharging gas.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a gas controller that interrupts supply and exhaust of gas.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a gas exhaust device of an excimer laser device according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Processing apparatus, 2A-2C ... Excimer laser apparatus, 3 ...
Laser controller, 5: exhaust pipe, 6: laser beam, 7: laser chamber, 8: air supply pipe, 9A to 9C: valve,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... cylinder box, 11 ... exhaust valve, 12 ... motor, 13 ... power supply, 14 ... optical module, 15 ... gas purification apparatus, 16 ... laser housing, 17 ... processing apparatus, 19 ... gas controller, 20 ... vacuum pump , 21 ... air supply selection valve.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Noriyuki Iwasawa 1200 Manda, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Komatsu Ltd.

Claims (7)

[Claims] An excimer laser device (2) having a laser chamber (7) and supplying a laser gas from a gas cylinder of a plurality of types of laser gas into the laser chamber (7).
, An air supply pipe (8) for the air supply is provided, and the air supply pipe (8) is branched outside the excimer laser device (2) and connected to the plurality of types of gas cylinders. An excimer laser device (2). 2. The excimer laser device according to claim 1,
The excimer laser device (2) according to (2), wherein a position where the air supply pipe (8) branches is a gray zone where the gas cylinder is placed. 3. The excimer laser device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the position where the air supply pipe (8) branches off is inside a cylinder box (10) that stores the gas cylinder. An excimer laser device (2), characterized in that: 4. The excimer laser device (2) according to claim 1, wherein gas inside the laser chamber (7) is exhausted to the outside via the air supply pipe (8). An excimer laser device (2), characterized in that: 5. An excimer laser processing system comprising a plurality of excimer laser devices (2A to 2C) for supplying laser gas from a plurality of types of laser gas cylinders into a laser chamber (7). To 2C) are provided with one air supply pipe (8) for the air supply, and each of the air supply pipes (8) is provided with an excimer laser device (2A to 2C).
An excimer laser processing system characterized in that one gas supply device is connected to the connected supply pipe (8) outside of the apparatus. 6. A gas supply / exhaust method for an excimer laser device (2), wherein a plurality of excimer laser devices (2A to 2C) are supplied with gas by one gas supply device and one gas exhaust device. A gas supply / exhaust method for an excimer laser device (2), wherein the gas is supplied and exhausted. 7. The excimer laser device according to claim 6, wherein:
In the gas supply / exhaust method of (2), when the gas supply / exhaust is required, each of the excimer laser devices
An excimer laser device for supplying and exhausting gas based on a supply or exhaust request from (2A to 2C)
(2) Gas supply / exhaust method.