What is MOPA Technology?

MOPA – or Master Oscillator Power Amplifier – technology was a breakthrough in the DUV light source design. In single chamber light sources there was a trade-off between bandwidth and power, often compromising performance and cost effectiveness. In the MOPA design, there are two gas discharge chambers. The first – the Master Oscillator (MO) – generates an extremely tight spectrum of light at low energy. This light is then passed through a second chamber, the Power Amplifier (PA), which intensifies the light to deliver the necessary power levels required for manufacturing throughput. Each chamber is controlled separately, and the resulting light has tighter bandwidth controls and higher power output. This gives chip makers an increase in productivity while patterning smaller features.