What is the process called that uses light energy to generate ATP?

The process that uses light energy to generate ATP is called photophosphorylation.

Photophosphorylation is part of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. Photons energize electrons in photosystems, and the resulting electron transport helps pump protons across the thylakoid membrane. This creates a proton gradient, storing potential energy across the membrane.

Protons then flow back through ATP synthase, an enzyme that uses this movement to join ADP with inorganic phosphate and produce ATP. The ATP supplies energy for the Calvin cycle, which occurs later in the chloroplast stroma. Non-cyclic photophosphorylation also produces NADPH and oxygen as part of the wider light-reaction sequence.

Cyclic photophosphorylation follows a different electron route around photosystem I and produces ATP without producing NADPH or releasing oxygen from water. This is why photophosphorylation is broader than either specific pathway. Oxidative phosphorylation is the related ATP-making process driven by chemical electron-transfer energy, not light.