Gas discharge laser having a buffer gas of neon
AssigneeGTE Sylvania Incorporated
InventorTheodore S. Fahlen
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Abstract
The output power and efficiency of a gas discharge laser is substantially improved by the substitution of neon (Ne) for helium (He) as a buffer in the lasing medium. One embodiment of the invention is a pulsed excimer laser having a lasing gas comprising a mixture of krypton (Kr) and fluorine (F.sub.2). Use of Ne with the KrF excimer lasing medium further enables advantageous utilization of corona wire pre-ionization to initiate the main discharge of this type of laser.
Claims4
In an excimer laser comprising a chamber, spaced electrodes in said chamber defining a discharge zone therebetween, a source of d-c power, energy storage capacitor means electrically connected to said electrodes and to said source and adapted to be charged by the latter, switch means electrically connected between said capacitor means and said electrodes and operable to apply the charge voltage of said capacitor means across said electrodes, a lasing gas mixture in said chamber having a lasing gas selected from the group consisting of Ar and F.sub.2, Xe and F.sub.2, Xe and Br.sub.2, Hg and Br.sub.2, Hg and Cl.sub.2, Xe and Cl.sub.2 and Kr and F.sub.2, said electrodes producing an electric discharge in said gas in said zone when said switch means is actuated whereby to convert said gas mixture to ArF, XeF, XeBr, HgBr, HgCl, XeCl and KrF, respectively, and optical means aligned with said discharge zone defining a laser cavity, the improvement consisting of
- a buffer gas of Ne in said mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.