Device and method for separating oxygen isotopes

An apparatus for separating oxygen isotopes in oxygen gas, which comprises in combination:

• a. means for generating laser radiation at wavelengths characteristic of an ArF gain medium;
• b. means for tuning said ArF laser radiation to absorption bands of the oxygen gas which are preferentially absorbed by oxygen molecules containing the oxygen isotopes to be separated, said preferential absorption of said laser radiation causing photodissociation of the absorbing oxygen molecules;
• c. means for directing said laser radiation into the oxygen gas;
• d. means for separating atoms produced from said photodissociation of said oxygen molecules from the oxygen gas, said atoms being enriched in the oxygen isotope to be separated;
• and
• e. means for generating isotopically enriched molecular oxygen gas from sid separated oxygen atoms.

A method for separating isotopes of oxygen in oxygen gas, which comprises the steps of:

• a. generating laser radiation at approximately 193 nm;
• b. filtering said laser radiation, to produce interaction radiation approximately coincident with dissociative absorption bands of the oxygen isotope to be separated and preferentially absorbed thereby;
• c. irradiating the oxygen gas with said interaction radiation to preferentially photodissociate oxygen molecules containing the oxygen isotope to be separated in the oxygen gas thereby producing oxygen atoms enriched in te oxygen isotope to be separated;
• and
• d. combining said oxygen atoms with a scavenger to form a product separable from the oxygen gas and enriched in the oxygen isotope to be separated.

An apparatus for separating oxygen isotopes in oxygen gas said apparatus producing as product oxygen gas having an enriched oxygen isotopic composition, said apparatus comprising in combination;

• a. means for generating laser radiation to preferentially photodissociate oxygen molecules in gaseous oxygen containing the oxygen isotope to be separated, said laser radiation generating means further comprising:
• i. an optical cavity resonator;
• ii. an ArF discharge cell located inside said optical cavity resonator, said discharge cell providing the lasing medium for said laser radiation generating means;
• and
• iii. means for tuning said laser radiation to a photodissociative absorption band of the oxygen molecules containing the oxygen isotope to be separated, said laser radiation tuning means being located inside of said optical cavity resonator;
• and
• iv. means for narrowing the spectral bandwidth of said laser radiation to preferentially photodissociate into oxygen atoms the oxygen molecules in the gaseous oxygen containing the oxygen isotope to be separated, said spectral bandwidth narrowing means being located inside of said optical cavity resonator;
• b. means for directing said laser radiation into the oxygen gas;
• and
• c. means for collecting said oxygen atoms and generating therefrom molecular oxygen gas enriched in the oxygen isotope to be separated.