US 9,806,490 B2Granted

Laser system

AssigneeGigaphoton Inc.

InventorsHiroshi Umeda, Takeshi Asayama, Osamu Wakabayashi

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Abstract

The laser system may include a delay circuit unit, first and second trigger-correction units, and a clock generator. The delay circuit unit may receive a trigger signal, output a first delay signal obtained by delaying the trigger signal by a first delay time, and output a second delay signal obtained by delaying the trigger signal by a second delay time. The first trigger-correction unit may receive the first delay signal and output a first switch signal obtained by delaying the first delay signal by a first correction time. The second trigger-correction unit may receive the second delay signal and output a second switch signal obtained by delaying the second delay signal by a second correction time. The clock generator may generate a clock signal that is common to the delay circuit unit and the first and second trigger-correction units.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A laser system comprising:

a delay circuit unit configured to receive a trigger signal, output a first delay signal representing that a first delay time has passed since the delay circuit unit received the trigger signal, and output a second delay signal representing that a second delay time has passed since the delay circuit unit received the trigger signal;
a first trigger-correction unit configured to receive the first delay signal and output a first switch signal representing that a first correction time has passed since the first trigger-correction unit received the first delay signal;
a second trigger-correction unit configured to receive the second delay signal and output a second switch signal representing that a second correction time has passed since the second trigger-correction unit received the second delay signal;
a first laser apparatus including
a first capacitor,
a first charger configured to apply voltage to the first capacitor,
a first switch configured to receive the first switch signal and allow the first capacitor to output a pulse current,
a first magnetic compression circuit configured to compress the pulse current outputted from the first capacitor,
a first chamber containing laser gas,
a first pair of discharge electrodes provided in the first chamber and connected to the first magnetic compression circuit, and
a first discharge timing detector configured to detect discharge between the first pair of discharge electrodes and output a first discharge detection signal;
a second laser apparatus including
a second capacitor,
a second charger configured to apply voltage to the second capacitor,
a second switch configured to receive the second switch signal and allow the second capacitor to output a pulse current,
a second magnetic compression circuit configured to compress the pulse current outputted from the second capacitor,
a second chamber containing laser gas,
a second pair of discharge electrodes provided in the second chamber and connected to the second magnetic compression circuit, and
a second discharge timing detector configured to detect discharge between the second pair of discharge electrodes and output a second discharge detection signal;
and
a clock generator configured to generate a clock signal that is common to the delay circuit unit, the first trigger-correction unit and the second trigger-correction unit, wherein
the first trigger-correction unit receives the first discharge detection signal and sets the first correction time so that a first elapsed time between a timing of receiving the first delay signal and a timing of receiving the first discharge detection signal approaches a first target value, and
the second trigger-correction unit receives the second discharge detection signal and sets the second correction time so that a second elapsed time between a timing of receiving the second delay signal and a timing of receiving the second discharge detection signal approaches a second target value.

20 more elements

A laser system comprising:

a first laser apparatus including
a first delay circuit unit configured to receive a trigger signal and output a first delay signal representing that a first delay time has passed since the first delay circuit unit received the trigger signal,
a first trigger-correction unit configured to receive the first delay signal and output a first switch signal representing that a first correction time has passed since the first trigger-correction unit received the first delay signal,
a first clock generator configured to generate a clock signal that is common to the first delay circuit unit and the first trigger-correction unit,
a first capacitor,
a first charger configured to apply voltage to the first capacitor,
a first switch configured to receive the first switch signal and allow the first capacitor to output a pulse current,
a first magnetic compression circuit configured to compress the pulse current outputted from the first capacitor,
a first chamber containing laser gas,
a first pair of discharge electrodes provided in the first chamber and connected to the first magnetic compression circuit, and
a first discharge timing detector configured to detect discharge between the first pair of discharge electrodes and output a first discharge detection signal;
and
a second laser apparatus including
a second delay circuit unit configured to receive the trigger signal and output a second delay signal representing that a second delay time has passed since the second delay circuit unit received the trigger signal,
a second trigger-correction unit configured to receive the second delay signal and output a second switch signal representing that a second correction time has passed since the second trigger-correction unit received the second delay signal,
a second clock generator configured to generate a clock signal that is common to the second delay circuit unit and the second trigger-correction unit,
a second capacitor,
a second charger configured to apply voltage to the second capacitor,
a second switch configured to receive the second switch signal and allow the second capacitor to output a pulse current,
a second magnetic compression circuit configured to compress the pulse current outputted from the second capacitor,
a second chamber containing laser gas,
a second pair of discharge electrodes provided in the second chamber and connected to the second magnetic compression circuit, and
a second discharge timing detector configured to detect discharge between the second pair of discharge electrodes and output a second discharge detection signal, wherein
the first trigger-correction unit receives the first discharge detection signal and sets the first correction time so that a first elapsed time between a timing of receiving the first delay signal and a timing of receiving the first discharge detection signal approaches a first target value, and
the second trigger-correction unit receives the second discharge detection signal and sets the second correction time so that a second elapsed time between a timing of receiving the second delay signal and a timing of receiving the second discharge detection signal approaches a second target value.

22 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/354,670Filed 17 Nov 2016 · continuation
Priority: WO PCT/JP2014/0652429 Jun 2014
Published: US 2017/0070023 A19 Mar 2017
Granted: 31 Oct 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

H01S 3/09702
By gas discharge of a gas laser: details of the driver electronics and electric discharge circuits
B23K 26/00
Working by laser beam
B23K 26/0608
By a combination of beams: in the same heat affected zone [HAZ]
H01S 3/1394
By controlling the mutual position or the reflecting properties of the reflectors of the cavity , e.g. by controlling the cavity length: by using…