Plasma cell for providing VUV filtering in a laser-sustained plasma light source

A plasma cell in a laser-sustained plasma light source, the plasma cell comprising:

• a plasma bulb filled with a gas suitable for generating a plasma, the plasma bulb being substantially transparent to light emanated from a pump laser when the laser-sustained plasma light source is in operation to sustain the gas contained in the plasma bulb in a plasma state within the plasma bulb, the plasma bulb further being substantially transparent to at least a portion of a collectable spectral region of illumination emitted by the gas in the plasma state when the laser-sustained plasma light source is in operation, wherein a filter layer is disposed on an interior surface of the plasma bulb;
• and
• a filter assembly disposed within an internal volume of the plasma bulb, the filter assembly establishing a separation from the plasma bulb, wherein the filter assembly blocks a selected spectral region of the illumination emitted by the gas in the plasma state when the laser-sustained plasma light source is in operation,
• wherein the filter layer is thermally coupled to a thermal management sub-system, wherein the thermal management sub-system includes at least one of a heat exchanger or a heat sink, wherein the thermal management sub-system maintains the filter layer disposed on the interior surface of the plasma bulb at substantially the same temperature as the filter assembly when the laser-sustained plasma light source is in operation.