Patent ID: 7039086
Filing Date: 2006-05-02
Classification: G03F,H01S

Abstract:
1. A gas discharge laser timing control system for a two chambered gas discharge laser system operating at discharge repetition rates of in excess of 3000 Hz and having a first chamber providing a seed laser beam to a second amplifying chamber, with each of the first chamber and second chamber receiving a pulse of electrical energy across a respective pair of discharge electrodes, after a respective initial charging capacitor in a respective electrical pulse energy source is charged from a charging circuit, and alter the triggering of a first solid state switch connected to the respective electrical pulse energy source for the first chamber and after the triggering of a second solid state switch connected to the respective electrical pulse energy source for the second chamber, comprising: a fire control command module receiving a first fire control input signal and, responsive to the first fire control input signal, providing a charging initiation signal to the charging circuit, and a preselected time later providing a fire control initiation signal to a timing energy module; the fire control command module also providing to the timing energy module a first time delay signal to be added to fire control initiation signal to provide a trigger signal for the first chamber and a second time delay signal to be added to the firs control initiation signal to provide a trigger signal for the second chamber; a first light out detection mechanism measuring a light out event for the output of the first chamber and a second light out detection mechanism measuring a light out event for to output of the second chamber, each of the first and second light out detection mechanisms providing an output signal representative of the occurrence of the respective light out event to the timing energy module; a correlating mechanism in the timing energy module correlating the occurrence of the respective light out events of the first chanter and the second chamber to the fire control initiation signal, and providing to the fire control command module, a respective light out time for the first chamber and for the second chamber, each respective light out time correlated to the fire control initiation signal; a fire control processor connected to the fire control command module and operative to read the respective correlated light out time for each of the first chamber and the second chamber and, responsive to the respective correlated light out time, to generate a respective first time delay signal and second time delay signal for the next discharge in the respective first chamber and in the second chamber.