Patent ID: 6560263
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: G03F,H01S

Abstract:
A gas discharge laser comprising:A) a laser chamber containing a laser gas, B) two elongated erodable electrode elements located within said laser chamber, each electrode element having an erodable surface and an electrode support, said erodable surface having a large numb of discharge peaks and a large number of sputter cavities, C) a pulse power system means for providing electrical pulses of at least two Joules to said electrodes to produce electric discharges, each discharge defining region and a discharge shape, said electrode elements comprising an erosion means permitting erosion with each pulse gradually over at least eight billion pulses to an end-of-life shape without causing a substantial change in the discharge shape,D) a blower means for circulating said laser gas between said two electrodes at a velocity in excess of 5 m per second, E) a heat exchanger means for removing heat from said laser gas produced by said blower system and said discharge, and F) a gas flow guiding means to guide gas flow past said erodable electrodes.