Patent ID: 6157662
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
An F.sub.2 -laser, comprising:a discharge chamber filled with a gas mixture including molecular fluorine for generating a spectral emission around 157 nm and a buffer gas including neon for pressurizing the gas mixture sufficiently to increase the output energy for a given input energy, said molecular fluorine being subject to depletion, said gas mixture being maintained at a temperature in excess of 26.degree. C.;a pair of electrodes coupled with a power supply circuit producing a pulsed discharge to energize the molecular fluorine;a resonator generating an output laser beam,a gas supply system transferring molecular fluorine into said discharge chamber and thereby replenishing said molecular fluorine in the discharge chamber; anda processor cooperating with the gas supply system to control the molecular fluorine concentration within the discharge chamber to maintain said molecular fluorine concentration within a predetermined range of optimum performance of the F.sub.2 -laser.