Patent ID: 6381256
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
A narrow band molecular fluorine laser system, comprising:an oscillator, comprising: a discharge chamber filled with a laser gas including molecular fluorine and a buffer gas, a plurality of electrodes within the discharge chamber connected to a discharge circuit for energizing the laser gas, and a resonator including said discharge chamber and line-narrowing optics for generating a line-narrowed laser beam having a wavelength around 157 nm, a linewidth less than 1 pm, and an energy below a predetermined energy; and an amplifier, comprising: a gas-filled second discharge chamber at least including molecular fluorine; a second plurality of electrodes within the second discharge chamber connected to a same or a different discharge circuit for energizing the gas within the second discharge chamber so that gain is timulated when the line-narrowed 157 nm beam generated by the oscillator is passed through the energized gas of the amplifier, and wherein the laser beam generated by the oscillator and passed through the amplifier has an increased energy so that laser pulses output by the oscillator and passed through the amplifier have an energy that is equal to or above said predetermined pulse energy.