Patent ID: 7672354
Filing Date: 2010-03-02
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
1. A transversally electrically excited gas discharge laser for generating light pulses with a high pulse repetition rate, the gas discharge laser including components, the components comprising: a gas-tight discharge tube having diametrically opposed wall passages and front ends, the discharge tube having a laser gas sealingly disposed therein and including a ceramic material; partial metal layers disposed on the discharge tube; decoupling and holding elements including support trays, the decoupling and holding elements being disposed in the diametrically opposed wall passages, and the support trays being adhered to a circumference of the discharge tube via the partial metal layers with hard solder; a pair of main electrodes extending axially and being disposed in the decoupling and holding elements so as to form a gas discharge path in the discharge tube; a pair of rod-shaped auxiliary electrodes disposed in the discharge tube substantially parallel to the main electrodes and operable to control the starting conditions of gas discharge by electronic pre-ionization; at least one energy storage device; an electrical excitation circuit operable to act on the main and auxiliary electrodes, the electrical excitation circuit including a switch operable to generate a fast high-current discharge from the energy storage device; support rings joined to the front ends of the discharge tube; and a pair of optical resonator mirrors welded into the support rings and disposed on the front ends of the discharge tube in an axial orientation relative to the gas discharge path, wherein a first of the optical resonator mirrors is partially permeable so as to provide light outcoupling, wherein at least some of the components are usable with an ultrahigh vacuum and heatable to above a second water boundary, and wherein the support trays and the support rings are deformable so as to enable fine adjustment of the main electrodes and of the resonator mirrors.