Patent ID: 6882674

Claim:
An extreme repetition rate gas discharge laser system capable of operating at pulse repetition rates in excess of 3,000 laser output pulses per second, said laser comprising: A) a laser chamber containing a laser gas and having two elongated electrodes, defining a discharge region and having a gas flow path with a gradually increasing cross section downstream of said electrodes to permit recovery of a large percentage of static pressure drop occurring in the discharge region, B) a tangential type fan for producing sufficient gas movement said laser gas in said discharge region to clear from said discharge region, following each gas discharge in said discharge region, substantially all discharge produced ions prior to a next gas discharge when operating at a repetition rate up to and above 4,000 gas discharge per second or greater, C) a heat exchanger system removing heat energy from said laser gas, D) a pulse power system provide electrical pulses to said electrodes sufficient to produce laser output pulses at rates of up to and above 4,000 laser output pulses per second with precisely controlled pulse energies in the range of about 5 mJ, and E) a laser beam measurement and control system measuring pulse energy wavelength and bandwidth of every pulse or substantially every pulse with feedback control of laser output pulse energy and wavelength.