Patent ID: 6904073

Claim:
A modular, high fluence, high repetition rate ultraviolet laser system for a production line machine comprising: A) a laser source for producing ultraviolet laser beams at wavelengths less than 200 rm comprising: 1) a first discharge chamber containing; a) a first laser gas and b) a first pair of elongated spaced apart electrodes defining a discharge region, 2) a gas circulation means for producing sufficient gas velocities of said first laser gas in said first discharge region to clear from said discharge region, following each pulse, substantially all discharge produced ions prior to a next pulse when operating at a repetition rate in the range of at least 2,000 pulses per second, 3) a heat exchanger system capable of removing heat energy from said first laser gas, so as to maintain laser gas temperature within a desired range, and 4) a pulse power system providing electrical pulses to said first pair of electrodes sufficient to produce laser pulses having pulse energies greater than 10 mJ, and average pulse intensities greater than 1×10 −6 Watts/cm 2 at locations immediately downstream of said discharge region, B) pulse energy density reducing optical components comprising at least one crystal fluoride optical component for reducing the pulse energy density to less than 25×10 −6 J/cm 3 .