Patent Document ID: 20060209917
Application ID: 11376364
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. In a gas discharge laser having a master oscillator portion, producing line narrowed seed laser light output pulses, and a power amplifier portion, receiving and amplifying the line narrowed seed laser light output pulses into power amplifier laser light output pulses, in a burst of pulses during an on period, followed by an off period, and providing electrical discharge pulses across respective gas discharge electrodes in each of the master oscillator and power amplifier, an apparatus for controlling the timing of the application of the electrical gas discharge pulse across the respective master oscillator and power amplifier electrodes, comprising: a respective master oscillator delay command unit and power amplifier delay command unit providing a respective timing control signal to the respective master oscillator and power amplifier, determining the timing of the application of the electrical gas discharge pulse across the respective master oscillator and power amplifier electrodes based upon an initial optimal delay command value; a laser output pulse sensor sensing a parameter of the output seed laser light pulses and amplified laser light output pulses, and providing a respective output representative of the value of the respective parameter; a respective master oscillator and power amplifier adaptation gain unit containing a respective master oscillator adaptation gain value and power amplifier adaptation gain value; a dithering circuit responsive to the output of the respective output pulse sensor to provide an N-plus integral value to be combined with the respective adaptation gain value in order to produce a respective delay command.