Reliability studies on a kilowatt-class XeCl laser

Thomas Hofmann; John C.M. Timmermans; Jacob Couperus; Frederik A. van Goor; Wilhelmus J. Witteman

doi:10.1117/12.248619

26 August 1996 Reliability studies on a kilowatt-class XeCl laser

Thomas Hofmann, John C.M. Timmermans, Jacob Couperus, Frederik A. van Goor, Wilhelmus J. Witteman

Proceedings Volume 2788, High-Power Lasers: Gas and Solid State Lasers; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.248619
Event: Lasers, Optics, and Vision for Productivity in Manufacturing I, 1996, Besancon, France

Abstract

At the NCLR an industrial 1 kW XeCl excimer laser, delivering 1 J at 1 kHz, is under development. Particular emphasis is on reliable long-term operation with moderate operational and maintenance costs. The design challenges can be grouped into characteristic operational time durations. The initial step to scale a single shot laser to a kilohertz device concerns the attainment of a sufficient clearing ratio in the active gas. Furthermore, the optical quality of the laser gas must be maintained also at high frequencies, which requires a low degree of turbulence in the gas flow and minimization of shock waves generated by the discharge. Laser operation for several hours primarily demands a thermal management of all active components. In addition the gas quality needs to be maintained, which concerns the chemical composition, the amount of impurities and occurrence of dust in the gas. Finally, continued laser action for billions of shots puts tight requirements on the lifetimes of the gas, the electrodes, the mirrors and the excitation system. These issues are largely determined by proper choice of materials but to a major part also by the conceptual layout of the laser. Therefore, a choice of technology is required which is very different from the spark-preionized charge transfer excitation predominantly found in commercially available excimer lasers.

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Thomas Hofmann, John C.M. Timmermans, Jacob Couperus, Frederik A. van Goor, and Wilhelmus J. Witteman "Reliability studies on a kilowatt-class XeCl laser", Proc. SPIE 2788, High-Power Lasers: Gas and Solid State Lasers, (26 August 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.248619

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KEYWORDS

Gas lasers

Electrodes

Pulsed laser operation

Excimer lasers

Reliability

Lasers

Mirrors

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