Effect of gas composition and purity on excimer laser operation

This paper reports a systematic evaluation of the effects of a wide range of gaseous contaminants introduced in the lasing gas on initial laser power and on gas fill lifetimes. The impurities studied and their relative concentrations were chosen on the basis of the probability of their occurrence in the lasing gases. These were assessed individually and also in common combinations, such as N2/O2 simulating an atmospheric leak. Investigations into using novel buffer gas mixtures have shown that increases in operating efficiencies can be achieved. This has been correlated with lasing gas analysis, which has revealed that the rate of internal impurity generation is dependent on the buffer gas composition.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.