Recycling of gases for an excimer laser

US4674099A · kind A · utility

Inventor

• Robert E. Turner · San Clemente, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 1, 1984
• Grant date: Jun 16, 1987
• Expiry date: May 1, 2004

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/225
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

For an excimer laser system utilizing in a laser chamber a lasing material and a mixture of a diluent rare gas and a heavy rare gas and halogen rare gas in given percentages there is disclosed a method and apparatus for reducing the expenditure of the rare gases by continuously evacuating the laser mixture from the laser chamber removing from the evacuated laser mixture any foreign halogen compounds to provide a cleaned laser mixture and thereafter feeding the cleaned lasing mixture back into the laser chamber. Along with the cleaned laser mixture there is fed in a supplementing lasing material which is a mixture of the halogen gas, the diluent gas and the heavy rare gas. The percentage of the halogen gas in the supplemental material is substantially greater than the given percentage in the lasing chamber while the percentages of the diluent gas and the heavy rare gas are substantially the same as the percentage ratios of the given percentages. To prevent laser system pressure from changing as the supplemental material is added to the system there is disclosed a method for venting the lasing material to maintain constant laser system pressure.