Recycling apparatus for an excimer laser
US4723254A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 22, 1985 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 22, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/225
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
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 gaseous impurities to provide a cleaned laser mixture and thereafter feeding the cleaned laser mixture back into the laser chamber. Along with the cleaned laser mixture there is fed in a supplemental halogen gas. The gaseous impurities along with the halogen are removed by passing the gas through an elongated tube having calcium particles therein with a void fraction for a given length of tube in the range 0.30 to 0.60. Some of the ratio is obtained by providing alternate layers of calcium particles and inert, refractory spacers, such as stainless steel wool.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.