Diagnosis of the trigger chain of a pulsed laser
US6324196A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 12, 2000 |
| Grant date | Nov 27, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 12, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/134
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A diagnostic system is disclosed for monitoring the operation of an excimer laser. A typical excimer laser generates a light pulse in response to a trigger signal. The trigger signal propagates from an external source through a number of electrical modules to the gas discharge. In accordance with the subject invention, outputs from each of the various modules are supplied to digital counters. When the laser is operating properly, each counter will record a single count for each trigger signal. When a fault occurs, the number of counts counted by the counter connected to the faulty module will not match the number of trigger signals. The service engineer can use the information in the counters to help identify which module in the trigger chain is experiencing problems.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.