Resonator arrangement for bandwidth control

US6856638B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Lambda Physik AG · DE

Inventors

• Konstantin Aab · Kassel, DE
• Juergen Kleinschmidt · Oettingen, DE
• Peter Lokai · Oettingen, DE
• Matthias Ulrich · Rosdorf, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 19, 2001
• Grant date: Feb 15, 2005
• Expiry date: Jan 10, 2022

Classification

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

Abstract

A line-narrowed excimer or molecular fluorine laser system includes a discharge chamber filled with a gas mixture at least including molecular fluorine and a buffer gas, multiple electrodes within the discharge chamber connected to a discharge circuit for energizing the gas mixture, a resonator including a pair of resonator reflecting surfaces disposed on either side of the discharge chamber for generating a laser beam, and a line-narrowing/selection unit within the resonator for narrowing the bandwidth of the laser beam. The resonator further includes a third reflecting surface which is deformable and disposed between the pair of resonator reflecting surfaces. The line-narrowing/selection unit preferably includes a beam expander and a dispersive element, wherein the deformable third reflecting surface is disposed between the beam expander and the dispersive element.