Abstract: A shutter mechanism having a slide element coupled to a support base by a plurality of roller bearings journaled between opposing pairs of guide rods is disclosed. The slide element and support base have corresponding beam apertures in alignment when the shutter is in its open position. Angularly mounted on the slide, adjacent to the slide's beam aperture, is a UV reflective mirror. When the shutter is commended to close, an actuator forces the slide and support base apertures out of alignment, while simultaneously positioning the UV reflective mirror into the position previously occupied by the slide's aperture. A laser beam, previously being transmitted through the aligned apertures, will be reflected by the mirror to a beam stop as a diagnostic instrument mounted on the support base.

Abstract: A housing in a laser system encloses a cathode and a displaced anode and gases ionizable and reactive chemically when a voltage pulse produces a cathode-anode electrical discharge. Moving air cools the components (capacitors, thyratron and triggering circuitry) for producing the voltage pulses. The laser gas temperature is continuously regulated at a particular value whether or not there is an electrical discharge. The concentration of one of the gases in the chamber is regulated to values alternately on opposite sides of an optimal value to provide an optimal energy in each chemical reaction of the gases. The gases are recirculated as by a fan driven on a shaft by a pair of motors and are filtered during such recirculation. The shaft speed is regulated at a particular value and the motor currents are regulated to be equal. Any ozone formed in a compartment holding the high voltage terminals is purged by passing a neutral gas (nitrogen) through the compartment to the atmosphere.

Abstract: Calibration of a wavelength adjustment mechanism of a laser is achieved using a hollow cathode absorption lamp. The lamp is provided with a vaporous material having a precisely known wavelength of maximum absorption. A photo-detector detects the amount of light from the laser beam absorbed by the vaporous material as a function of wavelength. The wavelength of the laser is adjusted to achieve maximum absorption such that the actual laser beam wavelength may be compared with an expected, wavelength to determine a calibration offset. The hollow cathode lamp is operated to produce a vaporous material of known absorption characteristic but is illuminated at a level substantially below a level required for conventional opto-galvanic resonance.

Abstract: An excimer gas laser using a fluorine/krypton/neon gas mixture is provided with separate fluorine/krypton/neon and krypton/neon gas sources for use in replenishing the gas mixture. A bleed-down mechanism is also provided for draining a portion of the gas mixture from the excimer laser. A control mechanism controls operation of the separate fluorine/krypton/neon and krypton/neon sources and the bleed-down mechanism to selectively vary the gas mixture within the excimer laser to maintain an overall optimal laser efficiency. Preferably, the control system monitors operational parameters of the excimer laser including gain, wavelength, bandwidth and pulse rate, to determine whether the gas mixture within the excimer laser may have changed from an optimal mixture. The control system controls operation of the separate fluorine/krypton/neon and krypton/neon sources to compensate for changes in the operation parameters of the laser to thereby maintain high overall laser efficiency.

Abstract: Temperature compensation method and apparatus for wave meters and tunable lasers controlled thereby which avoids the necessity of maintaining a good vacuum in the wave meter housing and which provides the quick establishment of wave length accuracy after laser turn on before temperature stability in the wave meter is reached. In accordance with the method, the wave meter housing is filled preferably with one atmosphere of dry nitrogen, and the wave meter output is corrected for temperature effects by combining the uncorrected or raw wave meter output with an appropriate wave meter temperature dependent component and an additional appropriate rate of change of wave meter temperature dependent component. The net result is the achievement of accuracy and stability in the wave meter output without use of an oven and before a steady state operating temperature is attained.

Abstract: A housing in a laser system encloses a cathode and a displaced anode and gases ionizable and reactive chemically when a voltage pulse produces a cathode-anode electrical discharge. Moving air cools the components (capacitors, thyratron and triggering circuitry) for producing the voltage pulses. The laser gas temperature is continuously regulated at a particular value whether or not there is an electrical discharge. The concentration of one of the gases in the chamber is regulated to values alternately on opposite sides of an optimal value to provide an optimal energy in each chemical reaction of the gases. The gases are recirculated as by a fan driven on a shaft by a pair of motors and are filtered during such recirculation. The shaft speed is regulated at a particular value and the motor currents are regulated to be equal. Any ozone formed in a compartment holding the high voltage terminals is purged by passing a neutral gas (nitrogen) through the compartment to the atmosphere.

Abstract: A first gas in a laser cavity is ionized by an electrical discharge in the cavity as a step in producing an energy radiation. Debris (particulates) is produced during the formation of the energy radiation. The radiation and the debris move toward an optical element in the cavity. The optical element may be a window or a mirror. The debris tends to deposit everywhere in the cavity, including on the optical element, thereby dirtying the optical element. This inhibits the efficiency in the laser operation. A clean gas is directed into the cavity through a passage at a position displaced from the optical element. The clean gas then passes in the cavity through an orifice further from the optical element than the passage. The flow of the first gas through the orifice creates a venturi effect on the clean gas to insure that the clean gas will move away from the optical element. In this way, the clean gas inhibits the first gas and the debris from moving to the optical element.

Abstract: An anode and a cathode in a laser are spaced in a first direction. A voltage difference between these members produces an electrical discharge which ionizes gases in the laser to react chemically and produce coherent radiation. First and second tubes made from a dielectric material are spaced in the laser in a second direction transverse (preferably perpendicular) to the first direction. The anode, the cathode and the tubes extend through the laser in a direction transverse (preferably perpendicular) to the first and second directions. The tubes are preferably at least a 99.9% pure polycrystalline aluminum oxide ceramic with traces of other metallic elements than aluminum. Bushings made from a material homogeneous (preferably identical) to the tube material are integral with the tube near the opposite tube ends. First electrical conductors extend through the tubes.

Abstract: Monochromatic light from a laser gain generator passes through a first aperture to a beam expander which expands the beam width and reduces the angular divergence of the beam. The light from the beam expander has a curved wavefront because of (1) light diffraction in the aperture and (2) deviations from planar surfaces in the optical components in the light path. The light is then reflected by a first mirror to a grating which has a plurality of steps in a stepped configuration. The grating is adjustable curved so that the steps in the grating are parallel to the curved wavefront and so that light from only a particular band of wavelengths is reflected back to the first mirror. The light then passes back through the beam expander, which compresses the beam width, to the discharge chamber for further amplification. The light then passes through a second aperture to a partially reflecting mirror. A portion of the light is reflected by the partial mirror back to the discharge chamber for further amplification.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure and with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure an with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure and with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure and with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member.

Abstract: A laser light beam is processed in a first optical path to produce light indications in a plurality of free spectral paths. These light indications are introduced through slits to produce signals at spaced positions at the opposite peripheries of a linear detector array. The distances between correlated pairs of energized detectors at the opposite peripheries of the array indicate the relative value of the laser wavelength in the free spectral ranges. The laser light beam is also processed in a second optical path, simultaneously with the processing of the laser light beam in the first optical path, to produce light in a single path. The second optical path is dependent upon the wavelength of the laser light beam. The light produced in the second optical path may be introduced through another slit to energize centrally disposed detectors in the array. The particular detectors energized are dependent upon the wavelength of the laser light.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure and with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member. The main insulator member is formed of ceramic material and is located intermediate to the one wall of the housing and the other electrode but is spaced from the one wall of the housing to have the main insulator member floating relative the housing structure.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure and with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure and with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member.

Abstract: A compact excimer laser, including a housing structure having a plurality of walls forming an internal laser cavity. A gas is located within the laser cavity and with the gas capable of lasing action. A pair of spaced electrodes are located within the laser cavity and form an electrical discharge area between the electrodes for stimulating gas within the discharge area to lasing action in accordance with an electrical discharge between the electrodes. One of the pair of electrodes is located along a central position within the cavity and is grounded to the housing structure. The other of the pair of electrodes is located adjacent to but spaced from one of the walls of the housing structure and with the other electrode mounted on a main insulator member.