Abstract

Excimer laser wavelengths in the 353 - 193 nm portion of the spectrum have many applications in chemical analysis. However, fully utilizing the potential of the excimer laser has always been a challenging problem. Waveguide excimer lasers combine excimer laser technology with optical waveguiding concepts and microwave discharge excitation to produce a family of lasers with novel operating parameters. These unique lasers address the problems of size, cost, reliability, lifetime and gas handling associated with conventional excimer lasers, thus making them viable light sources for applications such as fluorescence spectroscopy, electrophoresis, surface analysis, combustion diagnostics.

© 1990 Optical Society of America