Abstract

A scaled XeF(C → A) electron-beam pumped excimer laser system has been developed which is shown to be continuously tunable across the blue-green region of the spectrum. By pumping a 0.48-liter active laser volume with a 10-ns high current density electron-beam pulse, laser output energies in excess of 0.7 J are produced corresponding to an energy density of 1.5 J/liter and an intrinsic efficiency of 1.2%. A peak gain coefficient of ~3%/cm allows the laser to be injection controlled by a tunable dye source resulting in efficient energy extraction, narrow linewidth, and good beam quality. Guided by the results of numerical kinetic modeling, a five-component Ar- Kr-Xe-NF₃-F₂ gas mixture has been optimized for this system, resulting in enhanced XeF(C → A) output along with the complete suppression of laser oscillation at the XeF(B → X) and KrF(B → X) transition wavelengths. The system has been operated both with externally and internally located resonator mirrors with magnifications ranging between 1.3 and 3.0.

© 1989 Optical Society of America