Laser apparatus and method of controlling laser apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015139258-A1
Application number	US-201514602208-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 21, 2015
Priority date	Jul 26, 2012
Publication date	May 21, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A laser apparatus according to embodiment may include: a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; a pulse power module configured to covert the charge voltage applied by the charger into a short pulsed voltage, and apply the short pulsed voltage between the pair of the electrodes; and a controller configured to calculate input energies Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the charge voltage, calculate an integration value Einsum of the input energies Ein by integrating the calculated input energies Ein, and determine whether the integration value Einsum exceeds an integration lifetime value Einsumlife of input energy or not.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; a pulse power module configured to covert the charge voltage applied by the charger into a short pulsed voltage, and apply the short pulsed voltage between the pair of the electrodes; and a controller configured to calculate input energies Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the charge voltage, calculate an integration value Einsum of the input energies Ein by integrating the calculated input energies Ein, and determine whether the integration value Einsum exceeds an integration lifetime value Einsumlife of input energy or not.

2 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; and a controller configured to calculate input energies Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the charge voltage, calculate an integration value Einsum of the input energies Ein by integrating the calculated input energies Ein, and determine whether the integration value Einsum exceeds an integration lifetime value Einsumlife of input energy or not.

3 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; a pulse power module configured to covert the charge voltage applied by the charger into a short pulsed voltage, and apply the short pulsed voltage between the pair of the electrodes; a voltage indicator configured to measure a value of a charge voltage applied by the charger; and a controller configured to calculate input energies Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the measured value of the charge voltage, calculate an integration value Einsum of the input energies Ein by integrating the calculated input energies Ein, and determine whether the integration value Einsum exceeds an integration lifetime value Einsumlife of input energy or not.

4 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; a pulse power module configured to covert the charge voltage applied by the charger into a short pulsed voltage, and apply the short pulsed voltage between the pair of the electrodes; a voltage indicator configured to measure a value of a charge voltage applied by the charger; a current indicator configured to measure a current flowing through the pair of the electrodes; and a controller configured to calculate input energies Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the measured values of the charge voltage and the current, calculate an integration value Einsum of the input energies Ein by integrating the calculated input energies Ein, and determine whether the integration value Einsum exceeds an integration lifetime value Einsumlife of input energy or not.

5 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; a pulse power module configured to covert the charge voltage applied by the charger into a short pulsed voltage, and apply the short pulsed voltage between the pair of the electrodes; and a controller configured to calculate input energy Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the charge voltage, subtract the input energy Ein from a lifetime index value EinL of input energy applied to the pair of the electrodes, and determine whether the lifetime index value EinL from which the input energy Ein is subtracted exceeds 0 or not.

6 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes discharges; and a controller configured to calculate input energy Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the charge voltage, subtract the input energy Ein from a lifetime index value EinL of input energy applied to the pair of the electrodes, and determine whether the lifetime index value EinL from which the input energy Ein is subtracted exceeds 0 or not.

7 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; a pulse power module configured to covert the charge voltage applied by the charger into a short pulsed voltage, and apply the short pulsed voltage between the pair of the electrodes; a voltage indicator configured to measure a value of a charge voltage applied by the charger; and a controller configured to calculate input energy Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the measured charge voltage, subtract the input energy Ein from a lifetime index value EinL of input energy applied to the pair of the electrodes, and determine whether the lifetime index value EinL from which the input energy Ein is subtracted exceeds 0 or not.

8 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser chamber filled with a laser gain medium; a pair of electrodes disposed in the laser chamber; a charger configured to apply a charge voltage for causing a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; a pulse power module configured to covert the charge voltage applied by the charger into a short pulsed voltage, and apply the short pulsed voltage between the pair of the electrodes; a voltage indicator configured to measure a value of a charge voltage applied by the charger; a current indicator configured to measure a current flowing through the pair of the electrodes; and a controller configured to calculate input energy Ein applied to the pair of the electrodes based on the measured values of the charge voltage and the current, subtract the input energy Ein from a lifetime index value EinL of input energy applied to the pair of the electrodes, and determine whether the lifetime index value EinL from which the input energy Ein is subtracted exceeds 0 or not.

9 . A method of controlling a laser apparatus including:
setting an integration value Einsum of input energy; setting a charge voltage to be applied to a pulse power module connected to a pair of electrodes for exciting a laser gain medium capable of emitting laser light in order to cause a discharge to occur between the pair of the electrodes; applying the set charge voltage to the pair of the electrodes from the pulse power module in order to cause a discharge to occur between the electrodes; calculating input energy Ein based on the set charge voltage; calculating an integration value Einsum of input energy by adding the calculated input energy Ein to a current integration value Einsum of input energy; and determining whether the calculated integration value Einsum exceeds an integration lifetime value Einsumlife of input energy or not.

10 . A method of controlling a laser apparatus including:
setting an integration value Einsum of input energ

Assignees

• Tsushima Hiroaki
• Wakabayashi Osamu
• Matsunaga Takashi
• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Tsushima Hiroaki
• Wakabayashi Osamu
• Matsunaga Takashi

Classifications

• H01S3/2366

  comprising a gas as the active medium (H01S3/10092, H01S3/2383 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/0014

  Monitoring arrangements not otherwise provided for (photometry G01J1/00, e.g. G01J1/4257; radiation pyrometry G01J5/00; measuring coherence of light G01J9/00; measuring wavelength of light G01J9/00, e.g. G01J9/0246; measuring optical pulses G01J11/00; calorimetrically measuring power of laser beams G01K17/003) · CPC title

• H01S3/08009

  using a diffraction grating · CPC title

• H01S3/0971

  transversely excited (H01S3/0975 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/09705

  with particular means for stabilising the discharge · CPC title