Laser apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9601893-B2
Application number	US-201615060148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2013
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

There may be provided a laser apparatus including: an optical resonator including an output coupler; a laser chamber containing a laser medium and disposed in an optical path inside the optical resonator; a pair of discharge electrodes disposed inside the laser chamber; an electrode gap varying section configured to vary a gap between the discharge electrodes; a laser beam measurement section disposed in an optical path of a laser beam outputted from the output coupler, the laser beam resulting from electric discharge between the discharge electrodes; and a controller configured to control the gap between the discharge electrodes through activating the electrode gap varying section, based on a beam parameter of the laser beam measured by the laser beam measurement section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser apparatus comprising:
an optical resonator including an output coupler;
a laser chamber containing a laser medium and disposed in an optical path inside the optical resonator;
a pair of discharge electrodes disposed inside the laser chamber;
an electrode gap varying section configured to vary a gap between the discharge electrodes;
a laser beam measurement section disposed in an optical path of a laser beam outputted from the output coupler, the laser beam resulting from electric discharge between the discharge electrodes; and
a controller configured to control the gap between the discharge electrodes through activating the electrode gap varying section, based on a beam parameter of the laser beam measured by the laser beam measurement section.

2. The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the beam parameter is a beam size of the laser beam.

3. The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the beam parameter is beam divergence of the laser beam.

4. A laser apparatus comprising:
an optical resonator including an output coupler;
a laser chamber containing a laser medium and disposed in an optical path inside the optical resonator;
a pair of discharge electrodes disposed inside the laser chamber;
an electrode gap varying section configured to vary a gap between the discharge electrodes;
a pulse energy measurement section disposed in an optical path of a laser beam outputted from the output coupler, the laser beam resulting from electric discharge between the discharge electrodes; and
a controller configured to control the gap between the discharge electrodes through activating the electrode gap varying section, based on a value measured by the pulse energy measurement section.

5. The laser apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a charger configured to cause electric discharge between the discharge electrodes, wherein
the controller controls a charging voltage of the charger, based on the value measured by the pulse energy measurement section.

6. A laser apparatus comprising:
an optical resonator including an output coupler;
a laser chamber containing a laser medium and disposed in an optical path inside the optical resonator;
a pair of discharge electrodes disposed inside the laser chamber;
an electrode gap varying section configured to vary a gap between the discharge electrodes; and
a controller configured to control the gap between the discharge electrodes through activating the electrode gap varying section to allow a frequency of a pulsed laser beam outputted from the output coupler to be a predetermined frequency, the pulsed laser beam resulting from electric discharge between the discharge electrodes.

7. The laser apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a pulse energy measurement section disposed in an optical path of the pulsed laser beam; and
a charger configured to cause electric discharge between the discharge electrodes, wherein
the controller controls a charging voltage of the charger, based on a value measured by the pulse energy measurement section.

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Kakizaki Kouji
• Asayama Takeshi
• Wakabayashi Osamu

Classifications

• H01S3/134

  in gas lasers · CPC title

• H01S3/225

  comprising an excimer or exciplex · CPC title

• H01S3/08009

  using a diffraction grating · CPC title

• H01S3/038 Primary

  Electrodes, e.g. special shape, configuration or composition · CPC title