Lambda Physik Ag

Coherent, Inc.

Lambada Physik Gmbh

Rainer Desor

Andreas Targsdorf

Hubertus Von Bergmann

Spencer Merz

Sergei V Govorkov

Igor Bragin

Rainer Paetzel

Thomas Wenzel

Andriy N Knysh

Two excimer lasers have individual pulsing circuits each including a storage capacitor which is charged and then discharged through a pulse transformer to generate an electrical pulse, which is delivered to the laser to generate a light pulse. The time between generation of the electrical pulse and creation of the light pulse is dependent on the charged voltage of the capacitor. The capacitors are charged while disconnected from each other. The generation of the electrical pulses is synchronized by connecting the capacitors together for a brief period after the capacitors are charged to equalize the charging voltages. The capacitors are disconnected from each other before they are discharged.

High-precision synchronization of pulsed gas-discharge lasers

Method and system provide a variable delay between the external trigger pulse for a laser system and the light pulse such that the total delay is controlled. The method and system utilize a digital time measuring circuit which measure a time interval which corresponds to a time between the generation of the trigger pulse and generation or a laser light pulse. Based on the measurement by the digital time measuring circuit a processor controls a delay circuit which thereby controls the time between the trigger pulse and the generation of the laser light pulse.

System and method for delay compensation for a pulsed laser

Precise timing control can be obtained for a gas discharge laser, such as an excimer or molecular fluorine laser, using a timed trigger ionization. Instead of using a standard approach to control the timing of the emission or amplification of an optical pulse using the discharge of the main electrodes, the timing of which can only be controlled to within about 10 ns, a trigger ionization pulse applied subsequent to the charging of the main electrodes can be used to control the timing of the discharge, thereby decreasing the timing variations to about 1 ns. Since ionization of the laser gas can consume relatively small amounts of energy, such a circuit can be based on a fast, high-voltage, solid state switch that is virtually free of jitter. Trigger ionization also can be used to synchronize the timing of dual chambers in a MOPA configuration. In one such approach, ionization trigger can include at least a portion of the optical pulse from the oscillator in a MOPA configuration.

Excimer or molecular fluorine laser with several discharge chambers

An isolation means used in conjunction with supplying energy to a laser, which isolates a power supply from the pulser circuit, and commutates a switch which activates the discharge of energy to the laser.

Magnetic switch controlled power supply isolator and thyristor commutating circuit

Magnetic switch controlled power supply isolator and thyristor

Growing community of inventors

Bovenden, Germany

Rainer Desor