Narrow band excimer or molecular fluorine laser having an output coupling interferometer

Abstract

An excimer or molecular fluorine laser includes a discharge chamber filled with a gas mixture, multiple electrodes within the discharge chamber connected to a power supply circuit for energizing the gas mixture, and a resonator including the discharge chamber and a pair of resonator reflectors for generating an output laser beam. The resonator includes an interferometric device, which may be a resonator reflector such as an output coupling interferometer or HR reflector, or a transmissive intracavity component, including a pair of opposing reflecting surfaces tuned to produce a response maximum at a selected wavelength for narrowing a linewidth of the output laser beam. One of the pair of opposing reflecting surfaces is preferably configured such that the opposing reflecting surfaces of the interferometer have a varying optical distance therebetween over an incident beam cross-section which serves to suppress at least one side band or outer portions of the response maximum to reduce spectral purity. Preferably, this surface is non-planar, and may include a step, a recess or a raised or recessed curved portion of a quarter wavelength in height or depth, respectively, and may be cylindrical, Gaussian or spherical, and the curvature may extend over the entire reflecting surface or diameter of the incident beam. The curved surface may be part of a component that couples with a base optical block at a surface opposing the other reflecting surface, such as by a slot defined in the optical block or using an adhesive.