High-efficiency KrF excimer laser

Abstract

Efficient high-power laser emission has been observed at 249 nm from a KrF excimer laser obtained by an electron-beam-pumped mixture of Ar, Kr, and NF3 (1300:130:1) at a total pressure of 2.25 atm. An energy of 1.5 J was extracted in a 125-nsec (FWHM) pulse from a 100-cm3 volume, using a coaxial electron-beam laser. Laser efficiency was estimated to be nearly 15% based on energy deposition in the gas. Over-all electrical efficiency was ∼1%.