A discharge chamber for a deep ultraviolet (DUV) light source includes a housing; and a first electrode and a second electrode in the housing, the first electrode and the second electrode being separated from each other to form a discharge region between the first electrode and the second electrode, the discharge region being configured to receive a gain medium including at least one noble gas and a halogen gas. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a metal alloy including more than 33% and less than 50% zinc by weight.

A positive high-voltage laser having a super-long discharge tube, including a gas storage tube having two ends respectively provided with a reflecting mirror and a light emitting surface; a water cooling tube in the gas storage tube; and a discharge tube inside the water cooling tube having two ends, each provided with an electrode. A liquid circulation space is between the discharge tube and the water cooling tube, and the water cooling tube extends outside the gas storage tube by water inlet and outlet tubes. A cathode is in a cathode chamber at the end of the discharge tube closest to the light emitting surface; a spiral gas return tube communicates with the cathode chamber; an anode circumscribes the outside of the water cooling tube at the other end of the discharge tube. The positive high-voltage laser can increase power with a limited length.

Laser amplification utilizing plasma confinement of a gas laser gain media is described. The gas laser gain media is compressed into plasma utilizing a self-reinforcing magnetic field referred to a plasma pinch (e.g., a flow stabilized z-pinch). In the plasma pinch, the gas laser gain media is compressed to a high density, which improves the gain of the media. An optical resonator partially surrounds the plasma pinch and utilizes the laser gain media compressed within the plasma pinch to generate an output of coherent light.

Laser amplification utilizing plasma confinement of a gas laser gain media is described. The gas laser gain media is compressed into plasma utilizing a self-reinforcing magnetic field referred to a plasma pinch (e.g., a flow stabilized z-pinch). In the plasma pinch, the gas laser gain media is compressed to a high density, which improves the gain of the media. An optical resonator partially surrounds the plasma pinch and utilizes the laser gain media compressed within the plasma pinch to generate an output of coherent light.

An excimer laser chamber device may include: a the laser chamber; a first electrode provided in the laser chamber; a second electrode provided in the laser chamber to face the first electrode; an electrode holder provided in the laser chamber to be connected to a high voltage; at least one connecting terminal including a first anchored portion anchored to the first electrode and a second anchored portion anchored to the electrode holder, the at least one connecting terminal being configured to electrically connect the first electrode and the electrode holder; a guide member held by the electrode holder, the guide member being configured to position the first electrode in a direction substantially perpendicular to both a direction of electric discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode and a longitudinal direction of the first electrode; and an electrode-gap-varying unit configured to move the first electrode in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of electric discharge.

In an inertial containment fusion (ICF) system which uses a KrF laser, it is beneficial to perform pulse compression of the laser output to produce a higher-power, higher-intensity laser pulse at the target. Such pulse compression involves counter-propagating laser pump and seed beams. A short-pulse seed beam is amplified as energy is extracted from a long-pulse pump beam. Because such energy extraction is invariably incomplete, a fraction of the pump energy will exit the compression cell in the same direction as the optics used to create the seed beam. The invention involves a gas consisting of a noble gas such as neon or argon which may be excited by an electron beam to enhance absorption. By proper choice of gas, cell length, electron-beam excitation, and time delay, the residual pump beam may be absorbed almost entirely with less than 0.01% transmitted laser energy through the invention.

A discharge electrode according to an aspect of the present disclosure is for use in a gas laser apparatus that excites a laser gas containing fluorine by discharge, and includes a cathode electrode that extends in one direction, and an anode electrode that extends in the one direction and that is disposed facing the cathode electrode in a discharge direction orthogonal to the one direction. At least one of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode includes an electrode substrate containing a metal, and a dielectric including a first layer having voids provided on a pair of side faces of the electrode substrate. A porosity of the first layer is in a range of 0.5% to 25%.

Discharge electrodes to be used in a gas laser device for exciting a laser gas containing fluorine by discharge include a cathode and an anode. The anode is arranged as facing the cathode and includes an electrode base member including a metal, and a coating layer including an insulating material and coating a part of a side surface, parallel to a longitudinal direction, of the electrode base member. The coating layer includes a first portion coating a first region of the side surface and a second portion coating a second region of the side surface, located farther from the cathode than the first region in a discharge direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and being thicker than the first portion.

Disclosed are apparatus for and methods of passivating a first electrode normally serving as a cathode in a laser discharge chamber also including a second electrode normally serving as an anode by supplying reversed polarity pulses to the first electrode either during part of a chamber manufacturing passivation procedure or intermittently or on demand after the chamber has been put in service.

A laser chamber according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a laser chamber including a pair of electrodes disposed so as to face each other in a first direction, the laser chamber being configured such that a laser gas can be introduced into the laser chamber, at least one of the pair of electrodes including a discharge section extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a shoulder section disposed so as to surround a side surface of the discharge section, a surface of the discharge section having a discharge surface extending in the second direction and an end surface provided at an end portion of the discharge section in the second direction, the end surface being a portion of a spheroid.