Abstract
In electron-beam (e-beam) pumped XeF lasers, typically Ne is used as the buffer gas at pressures of 3–4 atm, and either F2 or NF3 is used as the halogen donor. In the work reported here, Ar is used instead as the buffer gas, and the resultant laser performance is compared to the Ne diluent case. There are two reasons for testing Ar: First, Ar has a higher electron stopping power than Ne, which means for the same power deposition an Ar diluent mixture can be operated at a lower pressure than a Ne diluent mixture. The lower pressure reduces the loading on large-aperture optics and foils which eases their design constraints thereby reducing their cost. Second, the lower pressure Ar diluent mixture also has a lower heat capacity than the Ne diluent mixture. As will be shown, significant heating of the gas during the pump pulse appears to be occurring which may improve the laser performance for long-pulse (≥1-MS) operation.
© 1986 Optical Society of America
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