Investigations into the xenon chloride excimer laser

A discharge pumped LC inversion type XeCl excimer laser was constructed, and its discharge and output were examined. A maximum output energy of 167 mJ was achieved, with an efficiency of 0.56%, using 60 psi of a gas composed of 0.56% HCl, 2.48% Xe, 48.48% He, and 48.48% Ne. The 308 nm laser output pulse had a fwhm of 20 ns and a peak power of 8.6 MW. When charged to 35 kV, the voltage inversion reached a peak of ~45 kV and dropped to zero in ~35 ns. The fwhm of the discharge current was 46 ns, with a peak current of 15.3 kA. The electron density in the discharge was measured using an infrared Michelson interferometer, and found to have a fwhm of 30 ns and a peak value of 12±5xl0¹⁴ cm⁻³.Science, Faculty ofPhysics and Astronomy, Department ofGraduat