Pulse Power For The Chirp XeCl Laser

R. J. Winfield; J. M. Green; J. Fieret; K. Hawkins; R. Heath; M. R. Osborne; E. Stuart; A. F. D. S Taylor

doi:10.1117/12.951341

10 April 1989 Pulse Power For The Chirp XeCl Laser

R. J. Winfield, J. M. Green, J. Fieret, K. Hawkins, R. Heath, M. R. Osborne, E. Stuart, A. F. D. S Taylor

Proceedings Volume 1046, Pulse Power for Lasers II; (1989) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.951341
Event: OE/LASE '89, 1989, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

The EU213 EUREKA Excimer Laser project is aimed at the development of a 1kW average power excimer laser by 1992. In order to realize this goal, part of the UK programme will be to explore the possibility of creating a 1kW laser with a repetition rate approaching 10 kHz. In order to investigate the problems of, for example, gas flow, preionisation and pulse power at such a high repetition rate, an XeCl test bed laser has been assembled at Culham Laboratory: the Compact HIgh Repetition rate (CHIRP) laser. The CHIRP laser is a fast flow discharge pumped,UV corona preionised excimer laser. One of the major considerations in developing a 1 kW system is the electrical input to optical output conversion efficiency and its optimisation through the design of the pulse power system. The pulser circuit presently used uses a low impedance transmission line, and provides a high voltage prepulse for the main discharge. A voltage doubler circuit generates a synchronous pulse for the corona preioniser. Isolation of the prepulse is achieved by use of a ferrite saturable magnetic inductor. The typical stored energy per pulse is ~3.5 J (at 10 kV) for the main pulse,~1 J (at 25 kV) for the prepulse and ~ .2 J for the preioniser. Active switching is by deuterium filled hollow anode thyratrons. This paper discusses the design of the circuit, its operation at pulse repetition rates of ~1 kHz, and prospects of multikilohertz operation.

Citation Download Citation

R. J. Winfield, J. M. Green, J. Fieret, K. Hawkins, R. Heath, M. R. Osborne, E. Stuart, and A. F. D. S Taylor "Pulse Power For The Chirp XeCl Laser", Proc. SPIE 1046, Pulse Power for Lasers II, (10 April 1989); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.951341

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