Super-Gaussian resonators for long-pulse XeCl lasers

Abstract

Near-diffraction-limited laser beams of high energy have been achieved with a long-pulse (110-ns) XeCl laser fitted with a super-Gaussian unstable cavity of magnification M = 2.7. It has been found that when the super-Gaussian output coupler is replaced with a hard-edge aluminized mirror of radius equal to the super-Gaussian mirror spot size, the output laser energy is reduced by 10%, whereas the beam divergence increases more than 50%.

Beam Divergency Studies on a Long Pulse XeCl Excimer Laser

“…For our system, having a low gain (2 -6 % cm -1 ) compared to the commercially available short' pulse XeCl lasers and a long gain duration (approximately 250 ns),, a positive branch confocal unstable resonator is found to be the best choice (compare refs. [2,3,4]), with outcoupling through the convex mirror to get a collimated beam. In this paper we present a detailed experimental study of unstable resonators for a low gain, long pulse XeCl excimer laser.…”