Efficient Self-seeding in a Long Cavity-length Discharge-excited Excimer Laser System

A self-seeded discharge-excited ArF excimer laser oscillator using a dual-cavity configuration with long cavity lengths was developed and characterized. Proper designs for effective mode-locking in long cavity-lengths are proposed and demonstrated experimentally, which will significantly improve the energy and monochromaticity. By using the techniques of efficient mode-locking, self-seeded laser outputs with nearly the same linewidths with the seeders and larger energies are obtained. And the mode-locking can be achieved at different laser linewidths and wavelength centers.