Abstract
It has been demonstrated1 that e-beam-excited XeF laser mixtures which contain F2 fuel recycle, whereas XeF laser mixtures containing NF3 fuel do not. We will show why these two fuels act differ ently. The most obvious difference between the fuels is that NF3 contains nitrogen. It will be shown that after each e-beam excitation and lasing process, a small portion of the NF3 does not reform but instead produces stoichiometric amounts of N2 and F2. It will be demonstrated that the N2 is produced In sufficient quantities to cause the observed decrease in laser output. The mechanism by which Na degrades the laser output will be identified, and experimental evidence, which confirms this, will be presented. The effect of N2 on the 353- and 351-nm bands will be presented and the implications on scaling discussed. (12 min)
© 1986 Optical Society of America
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