Abstract

When many types of commercial excimer laser are operated at 193 nm (ArF) and 248 nm (KrF) carbon tetrafluoride (CF) is produced. It is created by the ultraviolet catalyzed degradation of the Kynar (polyvinylidene fluoride), a material used to mount the electrode assemblies inside the laser cavity. Previous studies^1,2 have shown its presence to have a detrimental impact on excimer laser performance, specifically a loss in laser output energy.

© 1992 Optical Society of America