Abstract

VEL (Very large excimer laser) XeCI laser has been studied and is now under development in the frame of a Eureka program. It is the first to have reached the goal of 1 kW. The study began by a large parametric study on DENEB laser which finally gave in 1991 4 J × 50 Hz and was extrapolated for the design of VEGA laser, after a small parametric study VEGA produced what we were expecting: a maximum energy per pulse of 15 J and a maximum power of 1 kW (13 J × 80 Hz or 10 J × 100 Hz) in burst mode of 1–10 sec. The pulse duration is typically 150 ns FWHM.

© 1994 Optical Society of America