Laser-driven light source

摘要

An apparatus for producing light includes a chamber and an ignition source that ionizes a gas within the chamber. The apparatus also includes at least one laser that provides energy to the ionized gas within the chamber to produce a high brightness light. The laser can provide a substantially continuous amount of energy to the ionized gas to generate a substantially continuous high brightness light.

主权项

1. A plasma-based light source, comprising:
a pressurized chamber configured to contain an ionized gas at a pressure greater than 10 atmospheres during operation; a substantially continuous laser for providing a beam of laser energy within a wavelength range of up to about 2000 nm to the ionized gas within the chamber to maintain a plasma, the beam configured to maintain the plasma in an elongated form having a plasma length that is greater than that of a plasma diameter; and a tool optically coupled to the chamber for collecting light generated by the plasma, the generated light having wavelengths of at least than 50 nm.