SLAB AMPLIFIER, AND LASER APPARATUS AND EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT GENERATION APPARATUS INCLUDING SLAB AMPLIFIER

摘要

There is provided a slab amplifier including an optical system (48, 51) provided in a chamber (47) to allow a seed beam having entered from a first window into the space between a pair of electrodes (42, 43) to be repeatedly reflected between the space so that the seed beam is amplified to be an amplified beam; a first aperture plate (61) provided between the first window and the electrodes, and having an opening of a dimension equal to or greater than a cross-section of the seed beam and equal to or smaller than a dimension of the first window; and a second aperture plate (62) provided between the second window and the electrodes, and having an opening of a dimension equal to or greater than a cross-section of the amplified beam and equal to or smaller than a dimension of the second window.

主权项

1. A slab amplifier configured to receive a seed beam outputted from a seed light source and to amplify the seed beam, the slab amplifier comprising:
a chamber having a first through-hole and a second through-hole and accommodating a laser gain medium; a first window provided to seal the first through-hole; a first window holder configured to hold the first window; a second window provided to seal the second through-hole; a second window holder configured to hold the second window; a pair of plate electrodes disposed to face one another with a predetermined space in the chamber; an optical system provided in the chamber to allow the seed beam having entered from the first window into the space between the pair of electrodes to be repeatedly reflected between the space while the seed beam travels through the space, and to be outputted through the second window, so that the seed beam is amplified to be an amplified beam; a first aperture plate provided between the first window and the electrodes, and having an opening of a dimension equal to or greater than a cross-section of the seed beam and equal to or smaller than a dimension of the first window; and a second aperture plate provided between the second window and the electrodes, and having an opening of a dimension equal to or greater than a cross-section of the amplified beam and equal to or smaller than a dimension of the second window.