| 摘要 |
A laser chamber with a circuitous gas return path dissipates shock waves. In one embodiment, the laser chamber includes a heat exchanger with a large surface area that defines an aerodynamic passage through which gas circulates in the laser chamber. The passage through which the gas circulates directs shock waves away from the discharge region so that the shock waves may dissipate elsewhere in the laser chamber. In addition, the large surface area of the heat exchanger efficiently cools the thermally energetic gas within the laser chamber. In another embodiment, ancillary chambers that are fluidically coupled to the main laser chamber are provided to permit shock waves to be directed away from the discharge area and to be dissipated within the ancillary chambers. Openings to the ancillary chambers are positioned such that shock waves generated by the electrode structure of the laser chamber may propagate directly into the ancillary chamber, where the shock waves then dissipate. Flow guides, such as blowers or flow vanes, may be provided in the ancillary chambers to generate a circulation of gas within the ancillary chambers that will support the laser chamber's flow of gas at the openings to the ancillary chambers. Thus, the circulating gas within the laser chamber remains uniform and stable. |
