An electrode material for a gas discharge laser

摘要

An electrode material for a gas discharge laser wherein said electrode material is an alloy comprising tungsten and rhodium or tungsten one or more of the alloy constituents nickel and iron, wherein the amount of tungsten exceeds the amount of rhodium or the amount of said one or more of the alloy constituents nickel and iron, respectively. Further, the electrode material can comprise Mg and/or Zn at a concentration of 0.1 wt.%. This electrode material has a minimum erosion rate resulting in minimum contamination of the laser gas'and minimum dust generation and can further contribute to drying of the laser gas, thus leading to enhanced operating time of the laser gas in a gas discharge laser.