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We observe marked increases in the time-averaged intensity, peak intensity, efficiency and spectral purity of the VUV output from an Xe excimer barrier discharge lamp when using short-pulse (~150 ns FWHM (full width half maximum)) excitation. Intensity increases with Xe pressure up to 600 Torr with a maximum output 2.6 times higher and an efficiency 3.2 times higher than the same lamp excited by conventional ac excitation (i.e. sinusoidal voltage waveform). The output occurs in regular short pulses (<300 ns FWHM) with a peak intensity more than six times the peak intensity typically obtained using ac. The spectral characteristics are similar to that observed using ac excitation except that the ratio of VUV to visible Xe* emission increases by a factor of three. The pulsed discharge appears diffuse (i.e. glow-like), even at the higher pressures at which the ac discharge is filamentary. It is concluded that the enhanced performance results largely from the ability for pulsed excitation to generate a discharge at near atmospheric pressures with a much lower electron density than that possible using ac.

An external-cavity diamond Raman laser generating up to 2.0 W at 1240 nm from 3.3 W of 1064 nm pump power is investigated as a function of pump polarization direction. The maximum conversion efficiency was 61%, and the slope efficiency of 84% closely approaches the quantum limit of 85.8%. The lowest threshold for Raman lasing is achieved for pump polarization parallel to the <111> axis, which we show is consistent with theory.

A detailed rate-equation analysis has been used to simulate the plasma kinetics in a pulsed-excited dielectric barrier discharge in xenon, under operating conditions where the discharge structure is spatially homogeneous. The one-dimensional model, incorporating 14 species and 70 reaction processes, predicts results that are in good agreement with experimental measurements of the electrical characteristics, and optical (vaccum-ultraviolet (VUV) and visible) pulse shapes. The model reveals that electrical breakdown of the discharge gap occurs via a fast-moving ionization/excitation wavefront that starts close to the anode dielectric and propagates towards the cathode at ∼3×105 m s−1. The wavefront appears as a result of successive avalanches of electrons that propagate across the discharge gap after release from the cathode dielectric. During breakdown, the mean electron energy in the bulk plasma is close to optimum for preferential excitation of the Xe* 1s4,5 states that feed the VUV emitting Xe2* excimer states. Calculations suggest that the overall conversion efficiency from electrical energy to VUV output in the plasma is greater than 60%, with >99% of the light output emitted in the VUV. Parasitic processes that act to reduce the key Xe* 1s4,5 and Xe2* populations are found to be essentially negligible. For pulsed excitation, the longer-term spatio-temporal behaviour of the electron/ions during the afterglow or inter-pulse period is important, resulting in a remnant `pre-pulse' ion density of ∼1015 m−3 close to the cathode dielectric. These ions bombard the cathode during the subsequent excitation period to release the secondary (seed) electrons required to achieve electrical breakdown.

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