A simple kinetic model for electron-beam-pumped KrF lasers

Abstract

A kinetic model for KrF is presented that, by neglecting all but the most important kinetic processes, adequately describes the performance of electron-beam-pumped KrF lasers by a few, simple analytical expressions. The expression for the saturation intensity as a function of pump rate and gas composition is checked by measurements of gain saturation in both argon-rich and krypton-rich laser mixtures. The effects of fluorine burn-up are considered and are shown to impose a fundamental relationship between output fluence and efficiency of KrF laser amplifiers.