Systems Approach To An Industrial Excimer Laser

Industrial applications for excimer lasers are developing at an increasing pace, and users are defining the laser requirements for these applications. At the same time, excimer laser manufacturers are responding with lasers intended to meet these requirements. There is a strong tendency, however, for manufacturers to offer existing or slightly modified general purpose "scientific" lasers, rather than develop entirely new lasers. Such an approach is risky because users demand far more than can be delivered by "scientific" designs. A far better approach is to consider the laser as part of an industrial system, define the laser requirements for this system, then design a laser to meet these requirements without the constraints of existing designs. This paper describes the steps Questek has taken to define and develop industrial excimer lasers.