Picosecond, tunable ArF* excimer laser source

Abstract
A 40-mJ ArF* laser with pulse duration ∼10 ps and spatial and spectral properties close to the transform limits is described. Substantial extraction of the available energy from the final amplifier is demonstrated, a fact providing direct evidence against the presence of significant nonlinear losses in the amplifying medium up to an intensity of ∼1 GW/cm.2