Laser device

• Main Authors: LOOPSTRA ERIK ROELOF, SWINKELS GERARDUS HUBERTUS PETRUS MARIA, BUURMAN ERIK PETRUS
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 11.06.2013
• Subjects: ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USINGWAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FORPROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; GAMMA RAY OR X-RAY MICROSCOPES; HOLOGRAPHY; IRRADIATION DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING PARTICLES OR IONISING RADIATION NOTOTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; X-RAY TECHNIQUE

A laser device includes a seed laser, an amplifier, a detector, and an optical element arranged to direct radiation emitted by the seed laser towards a plasma generation site. The optical element is arranged to direct towards the detector amplified spontaneous emission radiation which has been emitted by the seed laser and has been reflected from a droplet of fuel material. The detector is arranged to trigger generation of a laser radiation pulse by the seed laser when the reflected amplified spontaneous emission radiation is detected.