Excimer laser electrode optimization and solids-based fluorine generation system for operational lifetime extension

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This project aims to develop an application-based Fluorine reservoir for Excimer laser technology in collaboration with Lightmachinery Inc., a manufacturer of CO2 and Excimer laser technology based in Ottawa, Ontario. Excimer lasers require the use of Fluorine gas during operation, a compound with significant safety risks associated with it's use and storage in gaseous form. Current on-site fluorine storage strategies use low-concentration gas mixtures to minimize exposure risk, necessitating increased amounts of the rare-gas mixtures in these laser systems to be lost during each injection of new fluorine into the operating system. The current work aims to construct and test a solids-based fluorine reservoir, developing the measurement and control methods required to integrate this system with industrial laser chambers, and testing the developed reservoir and monitoring systems on operational lasers. Recent advancements in contaminant management systems have also presented an opportunity for alternative alloys for the electrodes within this system to be explored. This work involved the testing and characterization of alternative electrode materials and their corrosion properties under a laser plasma environment.