Multiple wavelength excimer laser

Claim 1

A multiple wavelength excimer laser comprising: enclosure means having an optically transmissive portion and having a longitudinal interior region disposed about at least one optical axis; gas mixture means contained within said region comprising predetermined quantities of a buffer gas, xenon, and a fluorine donor gas; excitation means for exciting said gas mixture means to produce quantities of xenon fluoride excimer in the excited B and C states; optical means disposed along said at least one optical axis and bounding a predetermined portion of said gas mixture means to form an optical cavity having predetermined reflectivity characteristics in the ultraviolet and the visible portion of the spectrum said gas mixture means, said excitation means, and said optical means being interrelated such that said quantities of xenon fluoride excimer form population inversions for both said B→X and C→A transitions and such that said gas mixture means within said optical cavity has sufficient optical gain on both the B→X transition and the C→A transition of xenon fluoride such that the energy conversion efficiencies of said visible and ultraviolet radiation differ by less than a factor of 10, whereby ultraviolet radiation in the B→X band and visible radiation in the C→A band are amplified simultaneously within said optical cavity.