26 Jun 2003
Attendees see a new UV source with an output that can be tuned to anything between CW and pulses of a few nanoseconds.
TuiLaser of Germany has introduced a compact excimer-lamp that uses an electron beam, rather than a gas discharge, to stimulate light emission. The company says its e-lux is fully tunable from continuous wave (CW) right down to pulses as short as a few nanoseconds.
“For the first time it is possible to produce excimer radiation which is homogeneous, and has a variable time structure (ns-pulsed up to full continuous waves),” said Jochen Wieser of TuiLaser.
In contrast to other excimer sources, the e-lux is electrode-free and does not rely on a gas discharge. It uses an electron-beam that is separated from the gas by a thin film. The electrons react with the gas over a small area, which gives control over the final size of the emitted beam.
Wieser says that the beauty of the e-beam configuration is that you can modulate the electron beam and the emitted light will exactly mirror the pattern. He also says that lamp can have an efficiency approaching 40%.
The company is exhibiting two prototypes at the Laser show. The first has an output of 308 nm and the second emits at 121nm. Wieser says though the same technique can be used to generate light at the full range of excimer wavelengths including 157, 193 and 248nm.
TuiLaser is currently putting the final touches to the prototype versions of the e-lux and hopes to begin selling the product by the end of the year.
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