Two-Dimensional Computer Simulation of Discharge Pumped Excimer Lasers

A two-dimensional simulation code of a discharge-pumped excimer laser was developed to study the effect of spatial discharge non-uniformity on laser output performance. The code consists of a circuit equation, a continuity equation to calculate two-dimensional electric field, a steady-state Boltzmann equation, and rate equations. The preionization distribution was found to affect the electron and the excited particle distributions and hence the laser beam profile. Even with uniform-field electrodes, the calculated electric field distribution was not uniform, being effected by the configuration of surrounding structures, and varying in time with the changing discharge plasma conditions. The electric field surrounding insulating structures were found to increase prior to gas breakdown and to decrease afterwards.