Pulsed power techniques for discharge pumped visible and ultraviolet excimer lasers

Excimer lasers of the rare-gas halide type can be pumped by pulsed electron beams, optically via an appropriate photo-dissociation step, and by pre-ionised high pressure glow discharge. The author describes the design requirements of the pulsed power supplies that are needed for high pressure glow discharge pumping and how these requirements have been met in the design of a number of discharge pumped excimer lasers that have recently been built at St. Andrews University