Magnetic-spiker excitation of gas-discharge lasers

A review is presented on the use of magnetic-spiker circuits to electrically excite rare-gas-halide and CO₂ gas-discharge lasers. The design and operation of the diode, switch, overshoot, and charge modes of magnetic-spiker excitation will be described. Special emphasis has been placed upon understanding the dynamical behaviour and saturation properties of the magnetic core material at high frequencies. The effect of voltage risetime, preionization, pulse-forming network design, and prefire on laser performance is also described. Experimental data are presented on a new and very simple magnetic-spiker circuit called the modified overshoot mode. A relatively long optical pulse magnetic-spiker KrF laser is also desribed which uses self-timed corona preionization initiated by the spiker circuit. The use of magnetic-spiker excitation to produce high output laser energies, high repetition rates, and long optical pulses is discussed. Applications of magnetic-spiker lasers in the field of medicine, microelectronics and materials processing will be reviewed.