GENERATION OF PICOSECOND PULSES BY FAST PERIODIC Q-SWITCHING IN KRF EXCIMER-LASER WITH SATURABLE ABSORBER

Properties of the short-pulse generation by fast periodic electrooptic Q-switching in a KrF laser with a saturable absorber like acridine dy e is investigated numerically. The influence of the absorber and the Q -switch parameters, as well as of the gain and the pumping time of the medium on parameters of generated pulses is analysed. It is shown tha t using the saturable absorber one can improve the pulse parameters an d, even with relatively short pumping time (50-100 ns) and moderate vo ltage switching time (almost-equal-to 1 ns), the technique enables to obtain high-contrast millijoule pulses of duration from a few to a doz en or so picoseconds.