Analysis of chemical degradation products in an e-beam pumped rare-gas halide laser

Chemical degradation products created during the operation of an
e
-beam pumped, repetitively pulsed XeF laser with closed flow cycle capability are reported. From an initial lasing mixture of Ar/Xe/NF
3
, the degraded gas was found to contain N
2
F
2
(N
2
F
4
), CO
2
, nitrogen oxides, CF
4
, and SiF
4
. Gaseous species were identified by their infrared and ultraviolet absorption spectra. Also present was a solid material tentatively thought to consist of fluorocarbons and aluminum fluorides. The observed gas chemistry suggests methods for improving laser performance by prevention of contaminant buildup.