The Excimer laser

The term “excimer” is short for excited dimmer (molecule with 2 atoms, excited). The Excimer laser is also a gas laser, and the laser-active medium is an artificial molecule comprising of an inert gas (Ar, Kr, Xe) and a halogen (Fl, Cl). This molecule does not exist under “normal” conditions, but it can be formed in electric discharge and releases bond energy in the form of laser radiation when it dissociates. Fluorine and chlorine are toxic and corrosive (especially in contact with moisture) and require special measures for the arrangement of the gas supply system and handling of waste laser gas.

The radiation from Excimer lasers interacts with the atomic bond of the material, which are broken up and then cause removal of material (so-called “cold” removal). Excimer lasers are widely used for corrective eye surgery, but there are also individual applications in materials processing such as production of special structures on the workpiece (masking technology), cleaning and paint removal, and for the production of microchips in a process called stereolithography.