Three-electrode discharge laser with a middle control electrode

A three-electrode discharge laser was developed. The discharge is ignited by the application of a high-voltage pulse to the middle control electrode. A storage capacitor for the main discharge is connected directly to the other two electrodes. The examples of excimer XeCI and KrF lasers, and also of an Ar–Xe laser, are used to show that such excitation of the active medium can reduce by tens of times the load on the switches in the power supply system.