Automatic gas supply control device for gas laser

Abstract

This application discloses an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser, belonging to the field of laser technology. The gas replenishment system includes a first solenoid valve and a second solenoid valve, respectively located between a second gas cylinder and the cavity, and between a first gas cylinder and the cavity; the pressure maintenance system includes a third solenoid valve and a vacuum pump; the control and monitoring system includes a laser control board, which is electrically connected to a pressure sensor, each solenoid valve, and the vacuum pump. The laser control board is configured to acquire the cumulative number of discharge pulses and calculate the theoretical gas replenishment amount; during laser downtime, control the gas replenishment system to activate the corresponding solenoid valve to replenish gas according to the theoretical replenishment amount, and after replenishment, determine the replenishment status based on the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical replenishment amount; and control the pressure maintenance system to pump gas to a second threshold based on the total gas pressure, maintaining the total gas pressure within a preset working pressure range. This application achieves precise automatic gas replenishment, with advantages of high replenishment accuracy and high reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of laser technology, and more specifically to an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser. Background Technology

[0002] In high-power pulsed gas lasers, the working medium, i.e., the working gas, is consumed in real time during operation, requiring precise replenishment to ensure stable laser discharge. Among these, discharge-induced non-chain deuterium fluoride (DF) lasers offer advantages such as controllable reaction processes, non-toxic working medium, and ease of miniaturization. They can achieve high-power, high-energy, and high-beam-quality laser output in the 3.5–4.2 µm mid-infrared band, making them valuable for applications in laser spectroscopy, atmospheric environmental monitoring, optoelectronic countermeasures, and lidar.

[0003] Non-chained pulsed DF lasers typically employ and Two gases serve as the working medium, and a chemical reaction is initiated by a high-voltage discharge. This discharge induces a chemical reaction in the working medium of the non-chained DF laser. and The gas composition and total pressure have a significant impact on laser output energy. An optimal working gas ratio and cavity pressure range exist to achieve the best output energy and gain extraction efficiency in non-chained DF lasers. This is because the working medium of non-chained DF lasers... and The optimal working gas ratio is different from the gas consumption ratio, and and Because they are not easily mixed and stored, the working gas mixing and replenishment for non-chained DF lasers are usually performed separately.

[0004] Currently, there are two main methods for replenishing the working gas in a non-chained DF laser induced by discharge: one is to re-evacuate the laser cavity after the DF laser has accumulated a certain number of pulses, and then fill it with gas according to a certain ratio. and Working gas. This method is simple in principle, but the laser output power decreases with the accumulation of pulses and gas consumption. Generally, after several thousand consecutive pulses, the laser power will decrease by 30-50%. Moreover, due to changes in gas ratio and pressure, the laser discharge gradually becomes unstable, producing arcing, and cannot continue to operate reliably. Another method is to simultaneously replenish the working gas within the laser cavity while the DF laser is operating. and The working gas is supplied to the cavity at rates controlled by gas mass flow meters, with each gas being added in a specific ratio. The main drawback of this method is: and Gas mass flow meters are relatively expensive, and they experience a certain degree of overcharging at the moment of startup, which is unsuitable for applications requiring only minor replenishment. In such cases, the intake volume may be too large, affecting the accuracy of the final air replenishment ratio.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automatic gas replenishment control device for gas lasers to effectively solve the technical problems of existing technologies, such as re-vacuuming and gas replenishment after accumulating pulses, which leads to a decrease in laser power as the number of pulses increases, unstable discharge, high gas replenishment cost, low accuracy, low degree of automation, and reliance on manual operation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser, which can solve at least one of the technical problems mentioned above. The specific solution is as follows: This application provides an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser, comprising: Laser vacuum sealed cavity; A pressure sensor is mounted on the vacuum-sealed cavity of the laser. A gas replenishment system includes a first solenoid valve and a second solenoid valve; the first solenoid valve is disposed in the gas line between the first gas cylinder and the vacuum sealed cavity of the laser, and the second solenoid valve is disposed in the gas line between the second gas cylinder and the vacuum sealed cavity of the laser. The air pressure maintenance system includes a third solenoid valve and a vacuum pump; the third solenoid valve is disposed in the air path between the vacuum pump and the vacuum sealed cavity of the laser, and the vacuum pump is connected to the third solenoid valve; The control and monitoring system includes a laser control board; the laser control board is electrically connected to the pressure sensor, the first solenoid valve, the second solenoid valve, the third solenoid valve, and the vacuum pump, respectively. The control and monitoring system is configured as follows: Obtain the cumulative number of discharge pulses, and calculate the theoretical gas replenishment amount of the first gas and the second gas based on the cumulative number of laser working pulses; During the laser's off-light interval, the gas replenishment system is controlled to perform a gas replenishment operation. The gas replenishment operation includes controlling the corresponding solenoid valve to open for gas replenishment according to the theoretical gas replenishment amount, and obtaining the actual gas pressure increment after the gas replenishment is completed. The gas replenishment status is determined based on the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical gas replenishment amount. Based on the total air pressure measured by the pressure sensor, when the total air pressure is higher than the first threshold, the air pressure maintenance system is controlled to pump air to the second threshold to maintain the total air pressure within the preset working air pressure range.

[0007] Furthermore, the control and monitoring system includes a DSP controller and a CPLD chip; the CPLD chip is used to generate charging trigger signals and discharging trigger signals according to a set operating frequency; the DSP controller is used to collect the number of discharge pulses, calculate the theoretical gas replenishment volume, and output control signals.

[0008] Furthermore, the control and monitoring system also includes: The pre-inflation pressure recording module is used to record the intracavitary pressure value before the inflation operation is performed; The gas replenishment process control module is used to control the corresponding solenoid valve to close when the gas pressure increment reaches the theoretical gas replenishment amount minus the preset advance amount or the gas replenishment time exceeds the preset time threshold, based on the response delay characteristics of the solenoid valve during the gas replenishment process. The post-gas replenishment verification module is used to obtain the intracavity pressure value after gas replenishment, calculate the actual gas pressure increment, and determine the gas replenishment abnormality when the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical gas replenishment amount exceeds the preset tolerance range and retain the corresponding cumulative laser working pulse count. When the deviation does not exceed the preset tolerance range, the corresponding cumulative laser working pulse count is cleared to zero.

[0009] Furthermore, the theoretical gas replenishment volume includes: theoretical gas replenishment volume = cumulative number of laser working pulses × single pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient.

[0010] Furthermore, the single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is determined based on the consumption ratio of the first gas and the second gas during the discharge process.

[0011] Furthermore, the gas replenishment system is configured to: perform a first gas replenishment when the cumulative number of pulses after replenishing the first gas exceeds a first pulse threshold; perform a second gas replenishment when the cumulative number of pulses after replenishing the second gas exceeds a second pulse threshold; and perform the first gas replenishment and the second gas replenishment alternately.

[0012] Furthermore, the control and monitoring system is also configured to: after the gas replenishment operation is completed, if the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical gas replenishment amount exceeds the preset tolerance range, report the corresponding insufficient gas replenishment prompt information, and control the gas replenishment system to continue replenishing the same gas during the next light outage interval.

[0013] Furthermore, the first threshold and the second threshold are set according to the working pressure window of the laser, which corresponds to the pressure range in which the laser output energy reaches a preset level.

[0014] Furthermore, the vacuum-sealed cavity of the laser is equipped with a gas circulation cooling and adsorption device.

[0015] Furthermore, the adsorption device includes a molecular sieve.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the above-described solutions of this application have at least the following beneficial effects: 1. This application discloses an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser, which is based on the chemical reaction kinetics model of a non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride laser and is determined through theoretical derivation. and The consumption ratio is 2:1, and the single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is further calibrated. During gas replenishment, the precise calculation formula of theoretical replenishment volume = cumulative number of pulses × single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is used to achieve quantitative replenishment of consumed gas.

[0017] 2. The automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser of this application adopts an early shutdown compensation strategy. When the gas pressure increment reaches the theoretical gas replenishment amount minus the preset advance amount, or when the gas replenishment action time exceeds the preset time threshold, the solenoid valve is closed in advance, which effectively offsets the gas replenishment error caused by the response delay of the solenoid valve. It is particularly suitable for small-dose gas replenishment scenarios and significantly improves the gas replenishment accuracy.

[0018] 3. The automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser disclosed in this application reads the gas pressure value after each gas replenishment by a pressure sensor, calculates the actual gas pressure increment, and compares the deviation with the theoretical gas replenishment amount. It can automatically identify insufficient gas replenishment caused by insufficient gas cylinder pressure, damaged solenoid valve, gas pipe leakage or blockage, etc., thereby improving the intelligence level and operational reliability of the system. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic gas replenishment control process of an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Laser vacuum sealed cavity; 2. Laser control board; 3. Pressure sensor; 4. First solenoid valve; 5. Second solenoid valve; 6. Third solenoid valve; 7. Vacuum pump; 8. First gas cylinder; 9. Second gas cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a product or device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a product or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the product or device that includes that element.

[0024] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this application provides an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser. A schematic diagram of the automatic gas replenishment control device is provided below. Figure 1 The flowchart of the automatic air replenishment control is shown below. Figure 2 As shown.

[0026] In this embodiment, the gas laser in an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser is a non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser. The automatic gas replenishment control device includes: a laser vacuum sealed cavity 1, a laser control board 2, a pressure sensor 3, a first solenoid valve 4, a second solenoid valve 5, a third solenoid valve 6, a vacuum pump 7, a first gas cylinder 8, and a second gas cylinder 9. In this embodiment, the first gas cylinder 8 contains deuterium gas (…). ) gas cylinder; the second gas cylinder 9 contains sulfur hexafluoride ( (Gas cylinder. The first gas is...) The second gas is The center wavelength of the non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser is 3.8 μm.

[0027] The vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser is used to contain the first and second gases and provide space for the discharge reaction; it is the working gas of the non-chained DF laser. and The working gas is mixed in a certain proportion inside the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser. Pressure sensor 3 is installed on the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser to measure the total pressure of the working gas inside the cavity in real time.

[0028] The gas replenishment system includes a first solenoid valve 4 and a second solenoid valve 5. The first solenoid valve 4 is located in the gas path between the second gas cylinder 9 and the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser, and is used to control the gas supply. Gas replenishment; the second solenoid valve 5 is located in the gas path between the first gas cylinder 8 and the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser, and is used to control... Gas replenishment.

[0029] The pressure maintenance system includes a third solenoid valve 6 and a vacuum pump 7. The third solenoid valve 6 is located in the gas path between the vacuum pump 7 and the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser. The vacuum pump 7 is connected to the third solenoid valve 6 and is used to evacuate the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser.

[0030] The control and monitoring system includes a laser control board 2. The laser control board 2 is electrically connected to a pressure sensor 3, a first solenoid valve 4, a second solenoid valve 5, a third solenoid valve 6, and a vacuum pump 7.

[0031] During operation, the non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser sends charging and discharging trigger signals at fixed time intervals and the same frequency to both the high-voltage charging power supply and the switching trigger. Upon detecting the rising edge of the charging trigger signal, the high-voltage power supply begins charging the energy storage capacitor inside the laser. Charging stops when the capacitor's charging voltage reaches a set value. Then, upon receiving the trigger signal, the switching trigger generates a high-voltage pulse drive signal to turn on the laser. The energy stored in the energy storage capacitor discharges through the laser's internal discharge circuit, causing the working gas to break down and discharge. This discharge is then amplified and output through the optical resonant cavity. The laser control board 2 continuously collects and accumulates the number of discharge pulses during laser output.

[0032] This application provides a preferred technical solution, in which the laser control board 2 includes a DSP controller and a CPLD chip. The CPLD chip is used to generate charging trigger signals and discharging trigger signals according to a set operating frequency; the DSP controller is used to collect the number of discharge pulses, calculate the theoretical gas replenishment amount, and output control signals to the first solenoid valve 4, the second solenoid valve 5, the third solenoid valve 6, and the vacuum pump 7.

[0033] The technical solution provided in this application embodiment achieves fully automated control of the entire process, including pulse counting, theoretical gas replenishment calculation, solenoid valve control, gas extraction control, deviation verification, and anomaly reporting, through the laser control board 2, including a DSP controller and a CPLD chip. This eliminates the need for manual operation, reduces manual operation costs, avoids human error, and improves the execution accuracy and reliability of the gas replenishment process.

[0034] This application provides a preferred technical solution where the control and monitoring system further includes a pre-injection air pressure recording module, an injection process control module, and a post-injection verification module. The pre-injection air pressure recording module records the intracavitary air pressure value before the injection operation. The injection process control module, based on the response delay characteristics of the solenoid valve during injection, controls the corresponding solenoid valve to close when the air pressure increment reaches the theoretical injection volume minus a preset lead time or when the injection time exceeds a preset time threshold. The post-injection verification module acquires the intracavitary air pressure value after injection, calculates the actual air pressure increment, and determines an injection anomaly and retains the corresponding cumulative laser working pulse count when the deviation between the actual air pressure increment and the theoretical injection volume exceeds a preset tolerance range; otherwise, it resets the corresponding cumulative laser working pulse count to zero.

[0035] Non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) lasers typically employ and Two gases serve as the working medium, and a chemical reaction is initiated by high-voltage discharge. The main kinetic reaction process comprises four parts: the generation of F atoms, the chemical pumping reaction, the relaxation process, and the stimulated emission process. The chemical reaction equation is as follows: (1) (2) (3) (4) Where e represents the electron charge; hv represents the single photon energy; and v represents the vibrational quantum number.

[0036] In chemical reaction formula (1), the working medium contains The gas generates a large number of F atoms under the action of discharge. These F atoms will then react with... A non-chain chemical reaction occurs to generate excited-state DF(v) molecules, as shown in chemical reaction formula (2), forming a population inversion, i.e., a laser pumping reaction. Chemical reaction formula (3) represents the process by which excited-state DF(v) molecules are mainly de-excited by ground-state DF molecules, which is an important factor affecting the stable operation of DF lasers. During the de-excitation process, excited-state DF(v) molecules undergo non-radiative transitions through collisional relaxation, resulting in no photon radiation and a decrease in laser output energy. Reaction formula (4) is the process by which excited-state DF(v) molecules undergo stimulated transitions to radiate and form laser light.

[0037] During continuous repetition rate operation, non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) lasers not only continuously generate ground-state DF molecules, but also, due to the irreversible chemical reaction process, the working gas... and It is also constantly being consumed, because the F atoms produced by the discharge will all be combined with... A chemical reaction occurs to produce excited-state DF molecules. Therefore, based on the F atom production, the expression for the single-pulse output energy of a non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser is: (5) Where E represents the single-pulse output energy of the laser; This represents the number of photons emitted by a single excited-state DF molecule upon stimulated emission; The non-output loss coefficient of an optical resonant cavity is mainly determined by parameters such as the cavity shape, transverse mode discrimination capability, and total reflection mirror reflectivity. This indicates the rate at which F atoms are produced; express Number of molecules; This represents the total amount of charge flowing through the discharge region within the length of the discharge pulse. Indicates the area of ​​the discharge region; This indicates the electron drift velocity.

[0038] From the chemical reaction equations occurring in the gain region, it can be seen that... All the dissociated F atoms are used in the chemical reaction to generate DF molecules. Therefore, the number of DF molecules can be considered to be the same as the number of F atoms. The total number of DF molecules produced in a single discharge can be calculated from the chemical reaction formula (6). Since the total charge flowing through the discharge region is difficult to measure, the total number of DF molecules generated by the chemical reaction can be estimated using the laser output single pulse energy. The expression is: (6) in, This represents the total number of excited-state DF molecules generated in a single discharge.

[0039] In the technical solution of this application embodiment, the center wavelength of the non-chained pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser is 3.8 μm, therefore hυ 5.23×10 can be taken. -20 J; Approximating to 2, this means that approximately two photons are released for each excited-state DF molecule generated. The optical resonator of the non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser employs an unstable cavity mode. The value is 30%, and the laser single-pulse energy is approximately 3.5 J. Substituting the above parameter values ​​into expression (6), the number of excited-state DF molecules required for a single-pulse laser can be calculated as follows: Number, approximately mol.

[0040] This application provides a preferred technical solution where the single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is determined based on the consumption ratio of the first gas and the second gas during the discharge process. In normal operation, a non-chained pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser consumes one... The molecule provides 2 F atoms and 1 The molecule provides one D atom for a chemical reaction to generate an excited-state DF molecule, i.e. and The consumption ratio of molecules is equivalent to a subsequent gas filling ratio of 2:1, that is, the consumption ratio in the technical solution of this application embodiment is 2:1.

[0041] This application provides a preferred technical solution, combined with... Figure 2 The specific configuration of the control and monitoring system is described in detail.

[0042] First, the laser control board 2 determines whether the working gas pressure inside the laser vacuum sealed cavity 1, measured by the pressure sensor 3, is higher than a first threshold. In this embodiment, the first threshold is 10.9 kPa. If the cavity pressure is higher than 10.9 kPa, the vacuum pump 7 is powered on, controlling the third solenoid valve 6 to open, and the vacuum pump 7 begins to evacuate the working gas inside the laser vacuum sealed cavity 1. When the cavity pressure drops to a second threshold, the third solenoid valve 6 is closed, the vacuum pump 7 is de-energized, and the evacuation of the working gas inside the laser vacuum sealed cavity 1 stops. In this embodiment, the second threshold is 9 kPa. Through the above evacuation operation, the total gas pressure is dynamically maintained within the preset working gas pressure range of 9 kPa to 11 kPa. Within this pressure range, the non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser exhibits optimal laser output energy and power stability.

[0043] Then, a gas replenishment operation is performed. In this embodiment, the gas replenishment operation is performed alternately: when the cumulative replenishment... When the number of pulses following the gas exceeds the first pulse threshold, execute. Gas replenishment; when cumulative replenishment When the number of pulses following the gas exceeds the second pulse threshold, execute. Gas replenishment. In the technical solution of this application embodiment, both the first pulse threshold and the second pulse threshold are 2400 pulses.

[0044] by Taking gas replenishment as an example, if the last replenishment The cumulative number of laser working pulses >2400, the laser control board 2 calculates the required gas replenishment based on the theoretical gas replenishment volume = cumulative laser working pulses × single pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient. The theoretical amount of Qi to replenish is recorded, and the current amount of Qi replenishment is recorded. The internal air pressure value before the cavity is determined. Then, the second solenoid valve 5 is opened. The gas cylinder began replenishing the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser. Pneumatic operation.

[0045] In the embodiments of this application, Indicates the previous supplement The cumulative number of laser pulses after the initial operation; the single-pulse gas consumption ratio is a constant predetermined based on the chemical reaction kinetics model of the non-chained pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser, with units of Pa / pulse number. Based on the aforementioned theoretical analysis, and The consumption ratio is 2:1, therefore The single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is Twice that. For the laser system of this application embodiment, experimental calibration has shown that... The single-pulse gas consumption ratio is approximately 0.104 Pa / pulse. The single-pulse gas consumption ratio is approximately 0.052 Pa / pulse.

[0046] because Each air replenishment is small, approximately several hundred Pa. There is a time delay of approximately several hundred milliseconds between the solenoid valve receiving the electrical signal and the actual mechanical action. To prevent overfilling due to this delay, the control and monitoring system employs an early shutdown compensation strategy. When the increase in intracavity pressure relative to the initial intracavity pressure before replenishment reaches: × Proportional coefficient - When the preset lead time is reached, or when the gas replenishment action time exceeds the preset time threshold, the second solenoid valve 5 is closed to stop the gas replenishment to the laser vacuum sealed cavity 1. Gas operation. In this embodiment, the preset lead time is 100 Pa and the preset time threshold is 8 seconds.

[0047] After the gas replenishment is completed, the control and monitoring system performs a post-replenishment verification. At this time, the current intracavity pressure value is read, the actual pressure increment is calculated, and the difference between the pressure value after replenishment and the pressure value before replenishment is determined. It is then determined whether the deviation between the actual pressure increment and the theoretical replenishment amount is within a preset tolerance range. In this embodiment of the application, for... Gas, preset tolerance range is 200 Pa. If the deviation exceeds 200 Pa, it indicates a need for compensation. If the quantity is insufficient or differs significantly from the predetermined value, report the following: Supplement. Insufficient information message; more information needs to be added next time. , The value is not cleared to zero; if the deviation is within 200 Pa, it indicates compensation. Normal, and supplements will be added at the same time. The cumulative number of laser working pulses The value is reset to zero.

[0048] Supplement The working principle of gas is similar; if it was replenished last time... The cumulative number of laser working pulses >2400, the laser control board 2 calculates the required gas replenishment based on the theoretical gas replenishment volume = cumulative laser working pulses × single pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient. The theoretical gas replenishment volume is calculated, and the intracavity pressure value before SF6 replenishment is recorded. Then, the first solenoid valve 4 is opened. The gas cylinder began replenishing the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser. Pneumatic operation.

[0049] In the embodiments of this application, This represents the cumulative number of laser pulses since the last SF6 replenishment; the single-pulse gas consumption ratio is a constant predetermined based on the chemical reaction kinetics model of the non-chained pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser, and its unit is Pa / pulse number. Based on the aforementioned theoretical analysis, and The consumption ratio is 2:1, therefore The single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is Half of it. For the laser system of this application embodiment, experimental calibration has been performed. The single-pulse gas consumption ratio is approximately 0.104 Pa / pulse. The single-pulse gas consumption ratio is approximately 0.052 Pa / pulse.

[0050] because Each air replenishment is small, approximately several hundred Pa. There is a time delay of approximately several hundred milliseconds between the solenoid valve receiving the electrical signal and the actual mechanical action. To prevent overfilling due to this delay, the control and monitoring system employs an early shutdown compensation strategy. When the increase in intracavity pressure relative to the initial intracavity pressure before replenishment reaches: When the proportional coefficient is less than the preset lead time, or when the gas replenishment action time exceeds the preset time threshold, the first solenoid valve 4 is closed to stop the gas replenishment to the laser vacuum sealed cavity 1. Gas operation. In this embodiment, the preset lead time is 100 Pa and the preset time threshold is 8 seconds.

[0051] After the gas replenishment is completed, the control and monitoring system performs a post-replenishment verification. At this time, the current intracavity pressure value is read, the actual pressure increment is calculated, and the difference between the pressure value after replenishment and the pressure value before replenishment is determined. It is then determined whether the deviation between the actual pressure increment and the theoretical replenishment amount is within a preset tolerance range. In this embodiment of the application, for... Gas, preset tolerance range is 300 Pa. If the deviation exceeds 300 Pa, it indicates a need for compensation. If the quantity is insufficient or differs significantly from the predetermined value, report the following: Supplement. Insufficient information message; more information needs to be added next time. , The value is not zeroed; if the deviation is within 300 Pa, it indicates compensation. Normal, and supplements will be added at the same time. The cumulative number of laser working pulses The value is reset to zero.

[0052] The technical solution of this application addresses the overcharging problem caused by the time delay between the solenoid valve receiving an electrical signal and the actual mechanical action. It employs an early shutdown compensation strategy: the solenoid valve is shut off early when the gas pressure increment reaches the theoretical replenishment amount minus a preset advance amount, or when the replenishment action time exceeds a preset time threshold. This effectively offsets the replenishment error caused by the solenoid valve's response delay, making it particularly suitable for small-dose replenishment scenarios and significantly improving replenishment accuracy.

[0053] During the process of replenishing Qi, supplementation Qi and replenishment The system operates with alternating gas supply, while simultaneously maintaining the total cavity pressure of the laser within the range of 9kPa to 11kPa through a pumping operation. This dual-gas alternating supply avoids mixed storage issues, simplifies gas path design, eliminates the safety risks associated with mixed storage, and ensures proper matching of the replenishment timings of the two gases through pulse threshold control.

[0054] This application embodiment also provides a preferred technical solution, wherein the control and monitoring system is further configured to: after the gas replenishment operation is completed, if the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical gas replenishment amount exceeds a preset tolerance range, report a corresponding gas replenishment insufficiency warning message, such as "replenish gas". "Insufficient" or "Supplement" If the gas supply is insufficient, the gas replenishment system will continue to replenish the same gas during the next light outage. The technical solution of this application embodiment can automatically identify insufficient gas supply caused by insufficient gas cylinder pressure, damaged solenoid valve, gas pipe leakage or blockage, etc., thereby improving the intelligence level and operational reliability of the system.

[0055] This application also provides a preferred technical solution, wherein a gas circulation cooling and adsorption device is provided inside the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser. This adsorption device is used to adsorb ground-state DF molecules to further improve the stability of the laser's output energy. Preferably, the adsorption device includes a 13X type molecular sieve.

[0056] The technical solution of this application embodiment, after actual operation and experimentation on a non-chained pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser prototype, effectively improves the number of pulses and laser power stability of the non-chained pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser during continuous and stable operation compared with previous gas replenishment control methods.

[0057] The operating method of an automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser provided in this application includes the following steps: S1, Gas laser operation and pulse counting.

[0058] When the non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride (DF) laser is operating, the laser control board 2 sends charging and discharging trigger signals of the same frequency and fixed time intervals to the high-voltage charging power supply and the switching trigger, causing the laser to output pulsed laser light. During the laser output process, the laser control board 2 collects and accumulates the number of discharge pulses in real time, and records the cumulative replenishment of the first gas (…). The number of pulses after ) and cumulative replenishment of the second gas ( The number of pulses after ) .

[0059] S2, Pressure maintenance operation during light outages.

[0060] During laser downtime, the laser control board 2 first determines whether a evacuation operation is needed based on the total working gas pressure inside the laser vacuum chamber 1 measured by the pressure sensor 3. If the total air pressure is higher than the first threshold, which is 10.9 kPa in this embodiment, the third solenoid valve 6 is turned on and the vacuum pump 7 is started to pump air from the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser. When the total gas pressure drops to the second threshold, preferably 9 kPa in this embodiment, the third solenoid valve 6 is closed and the vacuum pump 7 is de-energized to stop pumping.

[0061] Through the above-mentioned air extraction operation, the total air pressure is dynamically maintained within the preset working air pressure range, which is 9 kPa to 11 kPa in this embodiment of the application.

[0062] S3, Judgment of Qi replenishment trigger conditions.

[0063] Laser control board 2 determines whether gas replenishment is needed: like If the first pulse threshold is exceeded (preferably 2400 in this embodiment), then preparation is made to perform the first gas replenishment; if If the second pulse threshold is exceeded (2400 in this embodiment), a second gas replenishment is prepared. The first and second gas replenishments are performed alternately to avoid simultaneous gas replenishment.

[0064] S4, First gas replenishment operation.

[0065] When the cumulative number of pulses N1 after replenishing the first gas exceeds the first pulse threshold, perform the following operations: Record the intracavitary pressure value before gas replenishment; calculate the theoretical replenishment volume of the first gas required according to the theoretical replenishment volume formula, wherein the theoretical replenishment volume is equal to... Multiply by the single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient of the first gas; control the second solenoid valve 5 to open, and the first gas cylinder 8 replenishes the first gas into the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser; during the gas replenishment process, monitor the increase in the cavity pressure relative to the gas pressure before replenishment in real time; when the gas pressure increase reaches the theoretical replenishment amount minus the preset advance amount, or when the gas replenishment action time exceeds the preset time threshold, control the second solenoid valve 5 to close and stop the gas replenishment; after the gas replenishment is completed, read the current cavity pressure value, calculate the actual gas pressure increase, the actual gas pressure increase is equal to the gas pressure value after replenishment minus the gas pressure value before replenishment; determine whether the deviation between the actual gas pressure increase and the theoretical replenishment amount is within the preset tolerance range: If so, it indicates that the Qi replenishment is normal. Reset to zero; If not, it indicates insufficient Qi replenishment; retain [the appropriate amount]. It also generates a message indicating that the first gas supply is insufficient, and the first gas will be replenished again during the next light-stop interval.

[0066] S5, Second gas replenishment operation.

[0067] Record the intracavitary pressure value before gas replenishment; calculate the theoretical replenishment volume of the second gas required according to the theoretical replenishment volume formula, wherein the theoretical replenishment volume is equal to... Multiply by the single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient of the second gas; control the first solenoid valve 4 to open, and the second gas cylinder 9 replenishes the second gas into the vacuum sealed cavity 1 of the laser; during the gas replenishment process, monitor the increase in cavity pressure relative to the gas pressure before replenishment in real time; when the gas pressure increase reaches the theoretical replenishment amount minus the preset advance amount, or when the gas replenishment action time exceeds the preset time threshold, control the first solenoid valve 4 to close and stop the gas replenishment; after the gas replenishment is completed, read the current cavity pressure value, calculate the actual gas pressure increase, the actual gas pressure increase is equal to the gas pressure value after replenishment minus the gas pressure value before replenishment; determine whether the deviation between the actual gas pressure increase and the theoretical replenishment amount is within the preset tolerance range: If so, it indicates that the Qi replenishment is normal. Reset to zero; If not, it indicates insufficient Qi replenishment; retain [the appropriate amount]. It also generates a message indicating that the second gas supply is insufficient, and the second gas will be replenished during the next light outage.

[0068] S6. The laser resumes operation and repeats steps S1 to S5 to achieve automatic and precise gas replenishment control. At the same time, the gas pressure maintenance system ensures that the laser always works within the optimal gas pressure window.

[0069] Through the above steps, the automatic gas replenishment control device for the gas laser achieves precise automatic gas replenishment control by combining theoretical calculations based on the cumulative number of pulses with closed-loop feedback, effectively extending the number of pulses for continuous and stable operation of the laser and improving the stability of output power.

[0070] This application uses a chemical reaction kinetic model based on a non-chain pulsed deuterium fluoride laser to determine, through theoretical derivation, the... and The consumption ratio is 2:1, and the single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is further calibrated. During gas replenishment, the precise calculation formula of theoretical replenishment volume = cumulative number of pulses × single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is used to achieve quantitative replenishment of consumed gas.

[0071] Finally, it should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the systems or apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the descriptions are relatively simple, and relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0072] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. An automatic gas replenishment control device for a gas laser, characterized in that, include: Laser vacuum sealed cavity; A pressure sensor is mounted on the vacuum-sealed cavity of the laser. A gas replenishment system includes a first solenoid valve and a second solenoid valve; the first solenoid valve is disposed in the gas line between the first gas cylinder and the vacuum sealed cavity of the laser, and the second solenoid valve is disposed in the gas line between the second gas cylinder and the vacuum sealed cavity of the laser. The air pressure maintenance system includes a third solenoid valve and a vacuum pump; the third solenoid valve is disposed in the air path between the vacuum pump and the vacuum sealed cavity of the laser, and the vacuum pump is connected to the third solenoid valve; The control and monitoring system includes a laser control board; the laser control board is electrically connected to the pressure sensor, the first solenoid valve, the second solenoid valve, the third solenoid valve, and the vacuum pump, respectively. The control and monitoring system is configured as follows: Obtain the cumulative number of discharge pulses, and calculate the theoretical gas replenishment amount of the first gas and the second gas based on the cumulative number of laser working pulses; During the laser's off-light interval, the gas replenishment system is controlled to perform a gas replenishment operation. The gas replenishment operation includes controlling the corresponding solenoid valve to open for gas replenishment according to the theoretical gas replenishment amount, and obtaining the actual gas pressure increment after the gas replenishment is completed. The gas replenishment status is determined based on the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical gas replenishment amount. Based on the total air pressure measured by the pressure sensor, when the total air pressure is higher than the first threshold, the air pressure maintenance system is controlled to pump air to the second threshold to maintain the total air pressure within the preset working air pressure range.

2. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control and monitoring system includes a DSP controller and a CPLD chip; the CPLD chip is used to generate charging trigger signals and discharging trigger signals according to a set operating frequency; the DSP controller is used to collect the number of discharge pulses, calculate the theoretical gas replenishment volume, and output control signals.

3. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control and monitoring system also includes: The pre-inflation pressure recording module is used to record the intracavitary pressure value before the inflation operation is performed; The gas replenishment process control module is used to control the corresponding solenoid valve to close when the gas pressure increment reaches the theoretical gas replenishment amount minus the preset advance amount or the gas replenishment time exceeds the preset time threshold, based on the response delay characteristics of the solenoid valve during the gas replenishment process. The post-gas replenishment verification module is used to obtain the intracavity pressure value after gas replenishment, calculate the actual gas pressure increment, and determine the gas replenishment abnormality when the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical gas replenishment amount exceeds the preset tolerance range and retain the corresponding cumulative laser working pulse count. When the deviation does not exceed the preset tolerance range, the corresponding cumulative laser working pulse count is cleared to zero.

4. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The theoretical gas replenishment volume includes: theoretical gas replenishment volume = cumulative number of laser working pulses × single pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient.

5. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The single-pulse gas consumption ratio coefficient is determined based on the consumption ratio of the first gas and the second gas during the discharge process.

6. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas replenishment system is configured to: perform a first gas replenishment when the cumulative number of pulses after replenishing the first gas exceeds a first pulse threshold; perform a second gas replenishment when the cumulative number of pulses after replenishing the second gas exceeds a second pulse threshold; and perform the first gas replenishment and the second gas replenishment alternately.

7. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control and monitoring system is also configured to: after the gas replenishment operation is completed, if the deviation between the actual gas pressure increment and the theoretical gas replenishment amount exceeds the preset tolerance range, report the corresponding insufficient gas replenishment prompt information, and control the gas replenishment system to continue replenishing the same gas during the next light outage interval.

8. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first threshold and the second threshold are set according to the working pressure window of the laser, which corresponds to the pressure range in which the laser output energy reaches a preset level.

9. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The laser's vacuum-sealed cavity is equipped with a gas circulation cooling and adsorption device.

10. The automatic air replenishment control device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The adsorption device includes a molecular sieve.

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