Appeal No. 2005-0616 Page 11
Application No. 09/661,653
As shown in Figure 1, the gas 1 circulates through the pulse discharge laser in
the direction depicted by arrows 6 so as to flow successively through heat exchangers 7
and the active regions 4 of the pulse discharge laser. In operation, the gas within active
regions 4 is replaced after each discharge of current by gas coming from, and which
has been cooled by, heat exchangers 7.
A number of acoustic obstacles 8, referred to by Chun as "acoustic diodes", are
located upstream of regions 4 as depicted in Figure 1 within the volume of gas
contained by walls 2 and 3. The obstacles 8 are a series of columns running from wall
3 to wall 2 which have cupped-shaped cross sections as depicted in Figure 3. Also as
depicted in Figure 3, the depth 9 of the cupped portion of the cross-section in the
preferred embodiment is approximately the same as the width 10 of the discharge
electrode 5. As a consequence, the depth of the cup is approximately the same as the
width of the compression wave that is generated by the discharge of electricity between
electrodes 5. This depth is optimum for the reflection of the incident waves. The faces
11 of obstacles 8 that are opposite the "cups" have a rounded or more streamlined
shape as contrasted to the cupped side of the obstacles. As a consequence of the
selection of the depth of the cups and of the streamlined shape of the opposite side of
the obstacles, the obstacles 8 interact with the compression wave in the gas that is
generated by the discharge of electricity through the gas so as to cause a net flow of
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