Method and Apparatus for Cooling a Gas

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The invention describes a method and device for the vibration-free cooling and liquefaction of gases, particularly to produce highly uniform and laminar streams of gas or liquid. The gas is first cooled by a primary medium, then by a secondary medium through a liquefier with a very controlled, low temperature gradient (no more than 10 K). This process allows for the production of homogeneous, precisely sized solid pellets suitable for subsequent use, such as plasma generation by intense laser irradiation.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Continuous production of uniform gas or liquid pellets for use as targets in high-intensity laser experiments (e.g., plasma or EUV light sources).
• Supply of target material for particle accelerators or nuclear physics experiments, where target quality and delivery stability are important.
• Production of consistent solid pellets of gases like hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, krypton, or xenon for use in research facilities.
• Supporting semiconductor photolithography by providing stable extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources.
• Incorporation into devices or processes that require precise, steady streams of cooled or liquefied gases, especially in high-vacuum environments.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Minimizes vibrations during gas cooling and liquefaction, greatly improving the uniformity and consistency of the resultant pellets or streams.
• Produces laminar and homogeneous flows, critical for generating high-quality targets and plasmas.
• Enables continuous and reliable pellet delivery, reducing downtime and improving efficiency in scientific experiments.
• Allows for the precise control of pellet size, essential for repeatable and accurate experimental results.
• Improves longevity and operational distance of plasma sources by enabling the target material to be delivered far from the source, reducing damage from heat or radiation.
• Flexible for use with various gases and adaptable to systems requiring very stable gas cooling or liquefaction.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for the vibration-free cooling of a gas. In a first cooling step, the gas is brought into thermal contact with a first cooling medium. In a second cooling step, it then flows through a liquefier in thermal contact with a second cooling medium and is thereby cooled down by no more than 10 K. This low temperature gradient is significantly responsible for the gaseous or liquid gas flow exiting the liquefier being very homogenous and laminar. It is therefore suitable for further processing into a flow of solid pellets of constant size. Said pellets can be transported over a plurality of meters in a vacuum and thus are suitable as a target material for generating a plasma by intensive laser radiation.