US Patent 9865447 High brightness laser-sustained plasma broadband source

The broadband light source includes a gas containment structure and a pump laser for generating a pump beam including illumination of a wavelength near that of a weak absorption line of a neutral gas contained in the gas containment structure. The broadband light source also includes anamorphic optics for focusing the pump beam into an elliptical beam waist positioned in or near the center of the gas containment structure. The broadband light source also includes collection optics for collecting broadband radiation emitted by the plasma in a direction aligned with a longer axis of the elliptical beam waist.