Abstract

The design and operational features of a fluid-ballasted electrode structure for a high powered EDL CO₂ laser are described. This new device incorporates a crossed-tube geometry and as such is much simpler and inexpensive to fabricate than previous multielement or pin electrodes. Hot boundary layer formation at the electrode surfaces is minimized by a ducted flow-through feature also incorporated into the structure. This further assists in suppression of glow-to-arc transitions. The modular design used allows easy scaling to very large discharge volumes. A 40-liter cw CO₂ laser discharge system has recently been developed using this simplified crossed-tube fluid-ballasted electrode pair concept.

© 1981 Optical Society of America

Electrical characteristics of a MAGPIE coaxial laser discharge system

V. A. Seguin, H. J. J. Seguin, and C. E. Capjack
Appl. Opt. 24(9) 1265-1269 (1985)

Low Voltage CO₂ Laser Excitation

G. Sedgwick and H. Seguin
Appl. Opt. 9(12) 2737-2741 (1970)

Properties of a coaxial cw CO₂ laser

Ken T.-K. Cheng and Lee W. Casperson
Appl. Opt. 18(13) 2130-2135 (1979)

Ionization and excitation of uranium in a hollow-cathode lamp

J. M. Gagné, P. Pianarosa, G. Larin, J. P. Saint-Dizier, and P. Bouchard
Appl. Opt. 20(21) 3770-3773 (1981)

Low Voltage Gas Transport TE CO₂ Laser

H. J. Seguin and G. Sedgwick
Appl. Opt. 11(4) 745-748 (1972)