This paper presents investigations of the carbon-dioxide lasers excited using two techniques: e-beam controlled discharge and e-beam ignited discharge. The working mixtures were CO₂-N₂-He, CO₂-N₂ and CO₂-N₂He- H₂. We can change working mixture composition, its pressures, pumping power and the laser pulse duration from 50 ns to 10 microseconds. The operating time of a repetitive carbon-dioxide lasers excited by e-beam controlled discharge or e-beam ignited discharge in nonstop mode is determined by the lifetime of the foil separating the vacuum gap from the gas cell. The radiation energy of 3 kJ has been achieved in the active volume of 50 1 at pressure of 2 atm. When 12 1 active volume was used the energy deposited in to the CO₂:N₂:He equals 1:2:2 mixture was as high as 0.6 kJ/lXatm while the radiation energy was about order of magnitude 80 J/lXatm.

Date Published: 4 April 1997
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 2987, Gas and Chemical Lasers and Applications II, (4 April 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.271575

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2987:
Gas and Chemical Lasers and Applications II
Robert C. Sze; Ernest A. Dorko, Editor(s)