Amplifying medium behavior of an AC-excited high-power CO2 laser

Emmanuel Clavier; Michel E. Gastaud; Henri Brunet

doi:10.1117/12.144613

4 May 1993 Amplifying medium behavior of an AC-excited high-power CO2 laser

Emmanuel Clavier, Michel E. Gastaud, Henri Brunet

Proceedings Volume 1810, 9th International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers; (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.144613
Event: Ninth International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers, 1992, Heraklion, Greece

Abstract

In order to achieve a compact industrial fast axial flow CO₂ laser delivering an output power of a few kilowatts with a high beam quality, the authors have investigated the behavior of an amplifying medium excited by an ac discharge also called `silent discharge.' The external electrodes discharge tube and this ac power supply have been developed. The power supply was working in a resonant mode within a frequency range of 95 kHz to 125 kHz and showed that the power transmitted to the load can be modulated by frequency modulation. The dependence of the capacitive coupling between the power source and the discharge load on the electrode geometry are studied. The dependence of the gas temperature on the electrical characteristics of the source such as voltage, current, phase, and injected power are displayed. In this paper we show that for a gas temperature of 200 degree(s)C the maximum input power density was limited to 11 W/cm³. In an attempt at a laser application, an efficiency of over 15% was obtained with a laser output power of 800 W for an electric power of 4,800 W.

Citation Download Citation

Emmanuel Clavier, Michel E. Gastaud, and Henri Brunet "Amplifying medium behavior of an AC-excited high-power CO2 laser", Proc. SPIE 1810, 9th International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers, (4 May 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.144613

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