Novel discharge circuit for a multijoule TEA CO2 laser

P K Bhadani, R. G. Harrison

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A novel discharge circuit that reduces significantly the amount of energy conducted by the switch in a TEA CO2 laser is reported. We demonstrate this circuit on a working multijoule TEA CO2 laser in which the switch is shown to conduct typically only 5% of the total input pulse energy. The laser has worked reliably in gas mixtures that place stringent demands on the discharge and circuit. It has produced an output of 7 J at an efficiency of 9.6% using a CO2:N2:He (1:1:4) gas mixture at atmospheric pressure and further using a helium-free gas mixture (CO 2:N2:H2 at 400 mbar) it has produced a maximum efficiency of 14.6% for an output of 7.8 J. The great simplicity and high efficiency of the new discharge circuit allow it to be incorporated in the existing laser designs with minimal modifications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)563-566
Number of pages4
JournalReview of Scientific Instruments
Volume65
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1994

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