Pulsed RF Excitation Inductive Discharge CO2 Laser with the Radiation Energy of 1 J and High Efficiency

Abstract

An efficient pulsed gas-discharge inductive CO₂-laser with a radiation energy of 1.05 J has been developed for the first time. In this case, the pulse duration of the laser radiation was about 10 ms. The maximum efficiency of 21.1% was obtained at a radiation energy of 340 mJ. HF current pulses propagated along the inductor conductor and, thus, an inductive discharge was formed to create a population inversion at the infrared (IR) transitions of CO\(_{2}^{*}\) molecules. The temporal and energy characteristics of the radiation of the inductive CO₂-laser depending on the duration of the pump pulse are investigated. The spatial characteristics and spectrum of the radiation of the developed laser are estimated. The divergence of the laser radiation was 0.52 mrad. The cross-sectional dimension of the laser output beam was about 35 mm in diameter.