PERFORMANCE STUDIES OF A PULSED HF LASER WITH A SLIDING DISCHARGE PLASMA CATHODE

The plasma electrode design concept is applied for the first time to a n HF laser. The discharge along the surface of a dielectric (sliding d ischarge) is used as a plasma cathode for the main laser discharge. Th e laser operates at atmospheric pressure with a gas mixture of He/SF6/ C3H8. Details are presented on the efficiency of energy transfer, the dependence of laser performance on circuit parameters, gas mixture, re lative energy loading and time delay between the plasma electrode and main discharges. The F atom production rate is estimated from the line ar dependence of the output energy on the electric charge passed throu gh the discharge. Output energies of 600 mJ were obtained at 1.6% effi ciency from a small active discharge of 108 cm(3) volume and 38 cm len gth, while the maximum specific input and output energies were 370 J/l and 5.7 J/l, respectively. These values compare favourably with those reported in the literature for non-chain-reaction-type gas mixtures a t 1 atm pressure and demonstrate that the plasma electrode design is a powerful scheme for developing gas-discharge lasers.