OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A PULSE-SUSTAINED DC-EXCITED TRANSVERSE-FLOW CW CO2-LASER OF 5-KW OUTPUT POWER

Performance characteristics of a transverse-gas-flow cw CO2 laser in w hich dc discharge was sustained by simultaneous application of high-re petition-rate, high-voltage. short-duration electrical pulses are pres ented. This excitation scheme enabled maintaining a stable and uniform discharge with electrical input power density more than 15 W/cm3 in a typical laser gas mixture of 2 mbar CO2, 14 mbar N2, and 30 mbar He. Maximum laser power of 5.2 kW was obtained with 15% electrooptic effic iency from a pair of active regions each of 1-m length incorporated wi th a folded stable optical resonator. The effect of water vapor on las er performance is also discussed.