RF-excited unstable-resonator planar CO{sub 2} laser on all-metal electrode-waveguide structure

Journal Article · Mon Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · Quantum Electronics (Woodbury, N.Y.)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1070/QE2006V036N07ABEH013201· OSTI ID:21466549

Mineev, A P; Nefedov, S M

The radiation characteristics of a planar CO{sub 2} laser excited by a diffusion-cooled rf discharge at a frequency of 40 MHz are studied. A single-mode cw lasing power of {approx}50 W is achieved with an efficiency of {approx}10% for a nearly diffraction-limited radiation divergence of 4-7 mrad. The spatial structure, output power, stability and laser radiation quality are studied as functions of longitudinal and angular alignments of the resonator mirror for two types of hybrid unstable-waveguide resonators of the laser. It is shown that for the resonator corresponding to the negative branch of the stability diagram, a misalignment of 0.02 rad of the mirrors leads to a 50% decrease in the output laser power, while its value for the positive branch resonator is about 100 times smaller. It is found that for the resonator corresponding to the negative branch, the sensitivity to the violation of confocal arrangement of the mirrors upon an increase in the resonator length is an order of magnitude higher. The dependence of the density of input rf power on the working gas pressure is studied experimentally in the interval 50-110 Torr. Power density values of 1-4 W cm{sup -2} are obtained for normal discharge current density. These values are important for optimisation and scaling of the lasing characteristics of high-power planar CO{sub 2} lasers. (special issue devoted to the 90th anniversary of a.m. prokhorov)

• OSTI ID: 21466549
• Journal Information: Quantum Electronics (Woodbury, N.Y.), Vol. 36, Issue 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1070/QE2006v036n07ABEH013201; ISSN 1063-7818
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALIGNMENT
CARBON DIOXIDE LASERS
CURRENT DENSITY
DIFFRACTION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRODES
LASER RADIATION
MHZ RANGE
MIRRORS
OPTIMIZATION
POWER DENSITY
RESONATORS
SCALING
SENSITIVITY
STABILITY
WAVEGUIDES
COHERENT SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FREQUENCY RANGE
GAS LASERS
LASERS
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING