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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Pre-ionizing trigger system for a gas laser

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6209584

A pair of excitation electrodes in a laser cavity, filled with a gas mixture at substantially atmospheric pressure, are connected across a pumping capacitor by way of part of the winding of an autotransformer in series with a pre-ionizing device within the cavity acting as a trigger switch. The pre-ionizing device comprises a dielectric tube carrying a plurality of axially spaced-apart metal rings constituting a condenser chain, the rings being provided with pointed extensions confronting one another to serve as corona electrodes. Contral pulses applied to a conductor inside the tube cause a spark discharge through the cascaded corona gaps of the trigger-switch with resulting energization of the autotransformer and discharge of the pumping capacitor across the excitation electrodes. The metal rings may be interconnected by high-ohmic resistors establishing a uniform field distribution therebetween.

Assignee:
Selenia, Industrie Electtroniche Associate (Italy)
Patent Number(s):
US 4450566
OSTI ID:
6209584
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English