Title :
High power and high focusing CWCO2 laser using an unstable resonator with a phase-unifying output coupler
Author :
Takenaka, Yushi ; Kuzumoto, Masaki ; Yasui, Koji ; Yagi, Shigenori ; Tagashira, Motoshi
Author_Institution :
Mitsuibishi Electr. Corp., Hyogo, Japan
fDate :
11/1/1991 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A high-power and high-focusing continuous-wave (CW) CO2 laser with a novel unstable resonator was developed. This resonator contains a step-wise variable reflecting output coupler named the phase-unifying output coupler and a total reflector. The laser was excited by a capacitive-barriered AC discharge called a silent discharge. A linearly polarized laser beam with a diffraction-limited divergence angle of 0.55 mrad was obtained. Very stable CW laser operation at an output power of 5 kW was achieved with a threshold discharge power of 10 kW and a slope efficiency of 18%
Keywords :
carbon compounds; focusing; gas lasers; laser cavity resonators; 10 kW; 5 kW; CO2; capacitive-barriered AC discharge; diffraction-limited divergence angle; high focusing CWCO2 laser; high-power; linearly polarized laser beam; phase-unifying output coupler; silent discharge; slope efficiency; step-wise variable reflecting output coupler; threshold discharge power; total reflector; unstable resonator; Gas lasers; Laser beams; Laser excitation; Laser modes; Mirrors; Power lasers; Reflectivity; Ring lasers; Solid lasers; Yagi-Uda antennas;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
