Pulsed inductive discharge CO2 laser

A pulsed inductive discharge CO2 laser with a wavelength of 10.6 mu m has been created for the first time. The excitation system of a cylindrical pulsed inductive discharge (pulsed inductively coupled plasma) in the gas mixture of CO2:N-2:He was developed. The temporal and energy parameters of the laser radiation were investigated. The maximum inductive discharge CO2 laser radiation energy of 104 mJ was achieved. An average power of 3.2 W was obtained at laser generation energy of 65 mJ and pulse repetition rate of 50 Hz. In the cross-section, the laser radiation had the ring shape with an external diameter of 34 mm and thickness of 4-5 mm. The measured divergence of laser radiation was 12 mrad. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.