Truncated ridge waveguide for all-metal gas laser excitation
US6711201B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 15, 2002 |
| Grant date | Mar 23, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 15, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/038
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Truncated ridge waveguide for all-metal gas laser excitation according to present invention consists of a metal tube and a pair of endplates forming a vacuum envelope for containing a laser gas, a laser resonator mirrors placed on the endplates at the opposite ends of the tube and at least one elongated metal ridge electrode located within and conductively connected to the metal tube by at least one metal post to define a truncated ridge waveguide. The tube and the ridge electrode are shaped and positioned so as to define at least one elongated laser bore channel and a low thermal resistance and high capacitance ridge-to-tube gap therebetween. The ridge electrode and metal posts form truncated ridge to increase the ridge waveguide structure inductance, which together with high capacitance of the electrode-to-tube gap decreases the resonant frequency from the microwave band into the VHF band (30-300 MHz), which is the most suitable for CO2 laser excitation. Present invention is characterized by lower cost, simpler tube and electrode design and more efficient RF discharge plasma cooling by the inner wall of the metal tube acting as one of the discharge electrodes, and by a ridge acti…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.