Gas laser device

• Main Authors: TERAI, KIYOHISA, TAMAGAWA, TOHRU, MORIGUCHI, AKIRA, MURATA, TAKAAKI, SUZUKI, HIROKATSU, KOBAYASHI, SHINJI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 13.10.1993
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION; ELECTRICITY

A gas laser device, including an a.c. power source (12) for generating a.c. output voltage and a pair of electrodes (3,4) positioned sandwitching discharge gap through which laser gas circulates. The pair of electrodes (3,4) are connected to the a.c. power source (12) for applying the a.c. voltage across the electrodes (3,4) to achieve discharge in the discharge gap such as to create a positive column region (10) and boundary layer regions (11), thereby to generate laser light. The positive column region (10) is created in the discharge gap and a.c. power injected therein contributes to laser excitation. The boundary layer regions (11) is created in a vicinity of one of the pair of electrodes (3,4), respectively and a.c. power injected therein does not contribute to laser excitation. A frequency of the a.c. power source (12) is set to at least 700 kHz and an a.c. output voltage of the a.c. power source (12) is set at a level such that a voltage in the positive column region (10) is larger than a burden voltage in the boundary layer regions (11). In the gas laser device, it may be set that a dimension d between the pair of electrodes (3,4) and a pressure p of the laser gas in the relationship of the following formula (A) As a result the input power supplied for laser excitation in the discharge gap is at least 50 % of a total input power.