High repetition rate TEA CO2laser

This correspondence reports on the successful operation of a TEA CO2laser at rates up to 1000 pps with an average output power up to 65 W over long periods of time. An essential feature of the present system is a rapid gas circulation transverse to the laser axis combined with a large volume of ambient gas. It is found that decomposition of the gas is one of the major problems at high repetition rates.