High-efficient pulsed repetitive CO/sub 2/ laser for technologic use

The development of high-efficiency and scaleable CO/sub 2/ lasers is important both for technology, and for high-scale lasers development. As a rule, the pumping and consequently radiation are realized continuously, when all pumped through discharge gap media is excited. As a result, good energetic parameters and minimum ratio between pumping through the discharge gap gas volume and output energy are reached. In the pulsed regime the main part of the gas pumped between pulses appears to be not excited. However, pulsed radiation treats a target more effectively. That is why methods which can provide high specific energy, scalability, and high laser efficiency, are developed. The paper investigates energetic characteristics and efficiency of a combined discharge pumped CO/sub 2/ laser, which does not contain current reducing elements in the excitation electrical circuit. The new pulsed-repetitive laser pumping regime is realized. The possibility of obtaining high efficiency (22% or 28% without cathode fall) is shown. The output power density is /spl sim/1 W/cm/sup 3/. It is proved that combined discharge energetic characteristics are no worse than ones of e-beam controlled discharge and significantly better then ones in other discharges.