Title :
A 5 kW CW CO2 laser using a novel negative-branch unstable resonator with a phase-unifying output coupler
Author :
Takenaka, Yushi ; Kuzumoto, Masaki ; Yasui, Koji
Author_Institution :
Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Hyogo, Japan
fDate :
9/1/1992 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A 5 kW CW CO2 laser using a negative-branch unstable resonator (M=-1.5) is proposed and characterized experimentally. The resonator consists of a stepwise variable reflecting output coupler, called the phase-unifying output coupler, and a total reflector. A 5 kW CW laser beam with diffraction limited quality (2θ=0.45 mrad) is obtained and affected by the focal point in the resonator. The misalignment angle to reduce the laser power to 95% is improved by a factor of 19 compared with a positive-branch unstable resonator (M=1.5) with a phase-unifying output coupler at the same resonator length
Keywords :
carbon compounds; gas lasers; laser cavity resonators; optical couplers; 5 kW; CO2; CW CO2 laser; diffraction limited quality; focal point; laser power; misalignment angle; negative-branch unstable resonator; phase-unifying output coupler; stepwise variable reflecting output coupler; total reflector; Apertures; Coatings; Gas lasers; Niobium; Optical coupling; Phase measurement; Power generation; Power lasers; Power measurement; Rotation measurement;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
