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17 Jun 2002
High carbon monoxide concentration and gold-plated electrodes improve the specific power output of a radio-frequency-excited slab carbon dioxide laser by 30%, according to researchers in the Netherlands. The new set up also improves efficiency at the maximum power output and reduces the start-up time of the laser 30 min to 30 s, with no degradation of laser performance or beam quality.Yuri Udalov and colleagues at the University of Twente have built a carbon-monoxide-rich system that has a conversion efficiency of 18%, compared with just 12% for commercial carbon dioxide sources. The specific output power reaches 2.9 W/cm2 at the electrode surface, a 30% improvement on the previous high. "When we run the laser at moderate pumping levels, the efficiency is as much as 26%, bearing in mind that the quantum efficiency of a carbon dioxide laser is 40%," said Udalov.
Thin layers of gold have been used previously in carbon dioxide lasers, but until now it has not been possible to apply the same technique to the popular radio-frequency-driven small- and medium-sized systems.
The improved characteristics apply to all carbon dioxide laser configurations, from compact square discharge cross-section systems that output up to 42 W, right up to medium-sized systems with a 550 W output. "The system can be quite easily scaled up to 1 kW and higher. It is well suited to materials-processing automation, because the compact, lightweight laser head can be placed in a robotic arm," said Udalov.
The team has patented its system and Udalov says that there is considerable interest from industrial-laser manufacturers. He said: "Together with the Dutch Foundation for Technical Science, we are looking to commercialize our results."
Story courtesy of Opto & Laser Europe Magazine
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