Abstract

As both a couple of compact main electrodes and a much stronger preionization benefit to the TEA CO₂ laser, the electron density generated in the preionization is about 10 times higherthan it is in the normal TEA CO₂ laser^[1]. So that, an un-raining main discharge is founded instead of raining discharge happened in the normal TEA type laser during the laser is operated. This obviously means that the excitation over the active gas filled in the laser is much homogeneous, which is necessary for getting a high laser beam quality--TEM₀₀ mode. That is very important character for a TEA CO₂ laser as not only a single mode TEA CO₂ is not easy to offer a TEM₀₀ laser beam, but also a single mode TEA CO₂ laser beam is important in its applications.

© 2001 IEEE