Conductively-cooled slab laser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10644474-B2
Application number	US-201815914343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2018
Priority date	Mar 7, 2018
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

A carbon dioxide gas-discharge slab-laser is assembled in a laser-housing. The laser-housing is formed from a hollow extrusion. An interior surface of the extrusion provides a ground electrode of the laser. Another live electrode is located within the extrusion, electrically insulated from and parallel to the ground electrode, forming a discharge-gap of the slab-laser. The electrodes are spaced apart by parallel ceramic strips. Neither the extrusion, nor the live electrode, include any direct fluid-cooling means. The laser-housing is cooled by fluid-cooled plates attached to the outside thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas-discharge slab-laser comprising:
a laser-housing containing a gas mixture;
a first elongated electrode formed by a surface that includes a first pair of mutually-separated and parallel grooves, the first pair of grooves extending along the length of the first elongated electrode, the distance between edges of the first pair of grooves defining a width of a discharge-volume and wherein each groove of the first pair of grooves has a U-shape with a smooth curved surface;
a second elongated electrode, the second elongated electrode spaced-apart and parallel to the first elongated electrode, the first and second elongated electrodes located within the laser-housing; and
a ceramic element located between the first and second elongated electrodes, the gas-discharge being struck by energizing the gas mixture therebetween;
wherein, the first and second elongated electrodes are spaced apart by the ceramic element.

2. The slab-laser as recited in claim 1 , wherein the slab-laser is a carbon dioxide slab-laser having a carbon dioxide gas mixture.

3. The slab-laser as recited in claim 1 , wherein the slab-laser is a carbon monoxide laser having a carbon monoxide gas mixture.

4. The slab-laser as recited in claim 1 , wherein the elongated extrusion is made from aluminum.

5. The slab laser as recited in claim 1 , wherein neither the first nor the second elongated electrode includes any fluid coolant channels.

6. The slab-laser as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ceramic element is a pair of elongated ceramic strips, laterally-separated and parallel to each other, a common height of the elongated ceramic strips defining a height of the discharge-volume.

7. The slab-laser as recited in claim 6 , wherein the second elongated electrode includes a second pair of grooves extending therealong and aligned with the first pair of grooves, the distance between edges of the second pair of grooves further defining a width of the discharge-volume and wherein each groove of the second pair of grooves has a U-shape with a smooth curved surface.

8. The slab-laser as recited in claim 6 , wherein the elongated ceramic strips are made from one of a group of ceramics consisting of aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, and beryllium oxide.

9. The slab-laser as recited in claim 6 , wherein the first and second ceramic strips are each formed by a plurality of slightly-separated ceramic segments.

10. The slab laser as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ceramic element is an elongated ceramic member, the elongated ceramic member having first and second raised edges, a common height of the first and second raised edges defining a height of the discharge-volume.

Assignees

• Coherent Inc

Inventors

• Mueller Eric R
• Seguin Vernon A
• Shackleton Christian

Classifications

• H01S3/0404

  Air- or gas cooling, e.g. by dry nitrogen · CPC title

• H01S3/0315 Primary

  Waveguide lasers · CPC title

• H01S3/0385

  Shape · CPC title

• H01S3/2232

  Carbon dioxide (CO2) or monoxide [CO] · CPC title

• H01S3/0305

  Selection of materials for the tube or the coatings thereon · CPC title