Gas-laser excitation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9985408-B2
Application number	US-201715414934-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2017
Priority date	Aug 1, 2014
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A gas laser excitation system with an integrated impedance matching circuit, comprises a gas laser electrode, a high-frequency connection line connectable to the gas laser electrode and configured for transmission of high-frequency power to the gas laser electrode, and a shield configured to shield the high-frequency power to be transmitted. The shield is arranged between the high-frequency connection line and the gas laser electrode. The high-frequency connection line interacts with the gas laser electrode and/or the shield in such a way that the resulting impedance changes at least across a section of the high-frequency connection line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas laser excitation system having an integrated impedance matching circuit, the system comprising:
a gas laser electrode;
a high-frequency connecting line connected to the gas laser electrode and configured to transfer high-frequency power to the gas laser electrode; and
a shield arranged between the high-frequency connecting line and the gas laser electrode and configured to shield the high-frequency power to be transferred,
wherein the high-frequency connecting line is configured to interact with at least one of the gas laser electrode or the shield such that an impedance over at least a portion of the high-frequency connecting line changes.

2. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein the high-frequency connecting line is adapted to at least one of a geometry of the gas laser electrode or a geometry of the shield.

3. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein at least one portion of the high-frequency connecting line is arranged at a defined distance with the gas laser electrode.

4. The gas laser excitation system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one portion of the high-frequency connecting line is in parallel with the gas laser electrode.

5. The gas laser excitation system of claim 3 , wherein the defined distance is no more than a percentage of a length of the at least one portion of the high-frequency connecting line, and wherein the percentage is 50%, 20%, or 10%.

6. The gas laser excitation system of claim 3 , wherein the defined distance is determined such that a high-frequency electric field is created between the high-frequency connecting line and the gas laser electrode when the high-frequency power is conducted by the high-frequency connecting line.

7. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the gas laser electrode is part of the impedance matching circuit.

8. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the gas laser electrode is part of the high-frequency connecting line.

9. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein the impedance matching circuit comprises at least a part of the high-frequency connecting line and at least a part of the shield.

10. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein at least one region of an entire surface of the high-frequency connecting line is co-planar or concentric with respect to one of a region of a surface of the gas laser electrode and a region of a surface of the shield.

11. The gas laser excitation system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one region is more than 50% of the entire surface of the high-frequency connecting line.

12. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein at least one region of the high-frequency connecting line is in parallel with the gas laser electrode or the shield, and
wherein a diameter or width of the high-frequency connecting line changes in the at least one region.

13. The gas laser excitation system of claim 12 , wherein the diameter or width of the high-frequency connecting line becomes smaller approaching the gas laser electrode.

14. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein the gas laser electrode comprises a hollow-cylindrical gas laser electrode, and at least one portion of the high-frequency connecting line is arranged in the hollow-cylindrical gas laser electrode.

15. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein the high-frequency connecting line comprises an outer conductor configured to be the gas laser electrode.

16. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein the high-frequency connecting line comprises an outer conductor formed as the shield.

17. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein the shield is connected to earth.

18. The gas laser excitation system of claim 1 , wherein the shield comprises a recess through which the high-frequency connecting line is connected to the gas laser electrode at a supply location.

19. The gas laser excitation system of claim 18 , wherein a width of the high-frequency connecting line becomes smaller approaching the supply location.

20. The gas laser excitation system of claim 18 , wherein, on a left side of the supply location, a first portion of the shield is provided between the high-frequency connecting line and a first part of the gas laser electrode, and
wherein, on a right side of the supply location, a second portion of the shield and a second part of the gas laser electrode are provided, with no high-frequency connecting line between the second portion of the shield and the second part of the gas laser electrode.

Assignees

• Trumpf Laser & Systemtechnik Gmbh
• Trumpf Laser—und Systemtechnik GmbH

Inventors

• Schwandt Markus
• Mahr Gerold
• Knupfer Stefan
• Friesen Sergej

Classifications

• H01S3/0971

  transversely excited (H01S3/0975 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/09702

  Details of the driver electronics and electric discharge circuits · CPC title

• H01S3/0385 Primary

  Shape · CPC title