Influence of acoustic waves on TEA CO2 laser performance
Date
2007
Authors
Von Bergmann H.
Forbes A.
Roberts T.
Botha L.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
In this paper we present results on the influence of acoustic waves on the output laser beam from high repetition rate TEA CO2 lasers. We show that acoustic waves generated inside the cavity lead to deterioration in beam quality, decreased output energy, and an increase in pulse to pulse energy variation. We investigate the impact of gas mix on the acoustic behaviour, and present experimental results on laser performance across a range of gas mixtures. Solutions to the acoustic wave problem are presented together with experimental results. The influence of acoustic damping measures on laser gain are demonstrated showing a significant improvement in gain and output power at high repetition rates. The link between the pre-ionisation method employed and the acoustic wave impact on laser performance is discussed.
Description
Keywords
Acoustic waves, Beam quality, Ionization, Laser beams, Optical gain, Energy variation, Laser gain, Laser performance, Repetition rate, Carbon dioxide lasers
Citation
Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
6346 PART 1
6346 PART 1