MONOLITHIC CERAMIC LASER STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME

摘要

A monolithic ceramic waveguide laser body is made by forming and grinding two or more plates of alumina ceramic to produce internal and external features otherwise impossible to fabricate in a single ceramic body. The plates are bonded together by use of glass frit or by self-friting (diffusion bonding) methods to achieve a vacuum tight enclosure. The ceramic surfaces to be bonded have an "as ground" finish. One internal structure created by this method includes a channel of dimensions from 8 to 1.5 mm square or round that confines an RF or DC electrical discharge and comprises a laser resonator cavity. The channel can be ground to form a "V", "U" or "Z" shape folded cavity. Another internal structure is a gas reservoir connected to the resonator cavity. Various other important features are described that can only be created by this method of building a laser. The plates are bonded together in a furnace at temperatures ranging between 450 DEG C and 1700 DEG C, depending on the method used.