Compact short impulse capacitor discharge gas laser - has nitrogen filled optical cavity inside barium titanate block walls forming capacitors with coplanar electrodes coupled inductively

摘要

The laser consists of a cylindrical chamber with semi reflective end windows which form an optically resonant cavity containing nitrogen. Two electrodes (11,12) in the same plane have their facing ends inside the chamber and their outer ends connected by an inductor. The chamber is formed inside a block of dielectric (6) fixed onto a metal base (3) which forms a capacitor with each of the . electrodes. These are changed from a HT supply connected between the base and the inductor. There is an adjustable spark gap in air between the second electrode and the base plate. The opposite wall of the dielectric has a metal plate electrically connected to the base forming two further capacitors and together two sides of the enclosing box. The two are joined by a third metal wall (4) which is extended and carries a threaded screw to adjust the spark gap. When the capacitors have changed to the gap breakdown voltage they are rapidly discharged and the oscillator circuit doubles the voltage across the chamber with a resultant discharge and short laser pulse.