JPH073656Y2 - Gas laser oscillator - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a technique for stabilizing the output of a gas laser oscillator, and in particular, in the configuration in which the optical resonator structure is temperature-controlled to stabilize the output, the output rise immediately after the start of operation. A technique for improving characteristics.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, with large gas laser devices such as carbon dioxide lasers,
A constant temperature liquid is flowed through the optical resonator structure to keep the temperature of the optical resonator structure constant, which prevents thermal deformation of the optical resonator and prevents the laser output from changing even when the environmental temperature changes. Output stabilization was done.

According to the above-described conventional method for stabilizing the output, the temperature of the liquid flowing through the optical resonator structure is often selected higher than room temperature to prevent dew condensation. In this case, the liquid is sent to the optical resonator structure after the temperature rise, which has been increased as a result of cooling the laser tube, is appropriately lowered by using a refrigerator to make the temperature constant. In this way, the temperature of the optical resonator structure is
The laser output stabilizes when the temperature reaches a certain level and is balanced.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, immediately after the laser operation is started, the temperature of the optical resonator structure and the liquid flowing through it are lower than the temperature during operation. This is because the heat generated by the laser tube directly or indirectly acts to raise the temperature of the liquid sent to the optical resonator structure, but immediately after the laser operation starts, it takes time for the temperature to reach the set temperature by the heat capacity of the liquid. This is because of this. Therefore, at least the time required for the liquid temperature to become constant was required for the laser output to reach a stable state. More specifically, even if the temperature of the liquid reaches a constant temperature, it takes more time than the heat capacity of the optical resonator structure until each part of the optical resonator structure becomes constant temperature. It takes more time for the output to reach a stable state.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gas laser oscillator in which the rise time until the output stabilization is obtained can be shortened and a stable output can be used immediately after the discharge of the laser tube is started.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, a device for heating and raising the temperature of liquid sent to the optical resonator structure, a device for keeping the temperature of the liquid constant by turning this device on and off, and a device for heating and isolating these liquids And a timer device for starting the operation of the above device before the start of the operation of the laser tube.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. This is an example in which the laser tube is cooled by water and the optical resonator structure is cooled by oil to prevent corrosion of metal parts.

Prior to discharging the laser tube 1, the heater 5 in the pump 3 and the oil tank 4 and the oil temperature controller 6 are operated earlier by the time set by the timer 2. For example, the above-mentioned parts are operated one hour before the scheduled operation start time of the laser tube 1. The oil flows through the optical resonator structure 7 by the pump 3 and returns to the oil tank 4. After the operation, when the time corresponding to the heat capacity of oil and the heat capacity of the optical resonator structure 7, etc. elapses, the optical resonator structure 7 reaches a thermal equilibrium state, and the optical axis supported by the mirror 8 is stable. The state has been reached. When the laser tube 1 is discharged here, the laser output can be generated from a position near a stable state.
When the operation of the laser tube 1 is started, the constant temperature cooler 9 is operated. The oil temperature controller 6 controls the heater 5 based on the detection signal of the temperature sensor 61 provided in the oil tank 4.

When the discharge of the laser tube 1 starts, the amount of heat generated is carried by the water flowing around the laser tube 1, is returned to a constant water temperature by the constant temperature cooler 9, and goes to the laser tube 1 again. In such a state, the heater 5 for raising the temperature of the oil and the oil temperature controller 6 may stop operating. This is because the heat exchanger 10 for exchanging heat between oil and water indirectly stabilizes the oil temperature by the constant temperature water produced from the constant temperature cooler 9.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the heater 5 is used as a heat exchanger.
It is provided inside 10, and instead of directly preheating the oil flowing through the optical resonator structure 7, the heater 5 corresponding to the heat generation of the laser tube 1 is used to remove the water flowing around the laser tube 1 according to the instruction of the timer 2. The oil is indirectly preheated by preheating. At this time, the timer 2, the pump 3, the heater 5
At the same time, since the water temperature is controlled by the constant temperature cooler 9 which started the operation, it is sufficient to heat the heater 5. As a result, only the heating power source 11 is required, and the oil temperature controller 6 shown in FIG. 1 is unnecessary.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the heater 5 is placed in the oil tank 4 to unilaterally heat the oil. The increased oil temperature is cooled by water whose temperature is controlled by the constant temperature cooler 9 to be constant temperature. Also in this case, the oil temperature controller for controlling the heater 5 is not required as in the second embodiment. At this time also, the instruction of the timer 2 is given to the pump 3, the heater 5 and the constant temperature cooler 9.

In the above examples, the heater was considered as a device for heating and raising the temperature of each liquid. However, the pump 3 used for pumping the liquid, or, though not particularly expressed, the pump pump incorporated in the constant temperature cooler 9 heats and raises the temperature of the liquid passing therethrough. effective. Therefore,
If it is possible to raise the temperature of the liquid to the target temperature only by the heat generated by the pump, then the heater is not required.

In FIG. 4, the pump 3 is considered as a heating device corresponding to FIG. 1, and the on / off of the pump 3 is controlled by the oil temperature controller 6 for temperature control. The constant temperature cooler 9 is started at the same time as the operation of the laser tube 1 is started.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the pump 3 in FIG. 2 is an oil heating device. In this case, the pumps included in both the cooling water system and the cooling oil system function as a heating device, so that when the operation starts according to the instruction of the timer, both the oil system and the water system continue to rise.
However, in the water system, the cooler in the constant temperature cooler 9 works to make the temperature constant, and the temperature of the oil system is made constant by the heat exchanger 10.

In addition, the description of the embodiment is made up of water and oil as the heat transfer liquid.
The present invention is not limited to these, though it was carried out in the system in which the kind was used. Of course, some other modifications are possible.

[Effect of device]

As described above, according to the present invention, a stable laser output can be obtained from the beginning by starting the use of the laser light, for example, one hour before by the preheating timer of the optical resonator structure. You can Especially when considering the use of lasers in cold regions in winter, there is great significance in saving wasted time waiting for the output to rise.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 5 are schematic views of first to fifth embodiments of the present invention, respectively. In the figure, 1 ... Laser tube, 2 ... Timer, 3 ... Pump, 4
…… Oil tank, 5 …… Heater, 6 …… Oil temperature controller, 7…
… Optical resonator structure, 8 …… Mirror, 9 …… Constant temperature cooler, 10
…… Heat exchanger, 11 …… Heating power supply.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A gas laser having a first flow path system for flowing a first liquid having a constant temperature through an optical resonator structure to prevent thermal deformation of the optical resonator structure and stabilize the output. An oscillator, comprising a second flow path system for flowing a second liquid having a constant temperature for cooling a laser tube, and further heat exchange for performing heat exchange between the first liquid and the second liquid. Means, heating means for heating and raising the first liquid or the second liquid, control means for controlling the heating means to keep the first liquid at a constant temperature, the heating means and the control means And a timer device for starting the operation of 1. in advance of the operation of the gas laser oscillator.