JPS6041278A - Gas laser discharge exciter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase and equalize the discharge current flowed by a glow discharge by applying an AC voltage between adjacent electrodes divided from one electrode, and preliminarily exciting the generation of a glow discharge. CONSTITUTION:Since an AC voltage is applied through the secondary side of a transformer 14 from an AC power source 13 between the adjacent pins 3 of many cathode pins 3, a discharge is generated normally in a gap of approx. 10mm. between the adjacent pins 3. This discharge preliminarily excites a glow discharge 7 generated by a DC power source 5 between the pins 3 and an anode plate 4. Thus, the discharge 7 between the pins 3 and the plate 4 is uniformly formed entirely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a gas laser discharge excitation device in a gas laser device that is capable of obtaining a stable high-output laser output.

[Prior art]

As a conventional gas laser device of this type, there has been one shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional gas laser device. True, as shown in the figure.

Inside the empty container 1, a large number of cathode pins 3 and an anode plate 4 each connected to a balance resistor 2 are arranged, and a high voltage DC power supply 5 is connected between each cathode pin 3 and anode plate 4. Connecting. Further, the vacuum chamber 1 is filled with a laser medium gas 6,
A glow discharge 7 is generated between each cathode pin 3 and anode plate 4 by a DC power supply 5. When a partially transmitting mirror 8 and a fully reflecting mirror 9 are arranged opposite to the glow discharge 7, the laser medium gas 6 is excited by the glow discharge 7, and as shown by the arrow in FIG.
The output of the laser beam 10 is extracted to the outside.

Further, the heat generated by the glow discharge 7 is transferred to the heat exchanger 11.
The air is cooled and circulated by the blower 12.

Since the conventional gas laser device is configured as described above, it is difficult to generate the glow discharge 7 uniformly over the entire area between each cathode pin 3 and anode plate 4 by the DC power supply 5. For this reason, it is not possible to make the discharge current flowing due to the glow discharge 7 uniform, and the maximum limit of this discharge current is about 50 mA, so that in areas where the discharge current is low, it is not a glow discharge but an arc discharge. 9, normal glow discharge cannot be maintained,
It can output stable and high output laser light.

There was a drawback that there was no

[Summary of the invention]

This invention was made with the aim of improving the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional ones, and it produces glow discharge by applying a high DC voltage to a pair of electrodes placed opposite each other across the airflow of the laser medium gas. In a gas laser device that excites the laser medium gas by this glow discharge to obtain a laser output, one electrode of the pair of electrodes is divided into a plurality of electrodes, and an alternating current voltage is applied between the divided adjacent electrodes. is applied to pre-excite the generation of the glow discharge, the discharge current flowing due to the glow discharge is increased and made uniform, and a stable high-output laser beam is output. The present invention provides a gas laser discharge excitation device that can.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a gas laser device to which a gas laser discharge excitation device, which is an embodiment of the present invention, is applied. The same parts as in FIG. Omitted. As shown in the figure, approximately 10 IQ (
The high frequency AC power supply 13 with a frequency higher than z is a transformer 1°4 1
The middle point A of the secondary side of the transformer 140 is connected to the negative electrode side of the high voltage DC power source 5, and the positive electrode side of the DC power source 5 is connected to the anode plate 4. Each of the adjacent cathode pins 3 is connected to the secondary side of the transformer 14 via a ballast resistor 2 in order to apply an alternating voltage between each of the adjacent cathode pins 3 to the large number of cathode pins 3. .

The rest of the structure is similar to that shown in FIG. 1 above.

In the gas laser discharge excitation device which is an embodiment of the present invention and has the above-described configuration, a large number of cathode pins 3 are provided with a distance K between each adjacent cathode pin 3.

Since an AC voltage is applied from the AC power supply 13 through the secondary side of the transformer 14, a discharge is generated in the gap of about 101 uI between the six adjacent cathode pins 3. This discharge acts to pre-excite the glow discharge 7 generated between the many cathode pins 3 and the anode plate 4 in the DC power source 5. Therefore, the glow discharge 7 between the large number of cathode pins 3 and the anode plate 4 is generated uniformly throughout.

As a result, the discharge current flowing due to the glow discharge 7 is also approximately 1
The current increases to approximately 00 to 130 mA, and the current flows uniformly. Therefore, it is possible to extract a stable high-output laser output to the outside as the laser beam 10.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the invention provides a gas laser device in which a high DC voltage is applied to a pair of electrodes to generate a glow discharge, and the glow discharge excites a laser medium gas to obtain a laser output. One of the electrodes is divided into a plurality of parts, and an alternating current voltage is applied between the adjacent divided electrodes to pre-excite the generation of the glow discharge. The advantages of providing a gas laser device that can increase and make the discharge current flowing through glow discharge uniform, have a compact configuration at low cost, and can output stable, high-output laser light. It has the following effects.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional gas laser device;
The figure is a schematic configuration diagram showing a gas laser device to which a gas laser discharge excitation device, which is an embodiment of the present invention, is applied. In the figure, 1... Vacuum vessel, 2... Pallast resistor, 3... Cathode pin, 4... Anode plate, 5... DC power supply, 6... Laser medium gas, 7... Glow discharge, 8
... Partially transmitting mirror, 9... Totally reflecting mirror, 10... Laser light, 11... Heat exchanger, 12... Blower, 13...
...AC power supply, 14...transformer. In each figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts. Agent Masuo Oiwa No. 1 Figure 2 Amendment to the figure procedure (voluntary) 1. Indication of the case: Japanese Patent Application No. 58-11937 2. Title of the invention: Gas laser discharge excitation device 3. Part 4 to representative of the person making the amendment: Katayuni Kata , Agent 5, Subject of amendment: "Detailed Description of the Invention" column of the specification. 6. Contents of amendment (1) "Low" in the second line of page 3 of the specification is corrected to "high".

Claims (1)

[Claims] A glow discharge is generated by applying a high DC voltage to a pair of electrodes placed opposite each other across the airflow of the laser medium gas.
In a gas laser device that excites the laser medium gas by this glow discharge to obtain a laser output, one electrode of the pair of electrodes is divided into a plurality of parts, and an alternating current voltage is applied between the divided adjacent electrodes. A gas laser discharge excitation device characterized in that it performs preliminary excitation for generating the glow discharge.