Bismuth halide vapor laser
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsChi-sheng Liu, Lelland A. C. Weaver
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The low temperature operation, i.e., between 300.degree. and 500.degree. C, of a bismuth halide vapor laser avoids the formation of the metal dimer Bi.sub.2 the occurrence of which in the operation of a pure bismuth laser significantly reduces the gain and stimulated output due to absorption of the laser energy. The successful operation of a bismuth halide laser provides the basis for developing a laser operating in the underwater transmission band of between 4,700 and 4,800 Angstroms which lies near the minimum of the sea water absorption scattering curve thus rendering it a prime candidate for underwater applications.
Claims7
In a laser apparatus for obtaining metal vapor laser transitions at temperatures substantially below the metal vaporization temperature, the combination of:
- an enclosure,
- a bismuth halide selected from the group consisting of BiI.sub.3, BiCl.sub.3 and BiBr.sub.3 within said enclosure,
- means for vaporizing said bismuth halide by heating said bismuth halide to a temperature between approximately 300.degree. C and 500.degree. C while avoiding the formation of the metal dimer Bi.sub.2,
- means for dissociating the bismuth halide vapor for providing ground state bismuth metal atoms of sufficient number density to create resonance radiation trapping,
- means for creating a population inversion between a desired upper laser level and a lower laser level of the bismuth by exciting ground state bismuth atoms with energized electrons and for maintaining a sufficient number of bismuth atoms in the ground state to preserve said resonance radiation trapping, and
- means for stimulating the emission of a beam of radiation from the inverted medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.