Gas laser having improved stability against environmental conditions
AssigneeUniphase Corporation
InventorDale E. Crane
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The laser is an internal mirror hermetically sealed design, utilizing an envelope made principally of glass. The effects of thermally produced distortion on mirror alignment are minimized by providing a thermally and electrically conductive liner in close contact with the envelope wall. Misalignment of the discharge-confining capillary tube is minimized by supporting its inner end by means of a concentric stiff but resilient spring, thus avoiding an unsupported cantilevered section of the capillary. Reliable starting even in environments where the ambient electromagnetic radiation is inadequate for gas ionization is secured by providing a radioactive source in the region of the anode electrode.
Claims14
A gas laser, comprising a hermetically sealed elongated envelope enclosing a generally static gaseous medium capable of supporting stimulated emission of radiation in response to an electric field impressed upon said gaseous medium, electrode means to be energized with a potential difference, disposed spaced apart generally at opposite ends of said envelope to define therebetween an axis along which said electric field extends, a pair of mirrors spaced apart and facing each other along said axis to define therebetween an optical cavity, said mirrors being reflective at a pre-selected wavelength at which said gaseous medium is capable of supporting said stimulated emission of radiation, and a metallic thermally conductive liner means having a significantly greater thermal conductivity than said envelope in good thermally conducting relation with the full inner surface of said envelope over a major portion of the length of said envelope between said mirrors to substantially equalize the temperature of said envelope portion.
A gas laser of the type which includes an outer envelope and a discharge-path-defining capillary tube, an ionizable gaseous medium capable of sustaining stimulated emission of radiation when ionized within said outer envelope and capillary tube, a cathode and anode energized with a source of potential difference, for establishing an ionizing electric field within said envelope in a direction along the length of said tube, a first mirror disposed at one end of said capillary tube and a second mirror disposed at the other end of said capillary tube, said mirrors being disposed generally on the axis of said capillary tube and generally normal therewith to define an optical cavity within which said stimulated emission takes place, one end of said capillary tube terminating at a wall of said envelope, and a radioactive source for ionization of said gas located in the region of space bounded by said anode, said wall of said envelope, and said capillary tube.
A gas laser of the type which includes an outer envelope and a discharge-path-defining capillary tube, an ionizable gaseous medium capable of sustaining stimulated emission of radiaton when ionized within said outer envelope and capillary tube, means to establish an ionizing electric field within said envelope in a direction along the length of said tube, a first mirror disposed at one end of said capillary tube and a second mirror disposed at the other end of said capillary tube, said mirrors being disposed generally on the axis of said capillary tube and generally normal therewith to define an optical cavity within which said stimulated emission takes place, one end of said capillary tube being supported at an end wall of said envelope and the other end of said capillary tube terminating within said outer envelope, and means immediately adjacent said other end of said tube resiliently supporting said end of said capillary tube from said outer envelope wall generally without any portion of said tube being cantilevered beyond said support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.