Switching gas-discharge ion lasers

In pulsed gas lasers of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, anode and cathode means for enabling electric current to flow through a defined path in the gas, said defined path including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material, within which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, enevlope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be removed from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, power supply means coupled to said anode and cathode means by electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from the lower level that keeps the gas ionized to the higher level that produces output pulses, then back again, an electronic pulse controller for setting pulse duration, interpulse period and number of pulses, an improved method for pre-saturating the wall of the bore to avoid characteristic interruptions of pulse current and laser output known as arc starvation, which improved method can be used when the laser is provided with a tube pressure guage, a tube-envelope temperature sensor, a tube-current sensor, a preset timer, a data storage device, and a comparator, for optimizing the four parameters of pulses for pre-saturating the wall fo the bore, namely current, pulse duration, interpulse period and number of pulses, said parameters being experimentally determined in a first step and then used in second step applied each time the laser is turned on, the improvement being to divide application of both steps into two consecutive series of pulses, a first series of pulses for accomplishing partial saturation determined and applied using fixed values of current, pulse duration, interpulse period and number, followed by a second series of pulses using pulses whose interpulse periods and numbers of pulses are predetermined but whose pulse durations are allowed to continue until a predetermined maximum duration unless arc starvation occurs first, in which case the current sensor detects a high frequency oscillatory instability that signals the onset of arc starvation, and this arc starvation signal, applied to the switching devices, causes termination of the pulse current and returns the current to the lower level that keeps the gas ionized the pulses repeating until the series is complete, said improvement also taking into account tube conditions in determining the pulse parameters and applying them in both series of pulses, the steps for doing so being selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) a first step for determining, at a typical value of tube pressure within the normal operating pressure range and at a tube temperature near room ambient temperature, the interpulse periods and numbers of first series pulses and second series pulses, as heretofore defined, that are adequate for the partial and complete saturating of the wall of the bore, followed by a second step of each series, applied each time the laser is turned on, for applying the pulses of each series with predetermined interpulse periods and numbers pulses, adding pulses to provide a margin of safety for normal variations within the range of starting tube pressures and ambient room temperatures,
• (b) the same two steps as in (a) but with numbers and interpulse periods of the first and second series of pulses predetermined for a typical range of tube pressures sensed by the pressure guage and then applied, each time the laser is turned on, with the numbers and interpulse periods determined by the actual tube pressure measured by the guage when the tube is turned on,
• (c) the same two steps as in (a) but with numbers and interpulse periods of the first and second series of pulses predetermined for a typical range of tube temperatures sensed by the envelope temperature sensor and then applied, each time the laser is turned on, with the numbers and interpulse periods determined by the actual tube temperature measured by the sensor when the tube is turned on,
• (d) the same two steps as in (a) but with numbers and interpulse periods of the first and second series of pulses predetermined for a typical range of tube pressures and tube temperatures sensed by the tube pressure guage and the envelope temperatures sensor and then applied, each time the laser is turned on, with numbers and interpulse periods determined by the actual tube pressue and actual temperature measured when the tube is turned on,
• (e) The same two steps as in (d) with an additional step in which the same arc starvation signal that ends each second-series pulse is applied to the preset timer for completion of a pulse duration measurement by the preset timer, which duration value is compared by the comparator against a stored value which is a value longer than the time that current could be sustained in the absence of wall saturation, so that when measured time exceeds the stored value saturation is known to be achieved, and the output from the comparator is applied to the electronic pulse controller to end the second series of pulses,
• (f) The same steps as in (e) with an additional step to use the comparator output from each pulse duration measurement as a measurement of progress toward saturation and use its output to increase subsequent interpulse periods to increase the time for redisturibution of gas atoms within the column and thereby improve the saturating process whenever poor progress, indicated by early arc starvation, reveals the need to do so, and until pulse duration has increased and the measured duration of a pre-saturating pulse exceeds the sotred value and the comparator signal applied to the pulse controller ends the series of pulses.

In a pulsed gas laser of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, an anode, a cathode, means for providing a defined path through the gas for an electrical discharge current between said anode and cathode, said means including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material which defines a column of gas in which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, envelope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be remove from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, a gas return tubing between the end volumes containing said anode and cathode to return gas that is pumped by the dischargae current, power supply means coupled to said anode and cathode electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from the lower level that keeps the gas ionized to the higher level that produces output pulses, then back again, the improvement comprising:

• tube construction means for obtaining a positive gas density regulation defined by an increasing density in the gas column as the tube drive increases, said means comprising a construction which limits the gas-containing volume, to which the gas in the column communicates, to those containers such as the bore envelope, cathode and anode envelopes and gas return tubing, which physically surround the heat-producing bore, anode and cathode, so that their envelopes, and indirectly the gas within them, are heated by infra-red radiation from the parts surrounded and experience a temperature increase, and in the fixed volume a pressure increase, that is proportional to the increase of tube drive, making the increase of envelope temperature and pressure greater than that of the fourth-root increase of bore temperature and gas column pressure determined by the bore's dependence upon radiative heat transfer, and thus able to prevail in equilibrating of the two pressures, and cause envelope gas to move into the bore, and by determining the quantity of envelope gas that moves into the bore determines the amount by which gas density in the column is increased by the drive increase.

In a pulsed gas laser of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, a gas pressure guage sensing pressure in the envelopes, an anode, a cathode, means for providing a defined path through the gas for an electrical discharge current between said anode and cathode, said means including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material which defines a column of gas in which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, envelope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be removed from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, a gas return tubing between the end volumes containing said anode and cathode to return gas that is pumped by the discharge current, an appended ballast volume communicating with the envelopes at the anode end through a remotely-operable ballast valve, power supply means coupled to said anode and cathode by electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from the lower level that keeps the gas ionized to the higher level that produces output pulses, then back again, a construction which limits the gas-containing volume to which the gas in the column communicates, other than that of the appended ballast volume, to those containers such as the bore envelope, cathode and anode envelopes and gas return tubing, which physically surround the heat-producing bore, anode and cathode, so that their envelopes, and indirectly the gas within them, are heated by infra-red radiation from the parts surrounded and experience a temperature increase, and in the fixed volume a pressure increase, that is proportional to the increase of tube drive, an improved method of operation for enabling a higher-than-usual fill pressure, for providing more gas atoms in the column for bore conditioning a greater reserve of gas in the appended ballast volume for setting the correct gas pressure for laser operation each time the laser is turned on, and for adding gas while the laser is in operation, said improved method comprising:

• a first step applied at the time of manufacture to fill the tube to a predetermined pressure higher than its optimum operating pressure, a second step applied thereafter each time the laser is turned on for opening the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast volume and driving the switching devices to produce current pulses of high enough duty factor and for a long enough time to raise the temperature of heated parts of the tube sufficiently to push surplus gas into the unheated, appended ballast volume until the optimum operating pressure is sensed by the gas pressure gauge, a third step to close the valve to block the return of gas from the appended ballast volume, a fourth step to commence laser operation, and a fifth step, applied as needed during any operating cycle, to open the valve briefly to add gas during periods of operation that are long enough for gas cleanup loss characteristic of ion lasers to reduce significantly the density of gas in the column and require an addition of gas.

In a pulsed gas laser of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, a gas pressure guage sensing pressure in the envelopes, dual anodes, dual cathodes, means for providing a defined path through the gas for an electrical discharge current between said anodes and cathodes, said means including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material which defines a column of gas in which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, envelope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be removed from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, a gas return tubing between the end volumes containing said anode and cathode to return gas that is pumped by the discharge current, an appended ballast volume communicating with the envelopes at the anode end through a remotely-operable ballast valve, power supply means coupled to said anodes and cathodes by dual electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from a lower level alternating current that keeps the gas ionized to the higher direct current, in either direction, that produces output pulses, then back again, an improvement in the method of operation employing two-directions of gas pumping for enabling a higher than usual tube fill pressure to provide more gas atoms in the column for use by the bore-conditioning process, to supply a reserve of gas in the appended ballast volume which is used to set the correct gas pressure each time the laser is turned on and to add gas while the laser is in operation, the improvement comprising the steps of:

• (1) experimentally determining a fill pressure for the particular tube model and laser gas that is higher than its normal operating pressure by an amount which takes into account additional operating steps, applied each time the laser is turned off to pump gas out of the appended ballast volume to pressurize the tube envelopes, and each time the tube is turned on, but after the bore-conditioning process, to pump surplus gas back into the appended ballast volume before laser operation begins, then applying, also at the time of manufacture, steps (2) through (8) as follows(2) filling the tube to the experimentally determined pressure, (3) opening the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast volume to distribute the gas of that volume uniformly between it and the tube envolopes, (4) closing the gas return valve, (5) applying repetitive pulses or a DC pumping current to the gas column in the direction that pumps gas from the appended ballast and the tube envelope to which the appended ballast attaches into the opposite end envelope and bore envelope, (6) closing the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast, (7) opening the gas return valve, (8) turning off the repetitive pulses or DC pumping current and turning off the laser, with a resulting increased gas density in the bore and tube envelopes, so that when the laser is next turned on this increased gas density is present in the bore for the pre-saturating process, and, each time the laser is turned on, the following steps, (9) applying the series of bore-conditioning pulses for pre-saturating the wall of the bore, (10) opening the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast, (11) closing the gas return valve and (12) applying repetitive pulses or a DC glow discharge current to the gas column to pump surplus gas from the column and tube envelopes into the appended ballast volume until the gas pressure gauge indicates the correct pressure for laser operation, (13) closing the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast volume, (14) turning off the pumping pulses or glow current and (15) commencing laser operation, then, when laser operation is terminated, repeating steps (3) through (8) to return the tube envelopes to the pressurized state.

In a pulsed gas laser of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, a gas pressure guage sensing pressure in the envelopes, an anode, a cathode, means for providing a defined path through the gas for an electrical discharge current between said anode and cathode, said means including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material which defines a column of gas in which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, envelope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be removed from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, a gas return tubing between the end volumes containing said anode and cathode to return gas that is pumped by the discharge current, power supply means coupled to said anode and cathode by electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from the lower level that keeps the gas ionized to the higher level that produces output pulses, then back again, a construction which limits the gas-containing volume to which the gas in the column communicates, to those containers such as the bore envelope, cathode and anode envelopes and gas return tubing, which physically surround the heat-producing bore, anode and cathode, so that their envelopes, and indirectly the gas within them, are heated by infra-red radiation from the parts surrounded and experience a temperature increase, and in the fixed volume a pressure increase, that is proportional to the increase of tube drive, a step-selectable means for extracting heat from the envelopes, such as a fan motor offering two or more speeds, a method of operation applicable as well when the tube has an appended ballast volume provided such volume is isolated by a remotely-operable ballast valve, the method providing more than one gas density from the same gas fill pressure, such as is needed for yielding optimized output from more than one wavelength of a laser gas, such as the red and yellow outputs of krypton, and doing so without adding gas to the tube or taking gas out of the tube, the method comprising the steps of:

• (1) determining experimentally the values of fan speed that provide heat extraction rates from the envelopes which establish, for anticipated drive levels at each wavelength, an envelope temperature and pressure which optimizes output at each wavelength and (2) a step for applying the fan speed thus determined for each wavelength whenever that wavelength is selected during laser operation.

In a pulsed gas laser of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, a gas pressure guage sensing pressure in the envelopes, an anode, a cathode, means for providing a defined path through the gas for an electrical discharge current between said anode and cathode, said means including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material which defines a column of gas in which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, envelope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be removed from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, a gas return tubing between the end volumes containing said anode and cathode to return gas that is pumped by the discharge current, power supply means couple to said anode and cathode by electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from the lower level that keeps the gas ionized to the higher level that produces output pulses, then back again, a construction which limits the gas-containing volume to which the gas in the column communicates, to those containers such as the bore envelope, cathode and anode envelopes and gas return tubing, which physically surround the heatproducing bore, anode and cathode, so that their envelopes, and indirectly the gas within them, are heated by infra-red radiation from the parts surrounded and experience a temperature increase, and in the fixed volume a pressure increase, that is proportional to the increase of tube drive, a rateselectable means for extracting heat from the tube envelopes, such as air driven across the envelopes at rate-selectable velocity by a variable-speed fan, an improved method of operation, applicable as well when the tube has an appended ballast volume provided such volume is isolated by a remotely-operable ballast valve, the method providing gas densities that are optimized for maximum laser output at two or more drive levels in the laser's normal range of drive, the method comprising the steps of:

• (1) determining experimentally the rates of extracting heat from the envelopes which provide optimum laser output at drive levels across the laser's normal operating range, (2) determining, while the laser is in operation, the time-averaged drive being applied to the tube, and (3) applying a rate of heat extraction that is optimum for the time-averaged drive level determined in step (2).

In a pulsed gas laser of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, a gas pressure guage sensing pressure in the envelopes, an anode, a cathode, means for providing a defined path through the gas for an electrical discharge current between said anode and cathode, said means including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material which defines a column of gas in which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, envelope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be removed from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, a gas return tubing between the end volumes containing said anode and cathode to return gas that is pumped by the discharge current, an appended ballast volume communicating with the envelopes at the anode end through a remotely-operble ballast valve, power supply means coupled to said anode and cathode by electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from the lower level that keeps the gas ionized to the higher level that produces output pulses, then back again, an improved method of operation which makes use of the gas pumping ability of the discharge current to enable a higher than usual tube fill pressure to provide more gas atoms in the column for bore-conditioning, and to supply a reserve of gas in the appended ballast volume which is used to set the correct gas pressure each time the laser is turned on and to add gas while the laser is in operation, said improved method comprising the steps of:

• (1) experimentally determining a fill pressure for the particular tube model and laser gas higher than it normal operating pressure by an amount which takes into account an additional operating step, applied each time the laser is turned on, to use the gas pumping ability of the current in the gas column to pump surplus gas into the appended ballast volume before laser operation begins, (2) filling the tube at the time of manufacture to the experimentally determined pressure, (3) opening the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast volume each time the laser is turned on to distribute the gas of that volume uniformly between it and the tube envelopes, (4) closing the remotely-operable ballast valve, (5) applying the series of bore-conditioning pulses for pre-saturating the wall of the bore, (6) opening the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast, (7) closing the gas return valve and (8) applying repetitive pulses or a DC glow discharge current to the gas column to pump gas from the column and tube envelopes into the appended ballast volume until the gas pressure guage indicates the correct pressure for laser operation, (9) closing the remotely-operable valve to the appended ballast volume, (10) turning off the pumping pulses or glow current and (11) commencing laser operation.

In a pulsed gas laser of the type including an enclosed volume of gas, an anode, a cathode, means for providing a defined path through the gas for an electrical discharge current between said anode and cathode, said means including an elongated tubular bore of an electrically-nonconductive refractory material, which defines a column of gas in which a low current keeps the gas ionized and pulses of higher current deliver laser output pulses, throat pieces at each end of the elongated tubular bore which have tapered inside diameters to avoid an abrupt discharge transition from the diameter of the bore to that of larger envelopes containing the anode and cathode, envelope means surrounding said bore and enclosing the bore in a low density gas medium that causes heat to be removed from the bore mainly by radiative transfer, a gas return tubing between the end volumes containing said anode and cathode to return gas that is pumped by the dischargae current, power supply means coupled to said anode and cathode by electronic switching devices that switch the discharge current from the lower level that keeps the gas ionized to the higher level that produces output pulses, then back again, the improvement comprising:

• tube construction means for allowing longitudinal thermal expansion of the bore that retain smooth transitions of shape between the elongated tubular bore and the throat pieces, said expansion means comprising throat pieces bonded to or integrally cast with the elongated tubular bore, with a continuous transition of inside diameter, support at each throat being provided at their outer extremities by loose-fitting circular collars joined to an inside web of the envelope surrounding the bore, one throat piece having a flange or other outwardprojecting means at its outer end that cannot pass through the inside diameter of its supporting collar and a spring-clip or equivalent restraining means on the other side of the same collar, which flange and restraining means fix the position of that end of the bore-throat assembly, while elongation or shortening of the bore-throat assembly is allowed by sliding motion between the throat piece and the collar at the opposite end.