Gas discharge tube having refractory ceramic coated bore disc for ion laser
AssigneeSpectra-Physics Lasers, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey L. Kaiser, Shinan-Chur S. Sheng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat conducting structure in a discharge tube of an ion laser, that has high resistance to erosion due to sputtering comprises a discharge limiting member having an inner aperture, and a thin film of refractory ceramic coating areas near the inner aperture. The thin film of ceramic does not significantly retard heat flow out of the discharge into the heat conducting structure, but significantly increases resistance of the heat conduction structure to sputtering.
Claims14
A gas discharge tube for an ion laser, comprising:
- a vacuum envelope having an axis and an inside surface;
- a plurality of heat conducting structures secured to the inside surface of the vacuum envelope spaced along the axis, for conducting heat away from the axis;
- wherein heat conducting structures in the plurality comprise a discharge limiting member having an inner aperture limiting gas discharge to a bore along the axis of the vacuum envelope and a thin film of refractory ceramic coating a portion of the discharge limiting member near the inner aperture.
A heat conducting structure for conducting heat out of a gas discharge tube with an inside surface and a discharge path, comprising:
- a discharge limiting member having an inner aperture for limiting gas discharge along the gas discharge path;
- a thin film of refractory ceramic coating the inner aperture of the discharge limiting member;
- and
- an outside member having an outside perimeter and an inside perimeter, adapted to be secured at its outside perimeter to the inside surface of the tube and near its inside perimeter to the discharge limiting member.
A gas discharge tube for an ion laser, comprising:
- a vacuum envelope having an axis and an inside surface;
- a plurality of heat conducting structures secured to the inside surface of the vacuum envelope spaced along the axis of the vacuum envelope, for conducting heat out of the vacuum envelope;
- wherein heat conducting structures in the plurality include a discharge limiting member, a shield member and a web member;
- the web member having an outside perimeter and an inside perimeter, secured at its outside perimeter to the inside surface of the vacuum envelope and near its inside perimeter to the shield member, and having a plurality of passages providing a gas bypass path near the inside surface of the vacuum envelope;
- the shield member having an outside perimeter and an inside perimeter, secured near its outside perimeter to the web member and near its inside perimeter to the discharge limiting member, and having a shield for isolating the gas bypass path through the web member from discharge along the axis of the vacuum envelope;
- the discharge limiting member having an outside perimeter and an inner aperture, secured near its outside perimeter to the shield member, wherein the inner aperture limits gas discharge to a bore along the axis of the vacuum envelope;
- and
- a thin film of refractory ceramic coating at least a portion of the discharge limiting member that is exposed to gas discharge in the bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.