高功率横流CO_2激光器的新型管板式电极

New Tube-Plate Electrodes for High-Power Transverse Flow CO_2 Lasers

提出一种更适用于焊接等场合的低阶模输出的新型管板式电极。阳极块长边沿阴极管方向,提高了放电均匀性和稳定性,增加了有效放电长度;阳极沿气流方向的长度和阴阳两极之间的距离根据输出模式确定,可充分利用激活体积,提高选模激光光电转换效率;其放电均匀稳定,可减小限流电阻值,降低外电路电功损耗。与现有管板电极相比,可提高注入到激活体积内的电功率密度,明显提高选模激光输出功率和总体效率。多模输出时直接光电转换效率可达20%;低阶模TEM11输出时光电转换效率可达15%,激光器总效率达8%。该电极结构适用于国内生产的横流CO2激光器,在不同模式输出时均能获得较高的光电转换效率,从而使其更好地应用于焊接等低阶模输出场合。

A new type of tube-plate electrodes more suitable for low order transverse electric （TE） modes output in fields like laser welding has been developed. It has a bigger size in the direction of the laser beam, so that more uniform discharge and longer discharge length can be obtained. Its width in the direction of gas flow is determined by the output laser mode, so that the active volume can be fully used. Its stable and even discharge makes the ballast resistor smaller which reduces extra power consumption. Compared with the former electrodes, it has greatly increased the input power density, the maximum output power and efficiency of mode-selecting lasers. As a result, high electro-optic conversion efficiency of 20 % for multimode output, 15 % and laser total efficiency of 8% for low order TEM11 output are obtained. It is suitable for home made transversal COz lasers, making them capable of acquiring high efficiency for different TE modes output and more suitable for low order TE modes output in fields like laser welding.