Abstract

Sliding discharges or lasers along the surface of a dielectric has many applications as preioniser, plasma electrode, and direct excitation source.^1-3 In this paper we report on a study of a simple N₂ laser employing single or twin sliding discharges for direct excitation. The addition of SF₆ is found to improve laser performance. The polarity of the applied voltage is of great importance for the output characteristics of the sliding discharge lasers.

© 1994 IEEE