Abstract

Fast flow RF-excited CO₂-Lasers with coaxial electrodes have been shown to be very well suited for the generation of ultra high beam power up to 100 kW with a moderate plasma volume and satisfactory beam quality. A detailed analysis demonstrated that the latter beam power can be reached, if four discharge modules with an outer diameter of 40 cm and a length of 80 cm are optically connected in series in one common resonator. These modules must be energized each by 180 kW RF power and independently cooled by a fast gas flow of 10 m³/s.

© 1996 IEEE