Long Pulse Uv Pre-ionization Of The Te Co <sub> 2 </ Sub> Laser

Detailed review on long-pulse TE CO₂ lasers based on Pulser/Sustainer technology is given. Characteristics of PFN (Pulse-forming Network) discharge are simulated by Pspice . A UV-preionized long-pulse TE CO₂ laser is built. The effects of many factors including PFN and Cs, gas pressure and mixing ratio, the gap between main electrodes and laser efficiency, etc., on laser performance are investigated. Pulse width of 10us, 20us and 30us (FWHM) are obtained. The laser can discharge stably with energy from PFN more than ten times of that from Cs at an efficiency of 11 - 12%. Also pulse width shift techniques with three workable schemes are proposed, through which laser pulse width can be shifted from one to another readily.Long-pulse TE CO₂ lasers are required for Doppler laser radars, material processing, etc. The work achieved in this paper is first reported in China and will prompt the research and application in the related field.