JPH03237780A - Metal vapor laser equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the burnout of an O-ring, and obtain a stable laser output, by interposing a metal O-ring only in the sealing part on the laser window side. CONSTITUTION:A sealing member 16 is constituted of the following; a main piping part 16b having a flange 16a fastened and fixed detachably to a frange 9f of a vacuum jacket 9 by using bolts nuts or the like, a metal pipe 16c which is detachably linked with the tip of the part 16b via a metal O-ring 17, and an insulative cylinder part 16d which is brazed to the tip of the metal pipe 16c and constituted of a quartz member. A laser window 8 is fixed on the tip part of the cylinder part 16. The heat generated by discharge travels to the inner discharge tube 5, is radiated from the inner discharge tube to an atmospheric heat insulating layer 6, and is transferred to also the flange of 9f the vacuum jacket 9 and the sealing member 16. However, the O-ring 17 interposed in the sealing member 16 is not burned out because the O-ring 17 is made of metal. Thereby the inner discharge tube 5 can be always surely sealed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a metal vapor laser device for obtaining laser light by exciting metal vapor by melting metal particles such as copper particles with discharge heat, and particularly relates to a metal vapor laser device with an improved support structure on the laser window side. .

[Conventional technology]

Examples of material vapor generating devices using this type of vapor include metal vapor laser devices and vapor ion beam devices. Figure 2 is a sectional view showing a conventional metal vapor laser device shown in 1981 Laser Research Vol. 9 No. 2 "Manufacture of Copper Vapor Laser". Terminal, 3 is a cathode with a single-tube configuration, 4 is an anode with a single-tube configuration for the cathode 3, 5 is an inner discharge tube arranged between the electrodes (cathode, anode) 3 and 4 and has a discharge section formed inside, 6 7 is an atmospheric insulation layer such as a wool layer for suppressing heat loss due to radial heat transfer and convection from the discharge inner tube 5, and 7 is a vacuum layer 1.
1 is a seal tube for forming the cathode flange 1, 8 is a laser window for extracting laser light, and 9 is a metal outer tube 9 (jacket) surrounding these.
The cathode side jacket part 9A integrally has the cathode terminal 1 and the cathode 3 and electrically connects the cathode terminal 1 and the cathode 3, and the cathode side jacket part 9A is formed separately to connect the anode terminal 2 and the anode 4. The anode-side jacket part 9B electrically connects the anode-side jacket part 9B, and the insulating member 9C insulates the cathode-side jacket part 9A from the anode-side jacket part 9B. 11 is a vacuum layer that suppresses heat transfer from the seal tube 7 in the radial direction and heat loss due to convection;
2 is housed in the vacuum layer 11, and the seal tube 7
13 is a metal spacer that supports these heat reflectors 12, and 14 is the cathode side jacket part. Cathode flange integrated with 9A, 15
is the discharge gas sealed in the discharge inner tube 5, 17a, 1
7b is a rubber O-ring that seals between the cathode 3 and anode 4 and the laser window 8; 17c and 17d are rubber O-rings that seal between the atmospheric insulation layer 6, the seal tube 7, and the cathode side jacket part 9-A; A rubber O-ring that seals between the
7e and 17f are rubber O-rings that seal between the cathode side jacket part 9A and the insulating member 9C and between the insulating member 9C and the anode side jacket part 9B, respectively. Next, the operation will be explained. When a pulse voltage is applied between the cathode terminal 1 and the anode terminal 2, the connection between the cathode 3 and the anode 4 in the discharge gas 15 atmosphere in the discharge inner tube 5 is caused through the cathode side jacket part 9A and the anode side jacket part 9B. As a pulse discharge occurs during this period, the interior of the discharge inner tube 5 enters a discharge state. The heat generated by the discharge is conducted to the discharge inner tube 5, and the atmospheric heat insulating layer 6 surrounding the discharge inner tube 5.
Vacuum layer 11. Heat reflector 12. The metal spacer 13 suppresses heat loss due to convection, conduction, and radiation of heat in the radial direction as much as possible, thereby increasing the temperature of the discharge inner tube 5. Due to this temperature rise, the metal grains 10 within the discharge inner tube 5 are melted, and metal vapor necessary for obtaining laser oscillation is generated. Then, this metal vapor is excited by the pulse voltage, causing population inversion. For this reason, an optical resonator (not shown) is installed outside the laser window 8 at both ends of the inner discharge tube 50.
If these laser windows 8 are arranged, laser light can be obtained through these laser windows 8.

Problem 1 to be Solved by the Invention Since the conventional metal vapor laser device is configured as described above, the rubber O-rings 17a provided at multiple locations are
-17f is easily burnt out due to thermal effects, and impurity gas is generated due to the burnout, which causes a problem in that stable laser output cannot be obtained. This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and by using a metal O-ring instead of a rubber O-ring, it is possible to prevent burning of the seal part and generation of impurity gas. The object of the present invention is to obtain a metal vapor laser device that can prevent the above problems and stabilize the laser output. [Means for Solving the Problems] In the metal vapor laser device according to the present invention, a metal O-ring is interposed only in the seal portion of the laser window, and other joints are joined by welding, brazing, etc. This is what I did.

[For use]

The metal vapor laser device according to the present invention has a metal O-ring interposed only in the seal portion of the laser window.
Unlike conventional rubber O-rings, the O-ring does not burn out and no impurity gas is generated, so stable laser output can be obtained.

【Example】

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a cross-sectional view of a metal vapor laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the same or corresponding parts as in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals and redundant explanation will be omitted. In the figure, 3 is a cylindrical cathode, 3a is an electrode flange integrally formed on the outer end of this cathode 3, 4 is a cylindrical anode for the cathode 3, and 4a is integrally formed on the outer end of this anode 4. The electrode flange 5 is a discharge inner tube made of a conductor, and the cathode 3 and the anode 4 are inserted into both ends of the inner discharge tube 5 with a gap between them. Electrode flanges 3a, 4a are electrically connected to both ends of the discharge inner tube 5. 6 is an atmospheric insulation layer surrounding the outer periphery of the discharge inner tube 5; 9
is a vacuum jacket surrounding the atmospheric insulation layer 6, 9f
are flanges provided at both ends of the vacuum jacket 9; 11 is a vacuum layer formed on the wall of the vacuum jacket 9; 16 is a support for the laser window 8 on opposite sides of the cathode 3 and the anode 4, respectively; Further, it is a sealing member that seals both ends of the discharge inner tube 5 from the atmosphere, and this sealing member 16 is a flange 1 that is removably fastened to the flange 9f of the vacuum jacket 9 with bolts and nuts.
6a, a metal tube 16c detachably connected to the tip of the main tube 16b via a metal O-ring 17, and a laser window 8 brazed to the tip of the metal tube 16c. The insulating cylindrical portion 16d made of a quartz member is attached to the insulating cylinder portion 16d. Next, the operation will be explained. When a pulse discharge occurs between the cathode 3 and the anode 4 in the discharge gas 15 atmosphere within the discharge inner tube 5, the inside of the discharge inner tube 5 enters a discharge state, and the heat generated by the discharge is
It is conducted to the discharge inner tube 5, is radiated from the discharge inner tube 5 to the atmospheric heat insulating layer 6, and is also conducted to the vacuum jacket 9, so that it is also transmitted to the flange 9r of the vacuum jacket 9 and the seal member I6. However, since the metal O-ring 17 interposed in the sealing member 16 will not burn out, the sealing member 16 can always reliably seal off the discharge inner tube 5. Since there is no risk of impurity gas being generated inside the laser, stable laser output can be obtained at all times. Further, since the seal member 16 is removable, the metal grains 1o in the discharge inner tube 5 can be easily replaced by removing the seal member 16.

【Effect of the invention】

As described above, according to the present invention, since the metal O-ring is interposed only in the seal portion on the laser window side, the O-ring does not burn out unlike the conventional rubber O-ring. Since no impurity gas is generated and no impurity gas is generated, there is an effect that stable laser output can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a metal vapor laser device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional metal vapor laser device. 3... Cathode (electrode), 4... Anode (electrode), 5...
・Discharge inner tube, 8...Laser window, F...Metal O-ring. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a metal vapor laser device comprising an inner discharge tube containing metal grains for generating metal vapor and arranged between electrodes, and a laser window arranged at opposing positions on both ends of the inner discharge tube, the laser window side A metal vapor laser device characterized in that a metal O-ring is interposed only in the sealing portion of the device.