JPS6358885A - Silent discharge type gas laser device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the abnormal discharge, the deterioration of a filling mixed gas as well as the damage to electrodes and improve the efficiency and reliability by preparing a synchronous measure for a frequency and phase of a reference oscillator and the like which causes the frequency and phase of an alternating high voltage applied to a pair of dielectric electrodes to coincide with one another among plural pairs of them. CONSTITUTION:A synchronous measure 13 of a frequency and phase having a reference oscillator 13a is prepared so as to cause the frequency and phase of alternating high voltage power sources 7a and 7b applied to dielectric electrodes 1a and 1b as well as the dielectric electrodes 4a and 4b to coincide with one another among plural of them. As a result, the upper part dielectric electrodes 1a and 4a that are adjacent each other or the lower part dielectric electrodes 1b and 4b come to the same electrical potential. Thus, the abnormal discharge among these electrodes is prevented and laser beams 12 are free from output decrease and electrode damage because of the deterioration of a mixed gas to be filled in a vacuum vessel 2 and then, more efficient and more reliable silent discharge type gas laser device is obtained.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a silent discharge type gas laser device.

[Prior Art] FIG. 3 shows the configuration of a conventional silent discharge type gas laser awn.

In the figure, (la) and (lb) are vacuum containers (2)
a first dielectric electrode disposed oppositely within the metal electrode (2a), (2b) having a dielectric (3a) on the surface thereof;
(3b) is coated. (4a), (4b)
is a second dielectric electrode which is also placed opposite to each other in the vacuum vessel 2, and similarly to the first dielectric electrodes (la) and (lb), the metal electrodes (5a) and (5b) have a dielectric (
6a) and (6b) are coated. The first dielectric electrode (la), (ib) and the second dielectric electrode, ? J'+h
The reason why the rest body poles (4a) and (H)) are divided into two is to increase the output of the laser beam.
If the length of the cell electrode is increased, there is a risk that the dielectric electrode will inevitably bend, and if the dielectric weight/pole is long, it will be difficult to form a dielectric with a uniform thickness on the surface.
This is because current concentration occurs in the thin portion of the film, causing dielectric breakdown.

(7a) and (7b) are the first dielectric electrode (la)
, (lb) and the second dielectric body electrode (4a),
(4b) are AC high voltage power supplies independently connected to each other. Is (8) No. 1 of the Book of G? A electric body electrode (la), (l
b) and the silent radiation generated between the second dielectric electric ladders (4a) and (4b), Ho) and (11) are a total reflection mirror and a partial reflection mirror arranged on the optical axis of the laser beam.
(12) is a laser beam transmitted through the partially reflecting mirror (!1) and output.

Further, the vacuum container (2) is filled with a mixed gas containing carbon dioxide (a mixed gas of He, H2, CO2, Co, etc.).

In the above configuration, the first dielectric electrode (la).

(1b) and second dielectric electrode (4a), (4b)
AC high voltage power supplies (7a) connected separately between
, (7b) When an AC high voltage is applied, a stable discharge called a silent discharge (8) occurs in the discharge space formed between the dielectric electrodes. This silent discharge is caused by a dielectric (3
Since it is an AC discharge via a), (3b), (6a), and (6b), a stable non-equilibrium discharge in which only the electron temperature is high and the molecular temperature does not rise is realized without transitioning to arc discharge. can. When a silent discharge occurs in the above-mentioned discharge space, laser oscillation occurs in the resonator formed by the total reflection mirror (10) and the partial reflection mirror (11), and the partial reflection mirror (11) causes laser oscillation.
11) and a laser beam (12) is output.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional silent discharge gas laser device, the first dielectric electrode (la), (lb) divided in the optical axis direction as described above.
) and second dielectric electrodes (4a) and (4b) are arranged,
Independent AC high voltage power supplies (7a) and (7b)
) are connected, which has advantages such as the capacity of each unit being small and being usable for lower model units, but has the following problems. That is, the AC high voltage ■l applied between the first dielectric electrodes (la) and (lb), and the second dielectric electrode (lb). If the phases are not aligned with the 14-wave number of the AC high voltage V2 applied between the A-electrode poles (4a) and (4b), the adjacent upper first dielectric electrodes (la),
Between the second dielectric electrodes (4a) or adjacent lower first dielectric electrodes (lb).

A high voltage may be applied between the second dielectric electrodes (4b), and these metal electrodes (2a), (2b), (5a
), a dielectric (3a) coated on the surface of (5b),
(3b), (6a), (6b) undergo dielectric breakdown and abnormal discharge (9a) between the dielectric electrodes (la) and (4a) or between the dielectric electrodes (lb) and (4b);
(9b) occurs. Figure 4 shows the above AC high voltage v1.
.

The voltage waveforms of (2) and the abnormal discharge voltage v3 are shown in a graph with time plotted on the horizontal axis.

Due to the above abnormal discharges (9a) and (9b), the mixed gas containing carbon dioxide filled in the vacuum container (2) deteriorates, and the output of the laser beam (12) decreases.
IT body electrodes (la), (xb), second dielectric electrode (4
a) and (4b) may be damaged. Furthermore, in order to prevent the above abnormal discharges (9a) and (9b), the above first dielectric electrode (la) is divided into two.

It is necessary to ensure sufficient insulation distance between the second dielectric electrodes (4a) and between the first dielectric electrode (lb) and the second dielectric electrode (4b) at the bottom. There were also problems such as the overall length of the device.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it prevents abnormal discharge from occurring between each dielectric electrode, causing deterioration of the mixed gas filled in the vacuum container, and damage to each dielectric electrode. The purpose of this invention is to obtain a silent discharge type gas laser device with high efficiency and high reliability.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The silent discharge gas laser device according to the present invention has a reference incubator that matches the frequency and phase of AC high voltage applied to a pair of dielectric electrodes between a plurality of sets. It is equipped with a frequency Φ phase interval means such as .

[Function] The silent discharge type gas laser device according to the present invention synchronizes the frequency and phase of the AC high voltage applied between the dielectric electrodes using frequency/phase synchronization means such as a reference oscillator, and synchronizes the frequency and phase of the AC high voltage applied between the dielectric electrodes. High voltages of the same frequency and phase are applied from the AC high voltage power supply.

[Example 1 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the basic structure of a silent discharge gas laser device according to the present invention, and the same parts as those of a conventional silent discharge gas laser device are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, (13) is an AC high voltage power supply (7a).

It is a frequency/phase synchronization means for synchronizing the frequency and phase of (7b), for example, one 2! Quasi-oscillator (13a
), but if it has seven stages that can match the frequency and phase between each of the multiple AC high voltage power supplies,
There are other synchronous circuits, etc., and the replacement tube is f7.

The first dielectric electrode (la) divided according to the above configuration
, (lb), the second dielectric electrode (4a), (4b
) between the voltages vl and v2 have the same frequency and the same phase, as shown in Fig.
The potentials of the dielectric electrode (la), the second dielectric electrode (4a), and the lower second dielectric electrodes (lb) and (4b) are at the same potential, and the voltage difference 3 becomes almost zero, so that Abnormal discharge will no longer occur.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was explained and illustrated in which the dielectric electrode was divided into two and two AC high voltage power supplies were connected, but these are not necessarily limited to two divisions, and the dielectric electrode It can also be applied to a system in which the system is divided into a plurality of parts and a plurality of AC high voltage power supplies corresponding to each part are provided.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a reference oscillator that makes the frequency and phase of the AC high pressure applied to a pair of dielectric body poles the same among a plurality of sets. Since it is equipped with one stage of frequency and phase synchronization, adjacent upper dielectric electrodes or lower dielectric electrodes have the same potential, and therefore there is no potential difference between them, preventing abnormal discharge. As a result, a decrease in laser beam output due to deterioration of the mixed gas filled in the vacuum chamber and damage to the dielectric electrode are eliminated, and a highly efficient and reliable gas laser device with a silent number' formula can be obtained. The insulation distance between the body electrodes can be shortened, and therefore the silent discharge type gas laser device can be miniaturized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the principle configuration of a silent discharge type gas laser device showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a voltage waveform diagram between dielectric electrodes in a silent discharge type gas laser device of L type, and Fig. 3 is Principle configuration diagram of conventional silent discharge type gas laser device, No. 4
The figure is a voltage waveform diagram between dielectric electrodes in a conventional unvoiced number '1' type gas laser device. (la), (lb)...-first dielectric electrode, (4a
), (4b)...second dielectric electrode, (5)...
Silent discharge, (7a). (7h)... AC high voltage power supply, (io)... Total reflection mirror, (11)... Partial reflection mirror, (12)... Laser beam, (13)... Frequency-phase synchronization means, (1
3a)...Reference oscillator. In each figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A silent discharge gas laser device comprising at least two or more pairs of dielectric electrodes in which the surfaces of metal electrodes are coated with a dielectric material, and an AC high voltage power source is individually and independently connected to the pair of dielectric electrodes. A silent discharge gas laser device characterized by comprising frequency/phase synchronization means for matching the frequency and phase of an AC high voltage applied to a pair of dielectric electrodes between a plurality of pairs.