CA1083255A - High-energy laser - Google Patents
High-energy laserInfo
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- CA1083255A CA1083255A CA284,523A CA284523A CA1083255A CA 1083255 A CA1083255 A CA 1083255A CA 284523 A CA284523 A CA 284523A CA 1083255 A CA1083255 A CA 1083255A
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Abstract
HIGH-ENERGY LASER
Abstract of the Disclosure:
High-energy laser excitable by an arc-free capacitor discharge includes a power capacitor with minimal self-inductance formed of a stack of metal layers mutually superimposed perpendicularly to a given axis, with respective layers of insulation disposed be-tween mutually adjacent metal layers of the stack, the metal layers and the insulation layers being formed with mutually a-ligned cut-outs in vicinity of the given axis so as to form a free space within the stack, respective surface portions of alter-nating layers of the metal layers projecting into the free space above one another as electrodes of given common polarity, the surface portions of the metal layers of respective opposite com-mon polarity being disposed symmetrically with respect to the given axis in the free space; and a laser tube formed with a dis-charge chamber and having discharge electrodes, the laser tube being disposed in the free space of the power capacitor, the electrodes of given common polarity of the power capacitor being connected to the discharge chamber of the laser tube.
Abstract of the Disclosure:
High-energy laser excitable by an arc-free capacitor discharge includes a power capacitor with minimal self-inductance formed of a stack of metal layers mutually superimposed perpendicularly to a given axis, with respective layers of insulation disposed be-tween mutually adjacent metal layers of the stack, the metal layers and the insulation layers being formed with mutually a-ligned cut-outs in vicinity of the given axis so as to form a free space within the stack, respective surface portions of alter-nating layers of the metal layers projecting into the free space above one another as electrodes of given common polarity, the surface portions of the metal layers of respective opposite com-mon polarity being disposed symmetrically with respect to the given axis in the free space; and a laser tube formed with a dis-charge chamber and having discharge electrodes, the laser tube being disposed in the free space of the power capacitor, the electrodes of given common polarity of the power capacitor being connected to the discharge chamber of the laser tube.
Description
Specification:
The lnventlon of the instant appllcation relates to the excita-tlon of a high-energy laser b~ an arc-free or non-arcing capacito~
discharge. Such laser constructions have become known heretofore J
for example, from the ~ournal "Opto Electronics" 4 ~1972)~ pages 43 to 49 as well as from "Applied Physlcs Lett~rs!' Vol. 25, No. 12 of December 15, 1974, pages 703 to 705 In these and other ~isclosures, reference is made to the use of a low-induc- !
tance capacitor constructed ln the form of a strip line, the ~ r `~ - ' _, .. - ~ , . :
-: ~
.
` ' '` . , ' .' : ' . ' ' ,~ ' ' energy of whlch is transmitted to the electrodes of the discharge chamber of the laser tube through fast-acting switches e.g. spark gaps, in order to e~fect excitation of the laser gas. In this type of laser excitation, at least two problems must be solved, namely, that of storing maximal electric energy in the capacltor and that of effecting homogeneous excitation of the laser gas at predetermined electric field intensities, while avoiding arcing between the excitation electrodes in the la~er tube. For the first problem or requirement, a limit to the maximal stored electric energy is fixed by the capacitance of the strip line which, for the de~ices described in the aforementioned disclosure and for a discharge channel 1 m long, is between about 0.01 ~F
and 0.1 ~F, which is a limit that would have to be exceeded con-siderably for a high-energy laser. To master the second problem a special form of a strip-line capacitor as well as a special construction of the discharge surface as a multiplicity of paral-lel knife edgeq have been proposed heretofore. Xowever, electrod surfaces of such construction are not suited to withstand con-tinuous operation, so that the need has arlsen to solve the a~ore stated problems in another more successful manner.
It is accordingly an ob~ect of the invention to provide a high-energy laser of the foregoing type which solves the foregoing two problems while avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages of the heretofore known devices of this general type.
With the foregoing and other ob~ects in vlew, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an high-energy laser excitable by an arc-free capacitor discharge comprislng a power capacitor with minimal self-inductance formed o~ a stack of metal layers mutually superimposed perpendicularly to a given axis~ with re-l __ , ~ ~I
las3zss spective layers of insulation disposed between mutually adjacentmetal layers of the stack, the metal layers and the insulation layers being formed with mutually aligned cut-outs in vicinity of the given axis so as to form a free space within the stack, respective surface portions of alternating layers of the metal layers projecting into the free space above one another as electrodes of given common polarity, the surface portions of the metal layers of respective opposite common polarity being disposed symmetrically with respect to the given axis in the free space; and a laser tube formed with a discharge chamber and having discharge electrodes, the laser tube being disposed in the free space of the power capacitor, the electrodes of given common polarity of the power capacitor being connected to the discharge chamber of the laser tube.
Reference can be had to my copending application Serial No. 284,168, filed August 5, 1977 and entitled POWER
CAPACITOR, for further details of a power capacitor that may be employed in the high-energy laser of this application.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the discharge electrodes of the laser tube are spaced from at least the electrodes of one common polarity of the power capacitor, the space therebetween being formed as a switching spark gap, a stripline capacitor with a fast-acting switch being connected to the switching spark gap.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the discharge electrodes of the laser tube at least partly define respective chambers for the switching spark gap within the laser tube.
~, . . . .
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the high-energy laser include~ an ignitlon electrode extending over the entire length of the laser tube and disposed parallel to the dlscharge electrodes of the laser tube within the free space formed in the power capacitor, a stripllne capacltor wlth a fast-acting switch being connected to the ignition electrode for applying a different potential thereto than at the discharge electrode~.
Thus, the capacltor electrodes are connected elther dlrectly or lndirectly to the discharge chamber of the laser tube, and the connection between the capacitor electrodes and the discharge electrodes of the laser tube 19 accordlngly effected with ex-tremely low lnductance, which is true also for the swltchlng spark gaps that are ~patlally or physlcally combined wlth this system.
Other features whlch are consldered as characteristic for the ln-vention are set forth ln the appended claims~
Although the inventlon ls illustrated and described hereln as em-bodied in an high-energy laser, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modification3 and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit o~ the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. .
The constructlon and method of operation of the lnvention~
however, together with additional obJects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanyir I
I
~ 4 ~ . ~ , I' .,.
~.... . .
1083;~55 draw rgs, ln which: j FIG. 1 ls a diagrammatlc ~ectional view of a capacitor utilizable for exciting a high-ener~y la~er in accordance with the inven-tlon; and FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are similar perspective views o~ three dlfferent embodiments of a hlgh-energy laser in con~unction with a power capacitor according to FIG. 1.
In FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the connecting lines ror the laser meaium as well as for the switching spark gaps have been omitted in the interest of clarity, as have been the cooling devices which are necessary for such high-power operation. In the figures~ like features are identified by the same reference numerals.
The general external form of thepower capacitor 1 may be seen from FIGS. 2 to 4, and the internal construction thereof fro~
FIG. 1, which corresponds to a cross sectional view of FIG~ 2 taken along the line I-I and rotated through 90~ It is con-structed of metal layers or electrodes 2 and 4 which are stacked one above the other, with interposed lnsulating discs 6, perpen~
dicularly to the laser axis, which is shown as a vertical, central dash-dot line. These layers or electrodes 2, 4 are cut out in the form shown in the other figures, 80 that a free space 7 ls obtained. Into the latter space 7, there pro~ect, on the one side, surface portions 3 of the capacitor layers or electrodes 2, and on the other side, surface portions 5 of the capacitor layers or electrodes 4. These pro~ecting surface portions 3 and 5 are conne-cted by bridges 23 and 45, respectively. A charging voltage s~urce or lead, namely, in the case at hand, a laser tube 8 wlth discharge electrodes, ls connected to the brldges 23 and 45 per se can, in turn, constitute the discharge electrodes for the laser tube 8, so that a feed line for the capacitor energy thereby be-comes unnecessary and, moreover, the energy stored in the capacito 7 layers 2, 4 reaches the discharge electrode~ for the laser tube 8 with uniform distribution.
In order to provide some idea of the capacities which are possible with such a capacitor construction, following is a description of an embodiment thereof with appropriate numerical data. Wlth generally clrcular layers or electrodes 2 and 4 hav1ng an outside radius of 0.5 m and with a free space 7 having a radius of 0.15 m, as well as with insulating layers 6 having a respective thickness of 1 mm, a total area of about 530 m and, thus, a capacltance of 14 ~F per meter is obtained for a capacltor length of 1 meter.
Wlth a charging voltage of 50 kV, such a capacitor can store 18,000 Joule of energy. Increasing the outer radius to 1 m would increase the capacitance per meter length to about 62 ~F and the energy content at 50 kV to ~ust 80 x 103 Joule. It can be seen from the numerical data of this embodiment that the use of this type of capacitor construction permits very high output energies with suitable laser media, which, however, are not the sub~ect of this invention.
FIG. 2 shows the simplest embodiment of a high-power laser con-structed in accordance with the invention~ The laser tube 8 is builk into the free space 7 of the capacitor 1 in such a manner that the surface portions 3 and 5 of the capacitor 1 pro~ect into the interior of this space 7. A connecting bridge over these sur-face portions 3 and 5 is unnecessar~; the connections between the electrodes or layers 2, 4 of the same polarity required for the 1~832SS
charglng proce~s can be applled to the outer surface o~ the capa-citor 1 ln a non-illustrated manner. For exact control of the electrodes 31 and 51 which are constructed in comb-like ~ashion therebetween, it is advantageous to keep the charging voltage of the capacitor l lower than the breakdown voltage of the discharge space in the laser tube 8 and to provlde, as mean~ for trlggering the discharge, an ignitlon electrode 84 which i5 ~astened to the wall of the laser tube 8 ln the vicinity of the one electrode 51 As shown schematlcally, a supplemental high-voltage source 96 is provided for triggering the discharge o~ the capacitor l; this source 96 ls connected at the one pole thereof to the electrode comb 31 and with the other pole thereo~, through the ~ast-acting switch 95, to the ignition electrode 84~ If this switch 95 i~
actuated, a corona discharge develop~ at the ignltlon electrode 84, whlch distributes the charge carriers into the dlscharge space and effects ionization thereo~ through ultraviolet radiatior so that an extremely rapid and simultaneou~ arc-free discharge a~
the energy stored in the capacitor l thereby oocurs.
Another possible construction of the high-power laser is dia-grammatlcally shown in FIG. 3. The laser tube 8 is agaln disposed between the electrodes 45 and 23 of the capacltor l; these elec-trodes 45 and 23 represent connectlng bridges of the respective sur~ace portions 5 and 3 of the capacitor layers 2> 4 and pro~ect into the interlor of the laser tube 8~ The space of this tube 8 is subdlvided by auxlliary electrode~ 82 and 83 into three super-imposed chambers 85, 86 and 87. To the auxiliary electrode 87 as well as to the capacitor electrode 45, there is then connected a stripline capacitor 9 whlch is formed o~ conduct~ve layers 91 and 92 and an lnsulating layer 94 disposed therebetween. Between thes 1083~55 two conductive layers 91 and 92, a ~ast-acting switch e.g. a thyratron 93, is connected for trlggering the laser 8. This em-bodiment of the lnvention functions as follows. A laser medium, for example, the gas which is to be excited by the capacitor dis-charge and which has a breakdown voltage that is below the charg-ing voltage of the capacitor 1, is found ln the chamber 86. Be-~ore the discharge is triggered, the potential difference o~ the electrodes 82 and 83 is below the breakdown voltage of the en-closed gas. The chambers 85 and 87 respectively above and below the laser space 86 proper are llkewise filled with gas andS with suitable choice of the gas, the pressure thereof and the spacing of the electrodes, no voltage breakdown occur~ there either~
These chambers may also be constructed, however, as vacuum spark gaps.
The elctrode 83 is connected to the stripline conductive layer 92 and the other conductive layer 91 to the electrode 45 of the capacitor.
For triggering the discharge of the capacitor 1, the switeh 93 e.g. a thyratron, is short-circuited. A pQtential is thereby developed at the electrode 83, which causes the voltage break-down to the electrode 23 and places the electrode 83 at the potential of the capacitor electrode 23. The breakdown field-intensity between the auxiliary electrodes 83 and 82 is thereby exceeded, however, as well as the breakdown field-intensity be-tween the electrodes 82 and 45, so that the fast, homogeneous discharge of the capacitor is thereby initiated.
A further possible construction of such a high-power laser is shown in FIG. 4. If one were to refer to the embodiment con- ¦ -. . .
. .. . . .
.
structed in accordance with FIG. 3 as a three-chamber system, then the sy~tem according to FIG. 4 represents a two-chamber system. The lower chamber 8g is the laser space proper, and the upper chamber 88 i~ the switching spark gap, similar to the spaces~
87 and 85 in the embodiment of FIG. 3. Slmilarly to the embodi-ment according to FIG. 2, an ignition electrode 84 is disposed in the space 88 and connected to the conductive layer 91 of a stripline capacltor 9. The other conductive layer 92 is elec-trically connected to the capacitor electrode 23 which, in this embodiment of FIG. 4, represents one la~er electrode. An aux-iliary electrode 81 disposed between the chambers 88 and 89 is th other laser electrode. The laser gas ls provided ln the dlscharg chamber 89; the potential between this auxiliary electrode 81 and the capacitor electrode 23 is below the breakdown voltage. Also~
the corresponding fleld inten~ity in the chamber 88 ls insufficle t to lnitiate or introduce an lndependent gas dlscharge therein~
If the switch 93 of the stripline capacitor 9 is then closed, the potential at the ignition electrode 84 is changed so that a coron discharge to the electrode 45 is instituted immedlateiy, which allows the voltage of this electrode 84 to break through to the auxiliary electrode 81. m us, the full voltage o~ the capaci~or is located between the auxiliary electrode 81 and the capacltor electrode 23, so that there, too, the breakdown ~ield strength or field intensity is exceeded, and the discharge and, according-ly, the excitation of the laser medium, result therefrom.
Supplementing this discussion, it should be mentioned that it is advantageous to charge the capacitor 1 to +25 k~ if a charging voltage of 50 kV is desired, since this simplifies the insulatlon problems with respect to the environment. The gas charge of the .
I . , .
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I
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- ~ . . . -, .
1 1083~55 switching spark gap~ may contain an additive conslsting of an electronegative ~as such as SF6, for example. The physical or spatial combination of a laser with such a capacitor results in an almost absolutely uniform supply of the energy over the entire length of the discharge electrode, so that the arcing between the electrodes, which is otherwlse initiated by irregularitles of the current supply and, consequently, also of the voltage develop-ment, is thereby avolded.
Other embodiments of the invention are, of course, also con-ceivable, but the ones shown and described herein should be sufficient to illustrate adequately the operation of a high~
power laser that is made pos~ible by such a power capacitor 1.
" -'10~
., `
The lnventlon of the instant appllcation relates to the excita-tlon of a high-energy laser b~ an arc-free or non-arcing capacito~
discharge. Such laser constructions have become known heretofore J
for example, from the ~ournal "Opto Electronics" 4 ~1972)~ pages 43 to 49 as well as from "Applied Physlcs Lett~rs!' Vol. 25, No. 12 of December 15, 1974, pages 703 to 705 In these and other ~isclosures, reference is made to the use of a low-induc- !
tance capacitor constructed ln the form of a strip line, the ~ r `~ - ' _, .. - ~ , . :
-: ~
.
` ' '` . , ' .' : ' . ' ' ,~ ' ' energy of whlch is transmitted to the electrodes of the discharge chamber of the laser tube through fast-acting switches e.g. spark gaps, in order to e~fect excitation of the laser gas. In this type of laser excitation, at least two problems must be solved, namely, that of storing maximal electric energy in the capacltor and that of effecting homogeneous excitation of the laser gas at predetermined electric field intensities, while avoiding arcing between the excitation electrodes in the la~er tube. For the first problem or requirement, a limit to the maximal stored electric energy is fixed by the capacitance of the strip line which, for the de~ices described in the aforementioned disclosure and for a discharge channel 1 m long, is between about 0.01 ~F
and 0.1 ~F, which is a limit that would have to be exceeded con-siderably for a high-energy laser. To master the second problem a special form of a strip-line capacitor as well as a special construction of the discharge surface as a multiplicity of paral-lel knife edgeq have been proposed heretofore. Xowever, electrod surfaces of such construction are not suited to withstand con-tinuous operation, so that the need has arlsen to solve the a~ore stated problems in another more successful manner.
It is accordingly an ob~ect of the invention to provide a high-energy laser of the foregoing type which solves the foregoing two problems while avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages of the heretofore known devices of this general type.
With the foregoing and other ob~ects in vlew, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an high-energy laser excitable by an arc-free capacitor discharge comprislng a power capacitor with minimal self-inductance formed o~ a stack of metal layers mutually superimposed perpendicularly to a given axis~ with re-l __ , ~ ~I
las3zss spective layers of insulation disposed between mutually adjacentmetal layers of the stack, the metal layers and the insulation layers being formed with mutually aligned cut-outs in vicinity of the given axis so as to form a free space within the stack, respective surface portions of alternating layers of the metal layers projecting into the free space above one another as electrodes of given common polarity, the surface portions of the metal layers of respective opposite common polarity being disposed symmetrically with respect to the given axis in the free space; and a laser tube formed with a discharge chamber and having discharge electrodes, the laser tube being disposed in the free space of the power capacitor, the electrodes of given common polarity of the power capacitor being connected to the discharge chamber of the laser tube.
Reference can be had to my copending application Serial No. 284,168, filed August 5, 1977 and entitled POWER
CAPACITOR, for further details of a power capacitor that may be employed in the high-energy laser of this application.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the discharge electrodes of the laser tube are spaced from at least the electrodes of one common polarity of the power capacitor, the space therebetween being formed as a switching spark gap, a stripline capacitor with a fast-acting switch being connected to the switching spark gap.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the discharge electrodes of the laser tube at least partly define respective chambers for the switching spark gap within the laser tube.
~, . . . .
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the high-energy laser include~ an ignitlon electrode extending over the entire length of the laser tube and disposed parallel to the dlscharge electrodes of the laser tube within the free space formed in the power capacitor, a stripllne capacltor wlth a fast-acting switch being connected to the ignition electrode for applying a different potential thereto than at the discharge electrode~.
Thus, the capacltor electrodes are connected elther dlrectly or lndirectly to the discharge chamber of the laser tube, and the connection between the capacitor electrodes and the discharge electrodes of the laser tube 19 accordlngly effected with ex-tremely low lnductance, which is true also for the swltchlng spark gaps that are ~patlally or physlcally combined wlth this system.
Other features whlch are consldered as characteristic for the ln-vention are set forth ln the appended claims~
Although the inventlon ls illustrated and described hereln as em-bodied in an high-energy laser, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modification3 and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit o~ the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. .
The constructlon and method of operation of the lnvention~
however, together with additional obJects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanyir I
I
~ 4 ~ . ~ , I' .,.
~.... . .
1083;~55 draw rgs, ln which: j FIG. 1 ls a diagrammatlc ~ectional view of a capacitor utilizable for exciting a high-ener~y la~er in accordance with the inven-tlon; and FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are similar perspective views o~ three dlfferent embodiments of a hlgh-energy laser in con~unction with a power capacitor according to FIG. 1.
In FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the connecting lines ror the laser meaium as well as for the switching spark gaps have been omitted in the interest of clarity, as have been the cooling devices which are necessary for such high-power operation. In the figures~ like features are identified by the same reference numerals.
The general external form of thepower capacitor 1 may be seen from FIGS. 2 to 4, and the internal construction thereof fro~
FIG. 1, which corresponds to a cross sectional view of FIG~ 2 taken along the line I-I and rotated through 90~ It is con-structed of metal layers or electrodes 2 and 4 which are stacked one above the other, with interposed lnsulating discs 6, perpen~
dicularly to the laser axis, which is shown as a vertical, central dash-dot line. These layers or electrodes 2, 4 are cut out in the form shown in the other figures, 80 that a free space 7 ls obtained. Into the latter space 7, there pro~ect, on the one side, surface portions 3 of the capacitor layers or electrodes 2, and on the other side, surface portions 5 of the capacitor layers or electrodes 4. These pro~ecting surface portions 3 and 5 are conne-cted by bridges 23 and 45, respectively. A charging voltage s~urce or lead, namely, in the case at hand, a laser tube 8 wlth discharge electrodes, ls connected to the brldges 23 and 45 per se can, in turn, constitute the discharge electrodes for the laser tube 8, so that a feed line for the capacitor energy thereby be-comes unnecessary and, moreover, the energy stored in the capacito 7 layers 2, 4 reaches the discharge electrode~ for the laser tube 8 with uniform distribution.
In order to provide some idea of the capacities which are possible with such a capacitor construction, following is a description of an embodiment thereof with appropriate numerical data. Wlth generally clrcular layers or electrodes 2 and 4 hav1ng an outside radius of 0.5 m and with a free space 7 having a radius of 0.15 m, as well as with insulating layers 6 having a respective thickness of 1 mm, a total area of about 530 m and, thus, a capacltance of 14 ~F per meter is obtained for a capacltor length of 1 meter.
Wlth a charging voltage of 50 kV, such a capacitor can store 18,000 Joule of energy. Increasing the outer radius to 1 m would increase the capacitance per meter length to about 62 ~F and the energy content at 50 kV to ~ust 80 x 103 Joule. It can be seen from the numerical data of this embodiment that the use of this type of capacitor construction permits very high output energies with suitable laser media, which, however, are not the sub~ect of this invention.
FIG. 2 shows the simplest embodiment of a high-power laser con-structed in accordance with the invention~ The laser tube 8 is builk into the free space 7 of the capacitor 1 in such a manner that the surface portions 3 and 5 of the capacitor 1 pro~ect into the interior of this space 7. A connecting bridge over these sur-face portions 3 and 5 is unnecessar~; the connections between the electrodes or layers 2, 4 of the same polarity required for the 1~832SS
charglng proce~s can be applled to the outer surface o~ the capa-citor 1 ln a non-illustrated manner. For exact control of the electrodes 31 and 51 which are constructed in comb-like ~ashion therebetween, it is advantageous to keep the charging voltage of the capacitor l lower than the breakdown voltage of the discharge space in the laser tube 8 and to provlde, as mean~ for trlggering the discharge, an ignitlon electrode 84 which i5 ~astened to the wall of the laser tube 8 ln the vicinity of the one electrode 51 As shown schematlcally, a supplemental high-voltage source 96 is provided for triggering the discharge o~ the capacitor l; this source 96 ls connected at the one pole thereof to the electrode comb 31 and with the other pole thereo~, through the ~ast-acting switch 95, to the ignition electrode 84~ If this switch 95 i~
actuated, a corona discharge develop~ at the ignltlon electrode 84, whlch distributes the charge carriers into the dlscharge space and effects ionization thereo~ through ultraviolet radiatior so that an extremely rapid and simultaneou~ arc-free discharge a~
the energy stored in the capacitor l thereby oocurs.
Another possible construction of the high-power laser is dia-grammatlcally shown in FIG. 3. The laser tube 8 is agaln disposed between the electrodes 45 and 23 of the capacltor l; these elec-trodes 45 and 23 represent connectlng bridges of the respective sur~ace portions 5 and 3 of the capacitor layers 2> 4 and pro~ect into the interlor of the laser tube 8~ The space of this tube 8 is subdlvided by auxlliary electrode~ 82 and 83 into three super-imposed chambers 85, 86 and 87. To the auxiliary electrode 87 as well as to the capacitor electrode 45, there is then connected a stripline capacitor 9 whlch is formed o~ conduct~ve layers 91 and 92 and an lnsulating layer 94 disposed therebetween. Between thes 1083~55 two conductive layers 91 and 92, a ~ast-acting switch e.g. a thyratron 93, is connected for trlggering the laser 8. This em-bodiment of the lnvention functions as follows. A laser medium, for example, the gas which is to be excited by the capacitor dis-charge and which has a breakdown voltage that is below the charg-ing voltage of the capacitor 1, is found ln the chamber 86. Be-~ore the discharge is triggered, the potential difference o~ the electrodes 82 and 83 is below the breakdown voltage of the en-closed gas. The chambers 85 and 87 respectively above and below the laser space 86 proper are llkewise filled with gas andS with suitable choice of the gas, the pressure thereof and the spacing of the electrodes, no voltage breakdown occur~ there either~
These chambers may also be constructed, however, as vacuum spark gaps.
The elctrode 83 is connected to the stripline conductive layer 92 and the other conductive layer 91 to the electrode 45 of the capacitor.
For triggering the discharge of the capacitor 1, the switeh 93 e.g. a thyratron, is short-circuited. A pQtential is thereby developed at the electrode 83, which causes the voltage break-down to the electrode 23 and places the electrode 83 at the potential of the capacitor electrode 23. The breakdown field-intensity between the auxiliary electrodes 83 and 82 is thereby exceeded, however, as well as the breakdown field-intensity be-tween the electrodes 82 and 45, so that the fast, homogeneous discharge of the capacitor is thereby initiated.
A further possible construction of such a high-power laser is shown in FIG. 4. If one were to refer to the embodiment con- ¦ -. . .
. .. . . .
.
structed in accordance with FIG. 3 as a three-chamber system, then the sy~tem according to FIG. 4 represents a two-chamber system. The lower chamber 8g is the laser space proper, and the upper chamber 88 i~ the switching spark gap, similar to the spaces~
87 and 85 in the embodiment of FIG. 3. Slmilarly to the embodi-ment according to FIG. 2, an ignition electrode 84 is disposed in the space 88 and connected to the conductive layer 91 of a stripline capacltor 9. The other conductive layer 92 is elec-trically connected to the capacitor electrode 23 which, in this embodiment of FIG. 4, represents one la~er electrode. An aux-iliary electrode 81 disposed between the chambers 88 and 89 is th other laser electrode. The laser gas ls provided ln the dlscharg chamber 89; the potential between this auxiliary electrode 81 and the capacitor electrode 23 is below the breakdown voltage. Also~
the corresponding fleld inten~ity in the chamber 88 ls insufficle t to lnitiate or introduce an lndependent gas dlscharge therein~
If the switch 93 of the stripline capacitor 9 is then closed, the potential at the ignition electrode 84 is changed so that a coron discharge to the electrode 45 is instituted immedlateiy, which allows the voltage of this electrode 84 to break through to the auxiliary electrode 81. m us, the full voltage o~ the capaci~or is located between the auxiliary electrode 81 and the capacltor electrode 23, so that there, too, the breakdown ~ield strength or field intensity is exceeded, and the discharge and, according-ly, the excitation of the laser medium, result therefrom.
Supplementing this discussion, it should be mentioned that it is advantageous to charge the capacitor 1 to +25 k~ if a charging voltage of 50 kV is desired, since this simplifies the insulatlon problems with respect to the environment. The gas charge of the .
I . , .
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1 1083~55 switching spark gap~ may contain an additive conslsting of an electronegative ~as such as SF6, for example. The physical or spatial combination of a laser with such a capacitor results in an almost absolutely uniform supply of the energy over the entire length of the discharge electrode, so that the arcing between the electrodes, which is otherwlse initiated by irregularitles of the current supply and, consequently, also of the voltage develop-ment, is thereby avolded.
Other embodiments of the invention are, of course, also con-ceivable, but the ones shown and described herein should be sufficient to illustrate adequately the operation of a high~
power laser that is made pos~ible by such a power capacitor 1.
" -'10~
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Claims (4)
1. High-energy laser excitable by an arc-free capacitor discharge comprising a power capacitor with minimal self-inductance formed of a stack of metal layers mutually superimposed perpendicularly to a given axis, with respective layers of insulation disposed between mutually adjacent metal layers of said stack, said metal layers and said insulation layers being formed with mutually a-ligned cut-outs in vicinity of said given axis so as to form a free space within said stack, respective surface portions of alternating layers of said metal layers projecting into said free space above one another as electrodes of given common polarity, the surface portions of the metal layers of respective opposite common polarity being disposed symmetrically with respect to said given axis in said free space; and a laser tube formed with a dis-charge chamber and having discharge electrodes, said laser tube being disposed in said free space of said power capacitor, said electrodes of given common polarity of said power capacitor, being connected to said discharge chamber of said laser tube.
2. High-energy laser according to claim 1 wherein the discharge electrodes of said laser tube are spaced from at least the elec-trodes of one common polarity of said power capacitor, the space therebetween being formed as a switching spark gap, a stripline capacitor with a fast-acting switch being connected to said switching spark gap.
3. High-energy laser according to claim 2 wherein said discharge electrodes of said laser tube at least partly define respective chambers for said switching spark gap within said laser tube.
4. High-energy laser according to claim 1 including an ignition electrode extending over the entire length of said laser tube and disposed parallel to said discharge electrodes of said laser tube within said free space formed in said power capacitor, a stripline capacitor with a fast-acting switch being connected to said ignition electrode for applying a different potential there-to than at said discharge electrodes.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE19762636117 DE2636117A1 (en) | 1975-08-12 | 1976-08-11 | PRESSURE MEDIUM DRIVE WITH OPERATING PISTON |
| DEP2636117.3 | 1976-08-11 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1083255A true CA1083255A (en) | 1980-08-05 |
Family
ID=5985224
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA284,523A Expired CA1083255A (en) | 1976-08-11 | 1977-08-11 | High-energy laser |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1083255A (en) |
-
1977
- 1977-08-11 CA CA284,523A patent/CA1083255A/en not_active Expired
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