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Canadian Patents & Dev. Limited

Home Oil Company Limited

Majestic Contractors Limited

Herb J Seguin

John Tulip

Suwas K Nikumb

Kyong H Nam

An excitation system for a gas laser featuring a multiplicity of gain channels uses a resonant cavity to provide broad band RF power division and impedance matching to the multiplicity of gain channels. Integral anode and grid resonant tank circuits featuring positive feedback may be employed to provide a self-excited power oscillator having a very high power capability with good efficiency at low cost. A smaller and higher frequency multi-channel excitation system fabricated from stripline resonator elements may be used for driving small scale multi-channel lasers. A common optical extraction system features either a stable, an unstable, or a hybrid optical cavity mode, with phase-locked or non-phase locked output performance, achieved via external or self-injection.

Excitation system for multi-channel lasers

The laser system features a plurality of thin solid-state gain channels mounted radially about a common axis. These gain channels may be excited by multiple flashlamps or by extended arrays of light-emitting-diodes. The gain channels are also mounted in a parallel configuration within a single optical resonator and thereby share a common cavity mode. The resonator may be a stable resonator, a conventional unstable resonator, or a toric resonator. Each resonator configuration may be externally phase-locked via external reference oscillator injection or by self-injection via an internally generated master oscillator. When incorporating a very large number of gain channels, the concept provides an efficient and inexpensive means for constructing extremely high powered, optically-pumped, lasers in very small physical packages. The technique, which is applicable to a wide variety of laser gain media, either solid or liquid, permits high average power operation to be achieved without serious beam quality degradation. Typical solid state gain media include Nd:YAG, Nd:Glass, GSGG, GGG and Alexandrite.

Multi-slab solid state laser system

Apparatus and method of providing for the excitation of a pulsed laser in which the pulsed excitation energy is provided to the laser plasma volume in a series of bursts, each burst being characterized by containing sufficient pulses to sustain the laser pumping current and by being separated from the previous bursts by sufficient time for the laser plasma to recombine. Application of the burst mode enhancement technique is described with reference to a PIE or photo-initiated, inpulse-enhanced, electrically excited plasma excitation process.

Apparatus and method for burst-mode operation of a pulsed laser

A laser system includes three or more narrow-gap laser discharge channels mounted radially about a common axis. The laser discharge volumes may be excited by RF radiation, microwave radiation or by means of the MAGPIE system. The laser discharge channels may be mounted in an optical resonator having a common unstable cavity mode, a toric resonator, with or without feedback, or a retro-reflected toric unstable resonator. A pair of adjacent discharge channels may be coupled to form a ring microwave resonator, and the ring resonator may be formed by a continuous double ridged waveguide. Excitation for the continuous double ridged waveguide is optimally produced by a magnetron.

Laser system with multiple radial discharge channels

This invention provides a high voltage transient protection unit comprising a recoverable spark gap, an L-C filter, a voltage variable resistor and provision for specified ground connection of these elements; and a method of protecting electrical equipment from damage due to a high voltage transient comprising directing any transient above a predetermined minimum voltage level through a recoverable spark gap to a first grounding circuit; delaying said transient for a sufficient time to allow said spark gap to fire and filtering out through a separate grounding circuit that portion of a transient below said predetermined minimum level and above a predetermined maximum voltage level.

Method and apparatus for the protection of electrical equipment from

There is provided a method and apparatus for determining the power output of a laser for wavelengths which are substantially fully absorbed by water, such as the wavelengths produced by carbon dioxide lasers. A rotary member defines a surface of revolution which widens away from an opening to a free edge, with the opening being located substantially at the axis of the surface. Means are provided for rotating a member about its axis, and water is brought to the surface through the opening, to form a film running to the free edge. Means are provided for collecting water at the free edge, and the water through-put is measured by suitable means. Further means are provided for measuring the water temperature differential arising due to absorbable radiation falling upon the water as it runs over the surface, and on the basis of the throughput and the temperature differential, the absorbed power, and hence the output of the laser in the wavelength region in question, can be calculated. For CO.sub.2 lasers substantially all of the radiation is in the region which is fully absorbed by water, and thus the apparatus and method provided herein are ideal for measuring the power output of lasers of this kind.

Power meter for lasers

This invention provides a high voltage transient protection unit comprising a recoverable spark gap, an L-C filter, and a voltage variable resistor; and a method of protecting electrical equipment from damage due to a high voltage transient comprising directing any transient above a predetermined minimum voltage level through a recoverable spark gap to ground; delaying said transient for a sufficient time to allow said spark gap to fire and filtering out to ground that portion of a transient below said predetermined minimum level and above a predetermined maximum voltage level.

A cathode structure for gas lasers comprising a flat plate of non-conducting material positioned in the laser in spaced relation to the laser anode to define a discharge region therebetween, a two-dimensional array of metal sub-electrode rods passing through the plate and having their upper ends lying flush with the surface of the plate, a block of dielectric material positioned below the plate and containing a series of transverse channels therein, electric current conductors lying in the channels and adapted for connection to a power supply, the lower ends of the said rods passing through openings in the block into the channels to define a predetermined uniform gap between the ends of the rods and the electrical conductor, and a liquid electrolyte solution filling the channels and electrically connecting the sub-electrode rods and the conductors.

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Herb J Seguin