Canadian Patents & Development Ltd.

National Research Council of Canada

Kurt E Leopold

Roderick S Taylor

A John Alcock

Rod S Taylor

Martin C Richardson

A circuit and method for excitation of electric discharge gas lasers is provided. The circuit includes a pair of electrodes, a main energy storage means for storing electrical energy for the operation of the laser, energy transfer means in the form of saturable inductive elements which are connected in series coupling a terminal of the main energy storage means with one of the electrodes, and for transferring the electrical energy thereto in the form of a discharge voltage pulse. A switching means in series with a secondary energy storage means is connected between the saturable inductive elements and connected in parallel with the main energy storage means and the electrodes. The switching means is operable in one mode to allow the passage of current and operable in another mode to prevent the passage of current across the switching means. The circuit also includes a first preionizer for producing ionizing radiation; and, a second preionizer for producing ionizing radiation. The ionizing radiation from the first preionizer is available to the second preionizer for producing electrons within the second preionizer.

Magnetic spiker gas laser excitation circuit

A novel excitation scheme has been developed for discharge lasers. The technique uses an auxiliary circuit based upon pulse transformer technology to induce a fast, high voltage pulse directly onto a ground potential laser electrode resulting in the breakdown of the laser gas mix. Saturation of the pulse transformer core inductance then permits the efficient 'switching' of the main energy storage circuit into the discharge.

Magnetically induced pulser laser excitation system

The laser-triggered high voltage rail gap switch includes two parallel electrodes in a high pressure environment of SF.sub.6 and Ar. A pulsed UV laser directs a coherent beam parallel to the electrodes to initiate multichannel breakdown in the gap between the electrodes. This breakdown is enhanced by including an organic additive such as fluorobenzene or tri-n-propylamine in the gas mixture.

Laser triggered high voltage rail gap switch

The UV radiation triggered rail-gap switch applies a high voltage from a low impedance source to a low impedance load. The switch includes first and second parallel elongated electrodes spaced to form a uniform gap along their length. The first electrode is adapted to be connected to the high voltage source, while the second electrode is adapted to be connected to the low impedance load. When a voltage from the source is applied to the electrodes, one electrode will be positive relative to the other electrode. In addition, the cross-section of each of the electrodes is sufficiently smooth to prevent points of high field concentration between the electrode. This cross-section is defined by the field enhancement factor of each electrode which is preferably less than 1.5. The switch also includes an enclosure in which the electrodes are located and which contains a gas mixture for maintaining the breakdown threshold between the electrodes. A preferred gas mixture includes Ar, N.sub.2, and SF.sub.6 at a gas pressure selected to prevent breakdown in the switch until triggered by a UV radiation source. The UV radiation source directs a beam of radiation substantially parallel to the pair of electrodes, preferably near the positive electrode, for initiating multi-channel, sub-nanosecond jitter, breakdown in the gap between the electrodes. The UV radiation may be obtained from either an incoherent radiation source or an UV laser source, but should be of short duration in the form of a narrow beam which is uniform along its cross-section.

UV Radiation triggered rail-gap switch

The laser-triggered high voltage rail gap switch includes two parallel electrodes in a high pressure environment of SF.sub.6 and Ar. A pulsed UV laser directs a coherent beam parallel to the electrodes to initiate multichannel breakdown in the gap between the electrodes. This breakdown occurs at a fixed time delay after the laser pulse. This breakdown is enhanced by including an organic additive such as fluorobenzene or tri-n-propylamine in the gas mixture.

A multiple arc radiation preionizer for gas lasers formed of a metal electrical conductor with the conductor having formed over a portion of its length, a series of gaps to form a series of intervening discharge electrodes such that on energization of the conductor, a multiplicity of arc discharges is obtained. In a first embodiment the conductor is formed or positioned over the surface of a dielectric sheet such that arcs formed between electrodes are conducted over the surface of the sheet. The discharge electrodes are capacitively connected to ground or the low voltage side of the input via individual low-valued capacitors or by means of a conductor positioned in spaced relation to said electrodes. In the preferred embodiment, the preionizer is formed of a multiplicity of parallel conductors mounted on a dielectric sheet with the conductors each having a multiplicity of gaps therein forming a series of discharge electrodes each of which is connected through a capacitance to ground or a common voltage level such that on energization of the conductors from a high voltage pulse source, a two-dimensional array of a large number of arc discharges is obtained.

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Carp, Canada

Kurt E Leopold