Method and apparatus for thermochemically controlling the gas atmosphere of a gas coherent radiation generator

Claim 2

The method according to claim 1 wherein carbon dioxide (CO2) substance is supplied to the gas atmosphere of a CO2 gas laser, and said thermochemically reactive source is a metal carbonate.

Claim 3

The method according to claim 3 wherein said thermochemically reactive source is an alkaline earth metal carbonate.

Claim 4

The method of claim 4 wherein the alkaline earth metal carbonate is maintained at a temperature productive of CO2 vapor pressure at about the selected level of the CO2 partial pressure in the gas atmosphere.

Claim 5

The method of claim 4 wherein the thermochemically reactive source is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), strontium carbonate (SrCO3) and barium carbonate (BaCO3).

Claim 6

The method of claim 6 wherein the thermochemically reactive source is CaCO3 and is maintained at a temperature productive of a CO2 vapor pressure at about the selected level of the CO2 partial pressure in the gas atmosphere.

Claim 7

The method according to claim 3 wherein carbon monoxide (CO) accumulates in the gas atmosphere to limit the operating life of the CO2 gas laser further including the steps of coupling a source of gettering material which getters CO in gas flow communication with the volume in which the gas atmosphere is located, and maintaining the gettering material at a temperature at which effective gettering of the CO occurs.

Claim 8

The method according to claim 8 wherein the gettering material is selected to preferentially getter CO.

Claim 9

The method according to claim 9 wherein the gettering material is titanium, and said titanium is heated to a temperature at which effective gettering of CO occurs.

Claim 10

The method according to claim 10 wherein said thermochemically reactive source is an alkaline earth metal carbonate.

Claim 11

The method according to claim 11 wherein the thermochemically reactive source is CaCO3 and is maintained at a temperature productive of a CO2 vapor pressure at about the selected level of CO2 partial pressure in the gas atmosphere.

Claim 13

In a gas-type cohereNt radiation generator including a resonant cavity defining a volume for confining gaseous coherent radiation material, means for initiating a discharge in the cavity, and reflective mirrors, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING; a first housing joined to and opening into one side of the resonant cavity; a thermochemically reactive source of a gaseous coherent radiation material essential to the operation of the radiation generator mounted within said housing; means for heating the source to effect evolving of said gaseous coherent radiation material; a second housing joined to and opening into one side of the resonant cavity, a source of gettering material mounted within said housing, said gettering material of a type which getters an undesired form to which said gaseous radiation material is converted during operation and which tends to accumulate in the cavity and limit the operating life of the generator, and means for maintaining the source of gettering material at a temperature for effective gettering of said undesired form of said gaseous radiation material.

Claim 14

The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said means for heating the thermochemically reactive source is a first filamentary heater mounted within said first housing in contact with said source and a power supply electrically connected thereto to provide current to effect the heating of the thermochemically reactive source, and said means for maintaining the temperature of the gettering material is a second filamentary heater mounted within said second housing in contact with said gettering material and a power supply electrically connected to provide current to maintain the getter material at the desired temperature.

Claim 15

The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said coherent radiation generator is a CO2 gas laser, said thermochemically reactive source is calcium carbonate (CaCO3) coated on the first filamentary heater, and said gettering material is titanium forming said second filamentary heater.

Claim 16

The apparatus according to claim 15 further including means to sense the amount of substance forming the gaseous coherent radiation material and the amount of extraneous gas in said volume, means responsive to said sensing means to control the current to the first filamentary heater in accordance with the amount of substance in said volume, and means responsive to said sensing means to control the current to the second filamentary heater in accordance with the amount of extraneous gas in said volume.