Extended area cathode for transverse discharge gas lasers

Claim 2

In a gas laser having an elongated housing containing a laser gas at a predetermined pressure, an anode and a cathode longitudinal axis thereof, and means for applying electrical pulses between said cathode and anode to establish an electrical discharge in said gas between said cathode and anode in a direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis whereby said gas is excited to a lasing condition, the improvement in said cathode comprising: a plurality of substantially aligned plates of an electrically conductive material having good election emissive properties in said laser gas spaced from one another and disposed in respective planes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, the spacing s between adjacent ones of said plates satisfying the relation s = k/p where p is the predetermined pressure of said laser gas and k is a constant determined by said laser gas and lying in the range of about 5 to about 20 Torr-cm.

Claim 3

The improvement according to claim 1 wherein each of said plates has a thickness of a value lying in the range of from about the same as said spacing s to about one-fifth of said spacing s.

Claim 4

The improvement according to claim 1 wherein each of said plates has an extent along said direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis of not less than about 10 times said spacing s.

Claim 5

The improvement according to claim 1 wherein said plates are supported by and attached to at least one electrically conductive rod disposed parallel to said longitudinal axis.

Claim 6

In a gas laser having an elongated housing containing a laser gas at a predetermined pressure, an anode and a cathode longitudinally disposed in said housing on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof, and means for applying electrical pulses between said cathode and anode to establish an electrical discharge in said gas between said cathode and anode in a direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis whereby said gas is excited to a lasing condition, the improvement in said cathode comprising: first and second spaced electrically conductive rods disposed parallel to said longitudinal axis, a series of substantially aligned plates of an electrically conductive material having good electron emissive properties in said laser gas attached to said rods and extending toward said longitudinal axis, said plates being spaced from one another and disposed in respective planes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, the spacing s between adjacent ones of said plates satisfying the realtion s = k/p where p is the predetermined pressure of said laser gas and k is a constant determined by said laser gas and lying in the range of from about 5 to about 20 Torr-cm, said plates having a thickness of a value lying in the range of from about the same as said spacing s to about one-fifth of said spacing s, and said plates having an extend along said direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis of not less than about 10 times said spacing s.

Claim 7

In a gas laser having an elongated housing containing a laser gas at a predetermined pressure, an anode and a cathode longitudinally disposed in said housing on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof, and means for applying electrical pulses between said cathode and anode to establish an electrical discharge in said gas between said cathode and anode in a direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis whereby said gas is excited to a lasing condition, the improvement in said cathode comprising: first and second spaced electrically conductive rods disposed parallel to said longitudinal axis, a series of substantially aligned plates of an electrically conductive material having good electron emissive properties in said laser gas attached to said rods and extending toward said longitudinal axis, said plates being spaced from one another and disposed in respective planes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, the spacing s between adjacent ones of said plates satisfying the realtion s = k/p where p is the predetermined pressure of said laser gas and k is a constant determined by said laser gas and lying in the range of from about 5 to about 20 Torr-cm, said plates having a thickness of a value lying in the range of from about the same as said spacing s to about one-fifth of said spacing s, and said plates having an extend along said direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis of not less than about 10 times said spacing s.

Claim 8

In a gas laser having an elongated housing containing a laser gas at a predetermined pressure, an anode and a cathode longitudinally disposed in said housing on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof, and means for applying electrical pulses between said cathode and anode to establish an electrical discharge in said gas between said cathode and anode in a direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis whereby said gas is excited to a lasing condition, the improvement in said cathode comprising: a laminated array of a series of first electrically conductive plates and a series of second electrically conductive plates alternately disposed along a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis, adjacent ones of said plates contacting and being secured to one anohter and lying in respective planes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said first plates being of a material having good electron emissive properties in said laser gas and being aligned with one another and extending beyond said second plates in a direction toward said longitudinal axis, the spacing s between adjacent ones of said first plates satisfying the relation s = k/p where p is the predetermined pressure of said laser gas and k is a constant determined by said laser gas and lying in the range of from about 5 to about 20 Torr-cm.

Claim 9

In a gas laser having an elongated housing containing a laser gas at a predetermined pressure, an anode and a cathode longitudinally disposed in said housing on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof, and means for applying electrical pulses between said cathode and anode to establish an electrical discharge in said gas between said cathode and anode in a direction substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis whereby said gas is excited to a lasing condition, the improvement in said cathode comprising: a laminated array of a series of first electrically conductive plates and a series of second electrically conductive plates alternately disposed along a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis, adjacent ones of said plates contacting and being secured to one anohter and lying in respective planes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said first plates being of a material having good electron emissive properties in said laser gas and being aligned with one another and extending beyond said second plates in a direction toward said longitudinal axis, the spacing s between adjacent ones of said first plates satisfying the relation s = k/p where p is the predetermined pressure of said laser gas and k is a constant determined by said laser gas and lying in the range of from about 5 to about 20 Torr-cm.

Claim 10

The improvement according to claim 6 wherein each of said first plates has a thickness of a value lying in the range of from about the same as said spacing s to about one-fifth of said spacing s.

Claim 11

The improvement according to claim 6 wherein said first plates extend beyond said second plates toward said longitudinal axis by not less than about 10 times said spacing s.