Electrode systems for gas discharge devices particularly gas lasers

Claim 2

In a transverse excitation system for a pulsed high pressure molecular gas laser having a resonant cavity where the transverse excitation system includes: a. a pair of elongate main discharge electrodes extending longitudinally of said laser cavity and mounted in spaced planes parallel to each other, one of said main discharge electrodes being a cathode, the other of said main discharge electrodes being and anode, each of said main discharge electrodes having active surface portions facing each other, said electrodes defining therebetween a main discharge region for a molecular gas occupying said region; the improvement comprising: b. at least one elongate conducting auxiliary discharge electrode extending longitudinally of said laser cavity, disposed between said spaced planes but outside said main discharge region, each of said elongate auxiliary discharge electrodes having a constant spatial separation along its length from said cathode, each of said auxiliary discharge electrodes being separated from said main discharge electrodes only by said molecular gas; c. an electric conducting circuit including an energy limiting means connected between at least one auxiliary discharge electrode and one of said main discharge electrodes; d. high voltage pulse generating means connected between the said main discharge electrodes; e. said energy limiting means being operative to produce a potential difference between at least one of said auxiliary discharge electrodes and each of said main electrodes on operation of said high voltage pulse generating means; f. said potential difference between at least one of said auxiliary discharge electrodes and each of said main electrodes being operative to induce an auxiliary discharge between at least one of said auxiliary discharge electrodes and at least one of the main discharge electrodes, said auxiliary discharge serving to ionize molecular gas in the region in which a main discharge takes place prior to the initiation of discharge between the said main discharge electrodes.

Claim 3

An excitation system for a gas laser according to claim 1 wherein said energy limiting means comprises at least one capacitor.

Claim 4

An excitation system for a gas laser according to claim 1 wherein said at least one auxiliary discharge electrodes comprises parallel wires.

Claim 5

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 1 wherein said at least one auxiliary discharge electrode is tapered to a fine edge.

Claim 6

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 1 wherein said at least one auxiliary discharge electrode comprises at least one row of pins.

Claim 7

An excitation system for a gas laser according to claim 5 wherein said pins are loaded by resistors.

Claim 8

In a transverse excitation system for a pulsed high pressure molecular gas laser having a resonant cavity which transverse excitation system includes: a. a pair of elongate main discharge electrodes extending longitudinally of said laser cavity and mounted in spaced parallel planes, one of said electrodes being a cathode, the other being an anode, each of said electrodes having active surface portions facing each other and defining therebetween a main dischaRge region for molecular gas, said region being a volume of molecular gas contained between said active surface portions; the improvement comprising: b. at least one elongate auxiliary discharge cathode extending longitudinally of said laser cavity, between said parallel planes but outside said main discharge region, each of said auxiliary discharge cathodes having a constant spatial separation along its length from said main discharge cathode, each of said auxiliary discharge cathodes being separated from said main discharge cathode only by said molecular gas; c. an electric conducting circuit including energy limiting means connected between said auxiliary discharge cathodes and said main discharge cathode; d. at least one elongate auxiliary discharge anode extending longitudinally of said laser cavity disposed adjacent said main discharge anode outside said main discharge region, each of said auxiliary discharge anodes having a constant spatial separation along its length from said main anode, and being separated from said main anode only by said molecular gas, and each being electrically connected to said main discharge anode; e. high voltage pulse generating means connected between the said main discharge cathode and said main discharge anode; f. said energy limiting means providing a potential difference between said auxiliary discharge cathodes and said auxiliary discharge anodes on operation of said high voltage pulse generating means, said potential difference inducing an auxiliary discharge between said auxiliary discharge cathodes and said auxiliary discharge anodes, said auxiliary discharge ionizing said molecular gas in said main discharge region prior to the initiation of the discharge between said main discharge electrodes.

Claim 9

In a transverse excitation system for a pulsed high pressure molecular gas laser having a resonant cavity which transverse excitation system includes: a. a pair of elongate main discharge electrodes extending longitudinally of said laser cavity and mounted in spaced parallel planes, one of said electrodes being a cathode, the other being an anode, each of said electrodes having active surface portions facing each other and defining therebetween a main dischaRge region for molecular gas, said region being a volume of molecular gas contained between said active surface portions; the improvement comprising: b. at least one elongate auxiliary discharge cathode extending longitudinally of said laser cavity, between said parallel planes but outside said main discharge region, each of said auxiliary discharge cathodes having a constant spatial separation along its length from said main discharge cathode, each of said auxiliary discharge cathodes being separated from said main discharge cathode only by said molecular gas; c. an electric conducting circuit including energy limiting means connected between said auxiliary discharge cathodes and said main discharge cathode; d. at least one elongate auxiliary discharge anode extending longitudinally of said laser cavity disposed adjacent said main discharge anode outside said main discharge region, each of said auxiliary discharge anodes having a constant spatial separation along its length from said main anode, and being separated from said main anode only by said molecular gas, and each being electrically connected to said main discharge anode; e. high voltage pulse generating means connected between the said main discharge cathode and said main discharge anode; f. said energy limiting means providing a potential difference between said auxiliary discharge cathodes and said auxiliary discharge anodes on operation of said high voltage pulse generating means, said potential difference inducing an auxiliary discharge between said auxiliary discharge cathodes and said auxiliary discharge anodes, said auxiliary discharge ionizing said molecular gas in said main discharge region prior to the initiation of the discharge between said main discharge electrodes.

Claim 10

An excitation system for a gas laser according to claim 7 wherein said energy limiting means comprises at least one capacitor.

Claim 11

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 7 wherein the at least one auxiliary discharge anodes and said anode are equipotential.

Claim 12

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 7 wherein the at least one auxiliary cathode is tapered to a fine edge.

Claim 13

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 10 wherein the at least one auxiliary discharge anode have Rogowski profiles.

Claim 14

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 7 wherein the at least one auxiliary discharge cathode comprises a row of pins.

Claim 15

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 12 wherein the at least one auxiliary discharge comprises at least a row of studs, each stud opposite a pin of the at least one auxiliary discharge electrode.

Claim 16

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 1 wherein the said auxiliary electrodes are co-planar with the tangential plane of the anode of said main discharge electrodes, which tangential plane is parallel to said parallel planes in which said main discharge electrodes are mounted.

Claim 17

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 1 wherein said main discharge electrodes include Rogowski profiles.

Claim 18

An excitation system for gas lasers according to claim 7 wherein said main discharge electrodes include Rogowski profiles.