JPS6342426B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ion laser device having a hot cathode.

In the conventional ion laser device of this type, as shown in FIG. Laser oscillation is performed by an optical resonator composed of a total reflection mirror 4 and a total reflection mirror 4, and a laser beam 10 is output.

Ion lasers perform laser oscillation by transitioning between energy levels of ionized rare gases, and are the only gas lasers that can produce continuous oscillations with a high output on the order of Watts in the visible range, so they can be used for Raman spectroscopy, holography, etc. widely used. However, since the ionization energy of the rare gas is high, it is necessary to cause a large current arc discharge of several tens of amperes within the laser tube, and at this time, heat generation of 6 to 9 kW occurs in the laser tube. Therefore, for the thin tube of the ion laser, it is necessary to select a material that can withstand ion bombardment and is resistant to thermal decomposition. For this reason, a laser thin tube is used in which a group of graphite disks 6 each having a hole in the center are lined up and have a row of holes in the center. In addition, in order to release the heat of 6 to 9 kW to the outside of the laser tube, cooling water is passed through the outside of the tube to cool it, but if it is used for a long time, impurity gases etc. will be generated from the graphite disk group 6 etc. and the graphite disk undergo a chemical reaction,
The graphite decomposes and crumbles into graphite powder, and a portion of the powder adheres to the optical windows 2, 2' and reduces the laser beam 10. Moreover, the cathode 7 is also deteriorated by the impure gas, and arc discharge between the anode 5 and the cathode 7 cannot be maintained, and the service life of the cathode 7 is reached.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and provide an ion laser device that has a stable laser output over a long period of time and has a long life with little cathode deterioration.

The present invention is characterized in that an ion laser device including a laser tube, a laser resonator mirror, and a laser power source includes a heated getter connected in parallel to the hot cathode of the laser tube.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in FIG.

The laser tube 1 generates a discharge between an anode 5 and a cathode 7, oscillates with an optical resonator including an output mirror 3 and a total reflection mirror 4, and outputs a laser beam 10. A heated getter 9 (Zc-
Al, Zc-C) is connected, and the cathode 7 and getter 9 are simultaneously heated and operated by the laser power source 8, so that the impure gas in the laser tube 1 is absorbed by the getter 9, and the graphite disk group 6 is prevented from deteriorating. Prevents cathode deterioration.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain an ion laser device with no dirt on the optical windows 2, 2', less deterioration of the negative electrode, and stable output power over a long period of time.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional ion laser device, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Laser tube, 2, 2'... Optical window, 3...
Output mirror, 4... Total reflection mirror, 5... Anode,
6...Graphite disk group, 7...Cathode, 8
... Laser power supply, 9 ... Getsuta, 10 ... Laser light.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ion laser device comprising a laser tube, a laser resonator mirror, and a laser power source, characterized in that the ion laser device is equipped with a heated getter connected in parallel to a hot cathode of the laser tube.