JPH0666487B2 - Gas laser oscillator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gas laser oscillator, and more particularly to a gas laser oscillator capable of obtaining stable laser light.

[Prior Art] FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional gas laser oscillator of this type. This gas laser oscillator is provided with two discharge tubes 1 and 1, and an extension duct 2 is connected to each end of each discharge tube 1 as an extension, and each extension duct 2 has a first reflecting mirror M at its end. ₁ , second reflecting mirror M ₂ , third
The _third reflecting mirror M ₃ and the fourth reflecting mirror M ₄ are attached.

Further, each discharge tube 1 is joined at its one end side (on the right side in the drawing) to each other by a first duct 2a, and further, at each extension part on this one end side, one end of a single second duct 3 is connected. The sides are joined orthogonally to these. Furthermore, each discharge tube 1 is joined to each extension portion on the other end side (the left side in the drawing) so that one end side of a single third duct 4 is orthogonal to these. Second, third
The other ends of the ducts 3 and 4 are joined by a fourth duct that is parallel to the discharge tube 1, that is, a connecting duct 5.

A single heat exchanger 6 and a single fan 7 are arranged in series approximately in the middle of the communication duct 5, and a laser medium gas is introduced into the communication duct 5 behind the fan 7 of the communication duct 5. A single first external communication means or gas introduction pipe 8 for introducing from the outside, and a single second external communication means or gas for discharging the deteriorated laser medium gas from the inside of the communication duct 5 to the outside. A discharge pipe 9 is attached so that the deteriorated laser medium gas can be appropriately updated.

Therefore, when the fan 7 is driven, the laser medium gas supplied from the gas introduction pipe 8 is basically a single gas consisting of the second duct 3, each discharge tube 1, the third duct 4, and the communication duct 5. It circulates in the loop gas circulation system. That is, the high-heat laser medium gas is sucked from each discharge tube 1 through the third duct 4 and cooled by the heat exchanger 6, and the cooled laser medium gas is cooled through the second duct 3 by each discharge tube 1. Is circulated to. Then, the deteriorated laser medium gas is discharged to the outside through the gas discharge pipe 9.

Then, when a voltage is applied to the discharge tubes 1 and 1 to generate discharge energy, the laser medium gas in the discharge tubes 1 and 1 is excited, and laser light is generated from the excited gas to discharge the discharge tubes 1 and 1. Will be pumped by the reflecting mirrors M _{1 to} M ₄ at both ends of both extension ducts 2 in FIG. That is, the reflecting mirror M ₁
And M ₂ are both extension ducts 2 of the discharge tube 1 on the side of the communication duct 5.
At one end, one reflecting mirror M ₁ is in a positional relationship orthogonal to the axis of the discharge tube 1, and the other reflecting mirror M ₂ is inclined 45 ° toward the inside of the first duct 2a. Have a relationship.
Further, the reflecting mirrors M ₃ and M ₄ are arranged at both ends of the extension ducts 2 of the discharge tube 1 on the side far from the communication duct 5, and one reflecting mirror M 3 is provided.
₃ is in a positional relationship inclined by 45 ° toward the inside of the first duct 2a, and the other reflecting mirror M ₄ is in a positional relationship orthogonal to the axis of the discharge tube 1 side. Therefore, for example, the communication duct 5
The laser light generated in the discharge tube 1 on the side is transmitted from the tilt reflecting mirror M ₂ to the tilt reflecting mirror M ₃ arranged in the discharge tube 1 on the side far from the communication duct 5, and further to the reflecting mirror M _4. It The laser light thus generated is reflected by the reflecting mirrors M _{1 to} M _4.
While reciprocating between them, the discharge energy is sequentially obtained, and the laser light having a desired energy value is emitted from the reflecting mirror M ₄ formed as a partial reflecting mirror to the outside.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] According to the above configuration, the laser medium gas is used for the second duct 3, each discharge tube 1, the third duct 4, and the communication duct 5.
While the laser medium gas existing in each extension duct 2 does not circulate, most of it stays, while the laser medium gas circulates in the basically single loop-shaped gas circulation system.

The laser light passes through the laser medium gas in each part regardless of the circulation and retention of the gas as described above. Then, the laser light is absorbed by the laser medium gas, particularly the retained gas, and raises the gas temperature. It is generally known that the absorption efficiency of laser light rapidly increases as the gas temperature rises, but this phenomenon is due to the fact that the gas temperature gradually rises and the laser light is absorbed more and more efficiently. This has been an obstacle to obtaining stable laser light, and has been a factor of increasing the load on the heat exchanger.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems,
A gas laser oscillator that stabilizes the laser output and reduces the load on the heat exchanger by reducing the absorption of laser light in the extension of both ends by preventing the laser medium gas existing in the extension of each discharge tube from staying The purpose is to provide.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A gas laser oscillator according to the present invention includes a pair of discharge tubes arranged in parallel, an extension portion provided at each end of each discharge tube, and an extension portion on one end side of each discharge tube. And a single second duct in which one end side is orthogonal to one end side extension part of each discharge tube and joined, and one end side is orthogonal to the other end side extension part of each discharge tube. And a single third duct joined together, a fourth duct joining the other ends of the second and third ducts to each other, and the discharge tube at the other end side of one discharge tube. A first reflecting mirror arranged orthogonally to the axis and an extension end on one end side of one of the discharge tubes, which is inclined toward the inside of the first duct by 45 ° with respect to the axis of the discharge tube. The second reflecting mirror and the extension end of the other discharge tube on the one end side are inclined toward the inside of the first duct by 45 ° with respect to the axis of the discharge tube. The third reflecting mirror arranged in parallel with the third reflecting mirror, the fourth reflecting mirror arranged at the other end of the other discharge tube at the other end side thereof so as to be orthogonal to the axis of the discharge tube, and in the middle of the fourth duct. The single heat exchanger provided and the heat exchanger arranged in the middle of the fourth duct are displaced from each other, and the supplied laser medium gas is supplied to the second duct, each discharge tube, the third duct, and A single fan that basically circulates in a single loop-shaped gas circulation system consisting of a fourth duct, and is provided at each end extension of each discharge tube,
A plurality of first external communication means for newly introducing the laser medium gas into the gas circulation system or discharging the laser medium gas deteriorated in the gas circulation system to the outside, and downstream in the vicinity of the fan in the gas circulation system And a second external communication means for discharging the laser medium gas deteriorated in the gas circulation system to the outside or newly introducing the laser medium gas into the gas circulation system.

[Operation] In the present invention, when a plurality of first external communication means provided at the extension portions of both ends of each discharge tube are used as the introduction tube, the laser medium gas is newly added from these first external communication means. Each time the is introduced, the laser medium gas existing in the extension portions at both ends can be caused to flow and join the circulating laser medium gas. Further, when the plurality of first external communication means are used as the discharge pipe, the deteriorated laser medium gas in the gas circulation system can be discharged to the outside from the both end extension portions, so that the laser medium gas stays in the both end extension portions. There is nothing to do. Therefore, it is possible to remarkably suppress the absorption of the laser light by the laser medium gas in the extended portions at both ends, stabilize the laser output, and reduce the load on the heat exchanger.

[Embodiment] The present invention will be described below based on the first embodiment shown in FIG. Here, for convenience of description, the same or corresponding parts as those of the related art will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted, and the characteristics of the present embodiment will be mainly described. In the gas laser oscillator of the present embodiment, a plurality of first external communication means, that is, introduction tubes 8a to 8d for newly introducing a laser medium gas from the outside are attached to the extension ducts 2 at both ends of each discharge tube 1, respectively. In the rear of the fan 7 of the communication duct 5, basically, a single second external communication means, that is, a discharge pipe 9 for discharging the laser medium gas deteriorated in the single loop gas circulation system to the outside is provided. The feature is that it is attached.

That is, the first introduction pipe is connected to the first duct 2a that connects the extension ducts 2 and 2 on one end side (right side in the drawing) of the discharge tubes 1 and 1 in which the inclined reflecting mirrors M ₂ and M ₃ are arranged. 8a is attached to the extension ducts 2 and 2 of the discharge tube 1 on the side far from the communication duct 5, and second and third introduction tubes 8b and 8c are attached to the extension ducts 2 and 2, and a reflector of the discharge tube 1 on the side close to the extension ducts 2 and The fourth introduction pipe 8d is attached to the extension duct 2 in which M ₁ is arranged, while the introduction pipe conventionally provided in the communication duct 5 is omitted to form a laser oscillator.

Therefore, the gas laser oscillator according to the present embodiment is configured such that each introduction tube 8a
8d basically introduces a new laser medium gas into the single loop-shaped gas circulation system and discharges the deteriorated laser medium gas in the loop-shaped gas circulation system from the discharge pipe 9, that is, the laser. Each time the medium gas is renewed, the laser medium gas staying in the extension ducts 2 at both ends of each discharge tube can be caused to flow and join the circulating laser medium gas.
Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the gas temperature due to the absorption of the laser light of the laser medium gas in each extension duct 2. As a result, the laser light absorption efficiency does not suddenly rise due to the rise in gas temperature, so that a stable laser output can always be ensured and the load on the heat exchanger can be reduced.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the gas laser oscillator of this embodiment, the first to fourth introduction pipes used as the introduction portion of the laser medium gas in the above-described first embodiment are all used in the laser medium gas discharge pipes 9a to 9d. It differs from that of the first embodiment in that it is replaced by an example.

That is, the first discharge pipe is connected to the first duct 2a communicating between the extension ducts 2 and 2 on one end side (right side in the drawing) of the discharge tubes 1 and 1 in which the inclined reflecting mirrors M ₂ and M ₃ are arranged. 9a is attached, the second and third discharge tubes 9b and 9c are provided to both extension ducts 2 and 2 of the discharge tube 1 far from the communication duct 5, and the reflector of the discharge tube 1 at the near side. The fourth exhaust pipe 9d is attached to the extension duct 2 in which M ₁ is arranged, while the exhaust pipe conventionally provided in the communication duct 5 is omitted to form a laser oscillator.

In this embodiment, the gas laser oscillator can discharge the laser medium gas accumulated in the extension ducts 2 at both ends of each discharge tube to the outside from each of the discharge tubes 9a to 9d.
Similar to the embodiment, it is possible to suppress an increase in the gas temperature due to the absorption of the laser light of the laser medium gas in each extension duct 2, to always secure a stable laser output, and to reduce the load on the heat exchanger. be able to.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a laser medium gas is basically newly introduced into a single loop-shaped gas circulation system at both ends of each discharge tube. A plurality of first external communicating means for discharging the laser medium gas deteriorated in the circulation system to the outside are respectively provided, and the laser medium gas deteriorated in the gas circulation system is provided on the downstream side in the vicinity of the fan in the gas circulation system. Since the second external communication means for discharging to the outside or newly introducing the laser medium gas into the gas circulation system is arranged, each time the laser medium gas is newly introduced from the first external communication means, Alternatively, each time the laser medium gas deteriorated in the gas circulation system is discharged to the outside from the first external communication means, the laser medium gas staying in the extension portions at both ends can be caused to flow. By leh The light absorption can be significantly suppressed. Therefore, the laser output can be stabilized and the load on the heat exchanger can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a gas laser oscillator showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a first embodiment showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a first diagram showing a conventional gas laser oscillator.
It is a figure equivalent figure. In the figure, 1 is a discharge tube, 2 is an extension duct (extension part), 2a is a first duct, 3 is a second duct, 4 is a third duct, 5 is a communication duct (fourth duct), 6 Is a heat exchanger, 7 is a fan, 8 is an introduction pipe (second external communication means), 8a to 8d are introduction pipes (first external communication means), 9 is a discharge pipe (second external communication means), 9a~9d the discharge pipe (first external communication means), _{M 1} is the first reflecting mirror, _{M 2} the second reflecting mirror, _{M 3} is a third reflecting mirror, _{M 4} is the fourth reflecting mirror In each figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of discharge tubes arranged in parallel, extension parts provided at both ends of each discharge tube, a first duct for joining the extension parts on one end side of each discharge tube to each other, A single second duct whose side is joined orthogonally to one end side extension of each discharge tube, and a single third duct whose one end is joined orthogonally to the other end side extension of each discharge tube No. 4 and the other end of each of the second and third ducts are joined together.
Duct, a first reflecting mirror disposed at the end of the extension portion on the other end side of the one discharge tube so as to be orthogonal to the axis of the discharge tube, and an end of the extension portion on the one end side of the one discharge tube. A second reflecting mirror which is disposed inwardly of the first duct at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the axis of the discharge tube, and the first reflector at the end of the extension portion on the one end side of the other discharge tube. A third reflecting mirror disposed inwardly of the duct at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the axis of the discharge tube; and at the end of the extension portion on the other end side of the other discharge tube with respect to the axis of the discharge tube. A fourth reflecting mirror arranged orthogonally to each other, a single heat exchanger provided in the middle of the fourth duct, and a heat exchanger arranged in the middle of the fourth duct at a position offset from each other, The supplied laser medium gas is basically a single loop-shaped gas circulation consisting of a second duct, each discharge tube, a third duct, and a fourth duct. A single fan that circulates in the system, and a laser medium gas that is provided at both ends of each discharge tube and that introduces a new laser medium gas into the gas circulation system or deteriorates the laser medium inside the gas circulation system. A plurality of first external communication means for discharging gas to the outside, and a laser medium gas deteriorated in the gas circulation system, which is arranged downstream of the fan in the gas circulation system in the vicinity of the fan, Alternatively, a gas laser oscillator further comprising a second external communication means for newly introducing a laser medium gas into the gas circulation system.