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Q-switched cavity dumped CO2 laser for material processing

  • US 20020167974A1
  • Filed: 04/04/2002
  • Published: 11/14/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A Q-switched, cavity dumped CO2 laser system for material processing, the system comprising:

  • a plurality of mirrors defining an optical cavity;

    a gain medium positioned within the optical cavity for generating laser beam radiation;

    a cavity loss modulator for switching loss within the cavity from a high loss state to a low loss state or a low loss state to a high loss state, generating thereby one or more laser pulses;

    a pulsed signal generation system connected to the cavity loss modulator for delivering pulsed signals to the cavity loss modulator thereby controlling the state of optical loss within the optical cavity;

    a control unit connected to the pulsed signal generation system for controlling the pulsed signal generation system;

    a time delay circuit receptive of a portion of the laser beam and connected to the pulsed signal generation system for timing the relative occurrence of the pulsed signals delivered to the cavity loss modulator by the pulsed signal generation system and the maximum build up of radiation within the optical cavity; and

    a laser beam output coupler receptive of the laser beam and operative to direct laser pulses out of the optical cavity when the optical cavity is in a high optical loss condition.

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