Short pulse formation in a TEA CO2 laser using a CO2-N2-H2 gas mixture

The use of an optimal CO2-N-2-H-2 gas mixture with a high concentration of hydrogen (30%-40%) was shown to allow the formation of high-power TEA CO2-laser pulses with a base duration of similar to 200 ns whose energy and peak power significantly exceed the parameters of pulses obtained in binary CO2-H-2 mixtures. Considering all the parameters, the helium-free 56 % CO2 - 14 % N-2 - 30 % H-2 gas mixture at a pressure of 0.7 atm is optimal for the generation of short high-power pulses in the TEA CO2 laser. A small addition of nitrogen ([CO2]/[N-2] similar to 10 - 12) to the binary CO2-H-2 mixture not only substantially increases the pulse energy and peak power (by a factor of 3-3.5) but also shortens their duration at half-maximum with retention of the total (base) duration.