Ceramic Gas Discharge Laser Tube Welded Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas discharge lasers face issues with gas-tightness, limited service life due to leaks and diffusion, and require lengthy conditioning to prevent water residue-induced damage, leading to operational inefficiencies and maintenance challenges.
Innovation Solution
A gas discharge laser with a ceramic, gas-tight discharge tube and integrated optical resonator mirrors, using hard-soldered, gasket-free construction and deformable support elements for precise adjustment, capable of operating in ultrahigh vacuum and high temperatures to prevent water residue and extend service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal gaskets are used to seal the discharge tube, then gas-tightness is improved, but service life is reduced due to leaks and diffusion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes metal gaskets from the sealing system entirely. The discharge tube is sealed by welding the front ends directly to support rings, eliminating the gasket component that causes leaks and diffusion over time. This extraction of the problematic element resolves the contradiction between initial gas-tightness and long-term service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a composite sealing approach combining ceramic discharge tube material with metal support rings, joined through welding. This composite construction provides both the gas-tightness of a sealed system and the durability of welded joints, avoiding the degradation issues of gasket materials.
2Ease of manufacture
If the discharge tube is sealed with gaskets, then assembly is simplified, but conditioning time increases to prevent water residue damage
Solution Approach 1:
By removing gaskets from the design, the invention eliminates the source of water residues that require lengthy conditioning. Although welding requires precision, it eliminates the need for extended conditioning periods, trading a controlled manufacturing step for significant time savings in operation preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The welded construction creates a permanent, maintenance-free seal that does not degrade over time like gaskets. This eliminates the need for periodic replacement and the associated conditioning time, making the system more efficient in the long term despite higher initial manufacturing complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If main electrodes are rigidly fixed in the discharge tube, then structural stability is improved, but adjustment precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transforms the electrode mounting from a rigid fixed structure to a dynamically adjustable system. Main electrodes are mounted on support trays with positioning elements that allow precise adjustment during assembly, then locked in place. This provides both the stability needed for operation and the precision needed for alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode support system is segmented into adjustable components (support trays, positioning elements, locking mechanisms) rather than a single rigid structure. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each electrode's position while maintaining overall structural stability during operation.
4Device complexity
If resonator mirrors are permanently mounted, then device complexity is reduced, but operational stability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Resonator mirrors are mounted on deformable support rings that allow for thermal expansion compensation and fine positioning adjustments. This dynamic mounting system maintains operational stability by adapting to temperature changes and allowing precise alignment, while the support rings provide a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support rings are designed to be deformable, allowing changes in their physical parameters (shape, position) in response to thermal effects. This enables the mirror mounting to adapt to operating conditions, maintaining stability without requiring complex active control systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures a reliable, leak-free operation with extended service life, allowing for high pulse repetition rates and precise adjustment, reducing maintenance needs and improving operational stability.
Implementation Method 1
A gas discharge laser with a ceramic, gas-tight discharge tube... capable of operating in ultrahigh vacuum and high temperatures to prevent water residue
Implementation Method 2
The energy feed needed to amplify the light is obtained by means of a high-current discharge of 1000 to 3000 A cm−2 through the entire active laser cavity
Implementation Method 3
this is where the stimulated light amplification takes place
Implementation Method 4
rod-shaped auxiliary electrodes disposed in the discharge tube that are substantially parallel to the main electrodes and operable to control the starting conditions of gas discharge by electronic pre-ionization
Implementation Method 5
a pair of optical resonator mirrors welded into the support rings and disposed on the front ends of the discharge tube in an axial orientation relative to the gas discharge path
Implementation Method 6
A first of the optical resonator mirrors is partially permeable so as to provide light outcoupling
Implementation Method 7
Decoupling and holding elements including support trays are disposed in the wall passages, with the support trays being adhered with solder to a circumference of the discharge tube via the partial metal layers
Implementation Method 8
the support trays and the support rings are deformable so as to enable fine adjustment of the main electrodes and of the resonator mirrors
Data Source
AI summary
A transversally electrically excited gas discharge laser for generating light pulses with a high pulse repetition rate. The gas discharge laser has components include a gas-tight discharge tube with opposed wall passages and front ends. The discharge tube includes ceramic material with laser gas sealed therein. The components also include partial metal layers disposed on the discharge tube. Decoupling and holding elements including support trays are disposed in the wall passages, with the support trays being adhered with solder to the discharge tube via the partial metal layers. The components also include a pair of electrodes extending axially and disposed in the decoupling and holding elements so as to form a gas discharge path. The components also include a pair of rod-shaped electrodes disposed in the discharge tube that are substantially parallel to the main electrodes and operable to control the starting conditions of gas discharge. The electrical excitation circuit includes a switch to generate a high-current discharge from an energy storage device. Support rings are joined to the front ends of the discharge tube and a pair of optical resonator mirrors are welded into the support rings. At least some of the components are usable with an ultrahigh vacuum and heatable to above a second water boundary. The support trays and the support rings are deformable so as to enable fine adjustment of the main electrodes and of the resonator mirrors.