THIS PROPOSAL IS TO EXPERIMENTALLY INVESTIGATE THE SURFCE DISCHARGE TO PREIONIZED PULSED CARBON DIOXIDE LASERS.

THIS PROPOSAL IS TO EXPERIMENTALLY INVESTIGATE THE SURFCE DISCHARGE TO PREIONIZED PULSED CARBON DIOXIDE LASERS. IN THIS APPROACH DIELECTRIC ELECTRODES ARE EMPLOYED FOR THE MAIN DISCHARGE, AND A SURFACE DISCHARGE ALONG THE SURFACE OF A DIELECTRIC ELECTRODE PREIONIZES THE GAS VOLUME PRIOR TO THE PRIMARY DISCHARGE. THIS SURFACE DISCHARGE APPROACH ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR A SEPARATE PREIONIZATION SOURCE. A COMMON APPROACH CURRENTLY USED EMPLOYS A SPARKBOARD LOCATED WITHIN AND/OR BEHIND ONE OF THE PRIMARY ELECTRODES. THIS REQUIRES EITHER AN OPEN AREA OR PERFORATION OF A PRIMARY ELECTRODE AND SEPARATES THE ULTRAVIOLET PERIONIZATION SOURCE FROM THE LASER GAS VOLUME. THE PROPOSED APPROACH BOTH ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR OPEN SPACES IN A PRIMARY ELECTRODE, AND LOCATES THE PREIONIZATION SOURCE ADJACENT TO THE LASER VOLUME. IN ADDITION THE USE OF DIELECTRIC ELECTRODES INCREASES THE ARCING LIMITS OF THE PRIMARY DISCHARGE THEREBY ALLOWING LARGER DEPOSITION ENERGY PER UNIT VOLUME. THE SURFACE DISCHARGE PREIONIZATION APPROACH WILL BE EXPERIMENTALLY INVESTIGATED APPLYING THE SURFACE DISCHARGE TECHNOLOGY BASE DEVELOPED IN A WJSA LABORATORY, TO AN EXISTING SINGLE PULSE CARBON DIOXIDE LASER DESIGNED AND FABRICATED IN THE WJSA LABORATORY.