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I've always thought that an interesting project would be a CO2 laser driven by a dielectric barrier discharge...in such a configuration as to produce a rotating electric field.
It seems to me that such an arrangement would have several advantages, including higher efficiency.
The easiest way to drive a CO2 laser, IMHO, is to use a "dielectric barrier discharge" (or so-called "silent discharge").
Basically you use high frequency AC, but not necessarily RF. Your electrodes may be anodized aluminum, or any other conductor covered by a thin layer of insulating material; the point is that the power is capactively coupled to the plasma.
This way, the discharge remains stable against arc formation since there can be no current crowding...the discharge cannot degenerate into an arc because, as it attempts to constrict, it effectively "sees" a smaller amount of capacitance.
If you use, say, three electrodes and drive the discharge with three phase AC (or four or electrodes with quadriphase drive, etc.), the electric field will rotate, and this will increase efficiency and stability. You can use higher power and higher gas pressure...as the electric field is changing direction at a rate faster than the rate at which a power arc can form.
If you want to see some interesting CO2 laser patents, look at patents by Seguin and Chenausky.
Seguin came up with an RF (VHF) driven "radial array" CO2 laser design that is capable of very high power.
It seems to me that Seguin's design could be improved by using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) rather than RF drive...it could be done quite inexpensively with MOSFETs or IGBTs rather than RF amplifier tubes.
Attached is a patent regarding the application of a rotating electric field to a gas discharge; but this patent does not (if I recall correctly) make use of DBD electrodes.
If you want to see some interesting CO2 laser patents, look at patents by Seguin and Chenausky.
Seguin came up with an RF (VHF) driven "radial array" CO2 laser design that is capable of very high power.
It seems to me that Seguin's design could be improved by using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) rather than RF drive...it could be done quite inexpensively with MOSFETs or IGBTs rather than RF amplifier tubes.
Attached is a patent regarding the application of a rotating electric field to a gas discharge; but this patent does not (if I recall correctly) make use of DBD electrodes.
I checked your last download out . Now i got the picture !
Finally in the synrad design the do the same but with only with 2 electrodes and two phases ..
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