Carbon monoxide laser

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Development of the carbon monoxide laser CO-EDL ( Carbon Monoxide Electric Discharge Lasers ) by the Northrop Research and Technology Center with the support of the Office of Naval Research of the US Navy, 1968

The carbon monoxide laser is a gas laser and works at wavelengths from 4.8 to 8.3 µm and works in a similar way to the CO 2 laser . It is more efficient than this, but requires more complex cooling.

The carbon monoxide laser radiates in the mid-infrared (MIR) and can be tuned to several hundred laser lines in the 4.8 to 8.3 µm wavelength range. It can therefore be used well as a spectroscopic radiation source . In continuous wave operation, output powers of up to 100 kW can be achieved with around 40% efficiency. In pulse mode, pulse energies of up to 1 kJ can be achieved with a repetition rate of maximum 1 kHz and an efficiency of up to 60%.

The CO laser has been further developed for years at the Institute for Applied Physics at the University of Bonn (W. Urban group) and successfully used in a variety of spectroscopic applications. Different versions of the laser tube are available for different applications and have proven themselves in scientific use.

Developments on the subject of CO lasers also took place at DLR in Stuttgart in the 1980s (Meisenhelder). The aim was to develop the CO laser to industrial maturity, since its high pump efficiency promised economic potential. Due to the high expenditure on equipment and energy for cooling, the CO laser for material processing has not yet prevailed over the more easily operated carbon dioxide laser.

Depending on the requirements, the CO laser can be operated in flow or with a sealed-off gas supply . As an alternative to the complex cooling with liquid nitrogen , laser operation can also be achieved with low power using ethanol as the refrigerant . In the longer wave range (6–6.3 µm) z. B. with ethanol cooling, laser powers of approx. 10–50 mW can be achieved.

With these different possibilities, suitable CO lasers can be manufactured for different applications, i. H. in the wavelength and intensity range desired by the user and with the lowest possible cooling and equipment expenditure.