3.6 kW TEA laser using printed circuit board preionization

Preionization technique is the key technology of TEA CO2 lasers to obtain large volume uniform main discharge. The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) preionization technique utilizes a distributing capacitor coupler configuration to produce relatively strong UV preionization around cathode. The combination of appropriate preionization intensity and better uniformity make it more suitable for producing high-pulserepetition and high average power laser. 20.4 J pulse output energy is obtained from a PCB preionized TEA CO2 laser. The experimental setup consists of two same laser modules each of which has a 5 cm × 4 cm × 90 cm discharge volume. The electro-optical conversion efficiency reaches 12.8 %. The clearing ratio is over 3 when the laser operates at repetition rate. Average power as high as 3.6 kW is achieved at the maximum repetition rate of 180 Hz.