Transverse-discharge copper vapor laser utilizing an optically controlled semiconductor switch

An experimental investigation was made of a copper vapor laser having a sectioned transverse discharge. Optically controlled semiconductor switches were employed to switch an excitation pulse generator. Their switching stability was ~0.01 nsec. The rate of development of the discharge in a Cu–Ne mixture was found to depend on the temperature in the active zone of the laser. A study was made of the influence of the temperature drop in the individual laser sections on the scatter of the discharge development rates. It was shown to be advantageous to use optically controlled semiconductor switches rather than gas-discharge spark gaps. When using the former, the lack of synchronism in exciting the copper atoms along the sectioned discharge gap was reduced from 20 to 5 nsec, the peak radiated pulse power was increased by almost a factor of four for the λ₁ = 510.6 nm green line and was more than doubled for the λ₂ = 578.2 nm yellow line in the copper vapor laser emission spectrum.