Physicochemical and electrophysical properties of high-temperature insulating ceramics for use in elemental vapor lasers

A listing is given of the characteristics of high-temperature ceramics used widely in elemental vapor lasers. It is shown that a ceramic based on pyrolytic boron nitride has the best characteristics as judged by a number of criteria. A description is given of the apparatus for measuring low- and high-voltage electrophysical characteristics of insulators in various gases kept at pressures of 1–10⁵ Pa at temperatures up to 2500 °K. The experimental values of high-voltage electrophysical characteristics of boron pyronitride are reported for the first time.