Optimization of the output power of a pulsed gas laser by using magnetic pulse compression

Abstract

In pulsed gas lasers, the excitation of the active medium is produced through the discharge of a storage capacitor. Performances of these lasers were essentially linked to the type of switch used and also to its mode of operation. Thyratrons are the most common switches. Nevertheless, their technological limitations do not allow a high repetition rate, necessary for optimization of the output power of this type of laser. These limitations can be surpassed by combining the thyratron to a one stage of a magnetic pulse compression circuit. The mpc driver can improve the laser excitation pulse rise time and increase the repetition rate, increasing the laser output power of pulsed gas laser such as; nitrogen, excimer and copper vapor lasers. We have proposed in this paper a new configuration of magnetic pulse compression, the magnetic switch is place in our case in the charge circuit, and while in the typical utilization of magnetic pulse compression, it is placed in the discharge circuit. In this paper, we are more particularly interested in the design and the modeling of a saturate inductance that represents the magnetic switch in the proposed configuration of a thyratron - mpc circuit combination.