Abstract
Abstract We report spectral-interferometry measurements of the concentration and the spatial distribution of copper vapor in a high voltage, segmented hollow cathode discharge, which is an efficient source for laser light generation. The concentration of sputtered copper atoms was found to be in the order of 1014 cm-3 at currents of 0.6-1.0 A in a 5 cm long, 4 mm bore diameter discharge tube, operating in argon buffer gas. At high pressures and relatively low current densities the sputtered metal concentration forms two maxima near the cathode surface. With increasing current and decreasing pressure these two maxima move towards the center of the discharge. This result may account for the fact that at certain discharge parameters the segmented hollow cathode lasers operate in higher order transverse modes near the threshold. The measurements of copper vapor concentration show increased sputtering compared to conventional hollow cathodes, which is considered to be one of the reasons for segmented hollow cathode metal ion lasers being more efficient.
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