Sam's Laser FAQ - Home-Built Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Laser

12/4/2017 Sam'sLaserFAQHomeBuiltCarbonDioxide(CO2)Laser
Sam'sLaserFAQ,Copyright19942017,SamuelM.Goldwasser,AllRightsReserved.
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BacktoSam'sLaserFAQTableofContents.
HomeBuiltCarbonDioxide(CO2)Laser
SubTableofContents
BasicHomeBuiltCO2LaserInformation
IntroductiontoHomeBuiltCO2Laser
MoreontheEffortRequiredandRecommendedPowerOutput
HomeBuiltCO2LaserSafety
CO2LaserConstructionReferencesandLinks
SomePhotosofHomeBuiltCO2Lasers
HomeBuiltCO2LaserDescription
GuidelinestoAssureaSuccessfulHomeBuiltCO2Laser
SourcesofSpecialPartsandSuppliesfortheHomeBuiltCO2Laser
OtherExamplesofHomeBuiltCO2Lasers
IanniniCO2LaserDescription
ChrisChagaris'sCO2LaserandComments
UpdateonChrisChagaris'sCO2Laser
Flavio'sCO2LaserNotes
SteveHardy'sCO2LaserandComments
SteveHardy'sPlansforHisBIGCO2Laser
Mark'sCO2LaserandFirstLight
Bill'sCO2Laser
Rob'sCO2Laser
Iwan'sCo2Laser
AdditionalInformationonHomeBuiltCO2Lasers
UsefulFormulasforCO2LaserOptics
ExamplesofCO2LaserResonatorConfigurations
DeterminingHomeBuiltCO2LaserOutputPower
MeasuringCO2LaserBeamDivergence
MeasuringCO2LaserBeamSpotSize
DiscussionofCO2LaserConstruction
Steve'sCommentsonCO2LaserElectrodes
CoolingCO2LaserOpticsandCommentsonGermanium
BeamStopforCO2Laser
BrewsterWindowsforCO2Laser?
CommentsonGasSupplyandSetupforSlowFlowCO2Lasers
RegulatingCO2GasPressureandFlowRate
AirCooledCO2Lasers
IgnitionCoilBasedCO2LaserPowerSupply
RForMicrowavePowerSupplyforCO2Laser?
Steve'sCommentsonBuildinganRFExcitedCO2Laser
CO2LaseronaBudget?
ChrisC'sNotesonCO2LaserDesignandConstruction
Carl'sNotesonCO2LaserDesignandConstruction
https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasercc2.htm 1/73
Tim'sCommentsonHomeBuiltCO2LaserConstruction
Tony'sCautionsAboutCO2LaserTubeConstruction
Steve'sNotesonBoostingCO2LaserPowerandQualityConstruction
Steve'sNonStandardExperimentswithaCO2LaserHead
Terry'sCommentsonEffectsofCO2LaserTubeSize
Flavio'sCommentsonLongCO2LasersTubes
John'sCommentsonStartingOutinHomeBuiltCO2LaserConstruction
Tim'sCommentsonExperimentingwithaCO2Laser
Chris'sCommentsonSealedTube,andSlowandFastFlowCO2Lasers
AlternativestoConstructingaCO2LaserfromScratch
FortheLazyatHeartAlmostEverythingYouNeedOops,TooLate
HomeBuiltCO2LaserusingCommercialSealedPlasmaTube
WhyYouShouldAvoidtheTemptationtoBuyaCheapUsedCO2Laser
HomeBuiltTransverseExcitedAtmosphericCO2Lasers
WhatAboutaHomeBuiltTEACO2Laser?
DiscussionofHomeBuiltTEACO2Laser
PowerforthatReallyBIGLaser
AndIfThat'sNotBIGEnough
TheTEACO2LaserThatMightHaveBeenasdf
MiscellaneousCO2LaserandRelatedTidBits
Water(H2O)andHydrogenCyanideLasers(HCN)
HowAboutaHomeBuiltGasDynamicCO2Laser
BacktoHomeBuiltCarbonDioxide(CO2)LaserSubTableofContents.
BasicHomeBuiltCO2LaserInformation
IntroductiontoHomeBuiltCO2Laser
Thecarbondioxide(CO2)laseristhepowerhouseforhightechindustrialcuttingandweldingofmetalsand
manyothermaterials.SmallCO2lasersareusedformarkingofmetal,wood,andcomposites,andinmedicine
andsurgery.Evena'small'CO2laserproduces10sofwattsofbeampowerandthelargestareinthe100kW
range!
Itsoutputisat10.6um(10,600nm)ormidIR.Thiswavelengthisabout10to30timeslongerthantheother
lasersunderdiscussionandoftenconsideredasourceofaheatbeamthanalightbeam.Atthiswavelength,
normalglassandplasticopticsareeithertoolossyortotallyopaquesoalternativesmustbefoundbothforthe
endmirrorsandanyothermirrors,lenses,orprismsrequiredbytheexternalopticalsetup.
Divergence/diffractioneffectsarealsoincreasedbythissamefactorsoobtainingacollimatedbeamisalsomore
difficult.
Manycommonmaterialsincludingwood,paper,plastics,composites,andproperlypreparedmetalsurfaces
absorbquitewellatthiswavelengthsotheCO2lasermakesaneffectivemarking,cutting,welding,andheat
treatingtool.
Seethechapter:CarbonDioxideLasersformoreinformationonthecharacteristicsandapplicationsofthese
devices.
ItispossibleforanamateurtoconstructaworkingaxialflowCO2laser(nonsealed,seethechapter:Carbon
DioxideLasers)inthe10to50Wrangewithouttoomuchdifficultyatleastcomparedtosomeoftheother
typesoflasersdescribedinthischapter.Avacuumsystemisneededbuttherangeofoperatingvacuumis
modest10to100Torr.Andwhileseveralgasesareneeded,thepurityofthefinalgasfillisn'tnearlyascritical
asfor,say,theHeNelaser,andpremixedgasisreadilyavailable.Seethesection:MoreonObtainingGases.
Withabitofresourcefulness,nofancyglassworkisneeded.Thepowersupplycanbejustaneonsign
transformeronaVariac.Therequiredmechanicalprecisionisn'tasgreateithersoevenifyourmachiningskills
arequitelimited,adequatemirrormountsandstructuralcomponentscanbefabricatedrelativelyeasily.And,
unliketheothertraditionalgaslasers(HeNe,Ar/Krion,HeHg,CuCl/CuBr,andthelike),onceconstructedand
aligned,theCO2laserrequiresminimalmaintenanceandcanpotentiallybeausefultoolforrealapplications
IFFitispackagedappropriatelyandprovidedwithessentialsafetyinterlocksandprotectiondevices.Infact,
somecommercialaxialflowCO2lasersarejustrefinedversionsofwhatanamateurcanbuild.Seethesection:
DescriptionsofTypicalSmallFlowingGasCO2Lasers.
MyonlycomplaintaboutCO2lasersingeneralarethatthebeamistotallyinvisibleandboringinsomeways.
:)Otherwise,itisnearlytheperfectchoiceforahomebuiltlaserhighpower,continuousoperation,and
relativesimplicity!
MoreontheEffortRequiredandRecommendedPowerOutput
Thefollowingcommentsshouldbetakeninapositivewayinanattempttoheadoffadisappointingexperience
forsomeonewhoreallyhasn'tcaughttheamateurlaserconstructionbug.
Although,constructingaCO2laseriseasyrelativetoothertypesoflasers,itisstillNOTeasyinanabsolute
sense.Youwillhavetomakeaveryconsiderablecommitmentoftimeandeffortincludingdealingwiththe
frustrationswhen,asisinevitable,somethingsdon'tquitegoaccordingtothescript!Thecostsin$$$can
quicklybecomesignificantaswellifyoudon'talreadyhaveanyofthesupportingequipment(e.g.,vacuum
pump,powersupplycomponents)andaren'tafirstratescrounger.:)
Ifallyouwantisareliableworkinglaser,saveyourmoneyandbuyausedCO2lasersystem.Somethingsimilar
towhatyouwillbebuildingcanprobablybeacquiredforunder$1,000,perhapslessdependingonyour
resourcefulnessandluck.Forexample,seethesection:HowtoGetaLaserWithoutReallyTryingPart1.If
youcanaffordabitmore,trytofindasealedtubeCO2lasersystem.Thesehaveessentiallyzeromaintenance,
andnorequirementsforagassupplyorvacuumsystem.Newsystemsinthe25Wrangecanbehadforaround
$5,000fromcompanieslikeParallaxTechnologies.Thisiscertainlynotcheapbutmaybeintheballparkonce
allyourcostsandtimearefactoredintotheequation.However,notethatineithercase,therecouldstillbe
considerablecostsassociatedwiththebeamdeliverysystemforyourapplication.Forexample,focusinglenses
togetpowertothatwoodstockcaneasilyrunanadditionalseveralhundreddollars.
YoumayeasilyspendhundredsofhoursinconstructingaworkingCO2laserespeciallyifitisyourfirsthome
builtlaser.Notethatwhilethisestimatemayseemhigh,itdoesn'tonlyincludetheactualfabricationofthelaser
headitself(tube,mirrormounts,andframe)buttheeffortrequiredtoselect,acquire,andsetupthevacuum
system,gassupplyandmeteringsystem,powersupplyandpossibleaddedbranchcircuit(s)tohandlethe
electricalload,coolingsystem,andsupportstructure(stabletableorframe).And,providingandpreparingthe
physicalspace:ThehomebuiltCO2laserisnotlikelytobeinanywayportableandthekitchentabledoesnot
makeagoodworkarea.:)Onceeverythingisputtogether,alltheleaksareplugged,thepartsthatgottrashedin
shippingarereplaced,youwillhavetoalignthemirrors(bestdonewithaheliumneonlaseranotherexpensive
ifyoudon'townonealready),startfeedinggases,applypower,andhopeeverythingholdstogether!
Evenafteryouachieve'firstlight'(orIsuppose,morecorrectly,'firstIR'),youwillthenspendcountlessmore
hoursingettingthelasertobeareliablesystemanditisquiteconceivablethatthisgoalmayforeverbe
elusive.Ifyourheartisn'tinthelaserconstructionaspectsofthisendeavor,youwillgetdiscouragedvery
quickly.
IfyouDOdecidetobuildyourownCO2laser,don'tshootforthestars,atleastnotatfirst.Beginwithamodest
sizetubeofsay,2feetinlength,whichshouldstillbegoodforperhaps20or30watts.Therewon'tbeany
problemspoweringitwitha12to15kVneonsigntransformeranditwillbesmallenoughtoeasilyfabricate
andstore!Onceyouhavegottenthatoperational,youwillhavesolvedallthetrickyproblemsofvacuum,gas
supply,mirrormounts,andcooling.Itiseasytoscaleupsomethingthatworks.However,startingwith
grandioseplansthatfizzlewilljustleadtoaboxfullofpartsandequipmentgatheringdustintheattic....:(
(From:FlavioSpedalieri(fspedalieri@nightlase.com.au).)
Justtokeeptheexpectationsdown,andalsorecappingonthereasonwhywearebuildinglasersinthefirst
place.
Forthosewhoarebuildinglasersforuseasatool,e.g.,formetalorwoodcutting,pleasebeawarethatyouwill
beintroducinganumberoffactorsthatwillmakeitdifficultforthefinalapplication.
Lasersforcuttingapplicationsshouldbeproducingaconsiderableamountsofpower(around100Wattsandup)
toachieveanicecleancut.Atlowerpowers,itwilltakelongerforthelasertocutthematerial,eitherifthin
metalandorwood,andwillcauseburningand/orbadcuts.Anotherreasonforhavingoutputpowersinthis
range,isthatatthiswavelength,materialswillbehavedifferently(intermsoflightbehaviour)certainmaterials
willreflecttheIRenergy,thusyouareloosingenergythroughpartialreflections.
Cuttinglasersgenerallyhavetobeveryrouged,sotoberesistanttofibrationsthatcancausemisalignmentof
theoptics.
CommercialCO2lasers,arebuiltsotobequiteresistanttoenvironmentalchanges.Also,manyofthecontrols
likevacuum,voltage/current,gaspressures/mixturesareelectronicallycontrolled.
Forcuttingapplications,thelaserbeammustalsobedirectedtotheworkpiece,andthisisdonethroughan
articulatedarmanopticalwaveguide.Attheendofthearm,istheobjectivelens.Theseopticsrequiretobe
enhancedforhigherpowerIRbeams,alsoit'snotveryeasyatall,northattrivialtobuildanarticulatedarm
fromscratchmuchalignmentinvolved.
Pleasebeaware,thathomebuiltlasersaremuchmoresensitivetovibrations,andarenotofthe'pluginand
leave'variety.HomebuiltlasersrequiremuchTLC,adjustmentsandcontinualtweeking,plusthereisother
thingsthathavetobetakenintoconsiderationlike:gassupply,mixtureandgaspressurepowersupply
mirror/tubeadjustmentsandmountsandthermalexpansionandstabilityoftheoveralllaserassembly.
HomeBuiltCO2LaserSafety
TherearethreeareasofsafetyconsiderationsforthehomebuiltCO2laser(andothersimilarlasers,forthat
matter):
Laseroutput:ThehomebuiltCO2laserproducinghighpowerinfraredradiationatawavelengthof
10.6um.AlmostanyworkingCO2laseralmostnomatterhowinefficientormisadjustedwillgenerate
atleastseveralWATTsofoutputpowerwithscaledupdesignssimilartotheSciAmlasercapableof100
Wormore.Thisisenoughtoburnthingslikeproperty,clothing,andflesh(includingthestructuresyou
valueatthefrontofyoureyeballs).
Takeprecautionstoavoidexposuretothedirectorreflectedbeam.Sinceitisinvisible,thismeansclearly
labelingwhereitisandenclosingtheseinmaterialsopaqueto10.6umIR(theseincludeglassandmost
plasticssoitisn'tthathardanddoesn'tobscuretheaction.Justbecauseyoucan'tseeit,don'tassumethere
isnothingthere!
Electrical:Thepowersuppliescanbelethal.BothACandDCneonsigntransformerbasedpower
supplieshaveenoughvoltageandcurrenttostopaheart,Evenifyouaren'tkilled,theshockmaystartle
youintodoingsomethingyoumightregret.MakesureyoureadandfollowtheSafetyGuidelinesforHigh
Voltageand/orLinePoweredEquipment.Insulateallconnectionsandinstallbarrierstopreventcontact
withthehighvoltage.
Ifyouareusingwatercoolingeithertapwateroraclosedloopsystem,makesurethatwatercirculation
pathsarewellinsulatedfromthehighvoltageandthatallfittingsaresecurelygrounded.Tapwaterisa
fairlygoodconductorofelectricitythinkofitasaverysoftwire.:)Unlessyouhaveatotallyclosed
systemfilledwith100percentdistilleddeionizedwater,therecanbeenoughcurrentflowtobelethal.
Waterandelectricitydonotmix!
Hazardoussubstances:Whilethelasinggases(helium,nitrogen,andcarbondioxide)arenottoxic,and
areusedinonlysmallqunatities,therecanalwaysbeleaksinthegasdeliverysystem.CO2inparticularis
heavierthanairsoitwilldisplaceairinanenclosedspacewhichmayresultinvarioussymptomsfrom
nauseatoasphyxiation.Makesureyouhaveadequateventilation.Inaddition,ifyouaregeneratinganyof
thesegases(ratherthanusingseparatetanksorpremix),acidsorothercausticchemicalsmaybe
involved.Finally,thematerialsfromwhichsomeoftheopticalcomponentsaremade(likezincselenide)
maybebiohazardsifbroken,ground,orevenpolished(morebelow).So,don'tfigureonmakingyour
ownmirrors,windows,orlensesfromthismaterial.Inaddition,ifyou'veinheritedacommerciallaser,it
mayusestructuralmaterialslikeberylliaforthebore,alsoaseriousbiohazardifbrokenorground.See
thesection:IonLaserBoreTemperature,Materials,andBeOWarningwrittenforionlasersinparticular
butapplieshereaswell).
(From:ChrisChagaris(pyro@grolen.com).)
Zincselenideisanextremelytoxicsubstancebyingestionand/orinhalationofdust,withacumulative
effect.Thisofcoursecouldbebroughtaboutiftheopticwerecrackedordamagedinone'spresence.This
materialliberateshighlytoxichydrogenselenideincontactwithgastricjuices.Becauseofthematerial's
reactivitywithacids,itshouldNEVERbecleanedwithevenaweakacid,asthesehighlytoxicH2Se
vaporsmaybeformed.Dermatitismayresultfromprolongedcontactdon'tplaywithyouroutput
couplers.:)Althoughthismaterialispracticallyinsolubleinwater,theuseofgloveswhilehandlingthe
materialisrecommended.Glovesorfingercotsshouldnaturallybewornwhenhandlinganyprecision
optic,asmentionedabove.Particularcaremustbeexercisedwhenmachiningandcreatingdustor
particles,notthatIwouldthinkanyonewillbemachiningtheirpreciousoutputcoupler.:)Symptomsof
ingestionincludegarlicodoronbreath.Yebestfriendshouldtellthee.:)
Provideproperwarningsignsforboththelaserradiationandhighvoltage.Keeppetsandsmallchildrenoutof
theareaandmakesureeveryonepresentisinstructedastothedangers.Theuseofproperlasersafetygoggles
forthespecificwavelength(s)ofyourlaserarehighlyrecommended.
Formoreinformation,seethechapter:LaserSafetyandthemorespecificinformationinthesection:CO2Laser
Safety.Samplesafetylabelswhichcanbeeditedforthislasercanbefoundinthesection:LaserSafetyLabels
andSigns.
CO2LaserConstructionReferencesandLinks
Seethearticlein:"LightanditsUses".Also:
TherearecompleteplansforaCO2laserintheIanninibooks([2]and[3]inthesection:Books,
Collections,Otherpublications).Theyappearvirtuallythesamethoughtheremaybeafewmore
construction/operationdetailsin[2].Seethesection:IanniniCO2LaserDescriptionformoreinformation.
LaserKineticsArticlesandPapersincludes:UnderstandingCO2Lasers,CO2LaserTheory,Heattreating
withLasers,WeldingwithLasers,ThermalEffectsofLaserCutting,aswellastheirnewsletters.
CO2Lasers:EffectsandApplications
W.W.Duley,1976
(Theremayalsobeanotherbookbythesameauthorcalledjust"CO2Lasers"withmoredesign
informationoritmaybethesamebook.)
InLaserFocusWorld,March1999,page105,thereisanarticleaboutsealedCO2industriallasers.The
mostpowerfultodayhasa500Woutputwithanexpectedlifeof35,000hoursfromCoherent,Inc..The
articlegoesintoRFpumping,electrodes,mirrors,etc.
ParallaxTechnology,Inc.hasavarietyofinformationavailableonCO2lasers.Inadditiontodescriptions,
specs,andphotosoftheirCO2lasers,tubes,andpowersupplies,theirFrequentlyAskedQuestionsabout
CO2LasersPageprovidessomeeasytounderstandanswerstoafewcommonquestionsrelatingtoCO2
laseroptics,power,andapplications.
The"LaserGrowingMailingList"isstrictlyforpeople*serious*aboutbuildingtheirownlasersfrom
scratch,thefirstbeinga50100Wattflowinggascarbondioxide(CO2)laser.Duringtheearlymonthsof
itsexistence,therewasalotofactivityandatleastonepersondidachieve"firstlight".However,now,as
farasIcantell,itisdead,oratleastinacoma.Therehavebeennopostingsinmonths.Formoreinfo,see
thesection:GeneralResourcesforAmateurLaserConstruction.
DavidKnapp'sCO2LaserisapaperwhichdetailshisimplementationofasmallCO2laser.Whilethe
laserissealedafterfilling,it'slifeisstillrelativelylimited(hundredsofhoursifIrecallcorrectly)since
themainadditiontopermitsealedtubeoperationistohavealargegasreservoir.
Altair'sHomegrownCO2LaserPageincludesadetaileddescriptionwithnicediagramsofadesign
similartotheonein"LightanditsUses".
Tim'sGoldstein'sLasersPageisinanearlystageofdevelopmentbutwilleventuallydetailhishomebuilt
CO2laserprojectaswellasprovidingotherusefulinformationandlinks.
JohnDoran'sCO2LaserPagehassomephotosandadetailedreportonhisworkingCO2laser.
EmissionTechnologiesoffersplansaswellaskitswithalltheglassandmetalpartsoptics,gas,vacuum,
andwatertubingandadhesivestoconstruct35Wand60WflowinggasCO2laser,sealedCO2laser
tubesandswitchingpowersupplies,andevenakitforacompleteX,YCNClasercutterwhichcanbe
usedforhobbyorindustry.Themanualforatleastthe35Wflowinggaslaserisavailable(free)atthis
sitehasdetailedinstructionsforassembly,alignment,andoperation,aswellasbasicinformationon
powersuppliesandvacuum/gashandlingsystemsandisgenerallyusefulevenifyouaren'tinterestedin
hisspecifickits.
PulsLaser(German)hasvirtuallyallofthehomebuiltlasertypesincludingCO2,N2(includingTEA),
ion,ruby,dye,andsomethataren'tcoveredhere.Itincludesdescriptions,photos,references,andother
information.AnEnglishtranslationwouldbemostwelcomeasAltavistadoeslessthanastellarjoband
doesn'tfollowtheframelinks.
JarrodKinsey'sWebSitehasavarietyofhomebuiltlasersincludingaCO2lasermadefromaboutthe
mostbasicmaterialspossibleincludinggasreservoirsusingpartyballoonsandCO2fromexhaledhuman
breath!:)
InformationUnlimitedhasplansandpartsforaCO2laser(probablythedesignfromtheIanninibook,
above,sincetheyprovidedallofthecustompartsfortheseprojects).IUwillalsosellyouaCO2laser
headandpowersupply,aswellasacompletelybuiltlasersupposedly.Ihavenoideaofwhetherwhat
theyprovideiscredibleforthepriceorwhetheritislikelytoresultinaworkinglaser.
Carl'sElectronics,hasplansfora40WCO2laser.Ihavenoideaoftheintegrityofthisoutfitorthe
qualityofwhattheyoffer.TheykindofappeartobeinthesameleagueasInformationUnlimited,above.
MWKLaserProducts,andBullElectrical(UK)alsohaveplans(butnospecificparts)forCO2lasers.
Alsoseethesections:GeneralResourcesforAmateurLaserConstruction,SourcesforSpecialPartsand
SuppliesfortheHomeBuiltCO2Laser,andIanniniCO2LaserDescription.
And,ofcourse,beforeattemptingtobuildyourownlaser,seethechapter:CarbonDioxideLasers.
SomePhotosofHomeBuiltCO2Lasers
OverallViewofCarbonDioxideLaser
CarbonDioxideLaserinOperation(Noteburnspotoncardboardtarget)
(From:MichaelAndrus(andrus@ccountry.net).)
Massild'sCarbonDioxideLaser(flankedbycopperbromide,andrubyLasersnoteuseofcommon
plumbingformostofthelasertube!)
DescriptionsandmanyadditionalphotosusedtobefoundoMassild'sLaserProjectPagebutithasdisappeared.
HomeBuiltCO2LaserDescription
TheCO2lasersin"LightanditsUses"andtheIanninibook[3]areverysimilar.Theycanbebuiltwithouta
needforrealglassworking(thoughtheIanniniversiondoescallforsome)andWILLproduceWATTSofbeam
powerat10.6um.
ThesummarybelowisfortheCO2laserfrom"LightanditsUses".Alsoseethesection:IanniniCO2Laser
Description.
RefertoTypicalHomeBuiltCarbonDioxideLaserAssemblyforasimplifieddiagramoftheoverallglasswork
andpowersupplyelectronics.
Levelofdifficulty(ratedL=low,M=medium,H=high):
OverallLtoM.
GlassworkLornone.
FabricationM.
Vacuum/gashandling.L.
Powersupply.L.
Additionalapparatus(alignmentjig,etc.)L.
Risks(highvoltage,toxicchemicals,etc.)M
Lasingwavelength(s)10,600nm(10.6umfarIR).Outputat9.6umwhichisalsoquitestrongmaybe
possible(orachievedaccidentally).However,withoutfancyequipment,thereisprobablynoeasywayto
tell!
Resonator:
Type/lasingmediumLowpressuremixtureofCO2,N2,andHe.
Borediameter25.4mm(1inch),borelength45.7cm(18inches).
Totaltubelength(tomirrorsurfaces)Approximately60cm.
TubematerialBorosilicateglass.
ElectrodesColdcathodetypeformedbymirrormount/bellowsassembliesatendsoftube.Note:
Theelectricaldischargewillgraduallyeatawayatthenegativeelectrodesoitmaybedesirableto
useseparatehighcurrent(200mA)neonsignelectrodesintheirowninsulatedmountsseparate
fromthemirrormountsorfusedintosidearmsofthemaindischargetubeaswiththeIanniniCO2
Laser.(Seethesection:IanniniCO2LaserDescription.)Idonotknowhowquicklythisbecomesan
issue.
GasfillMixtureofCO2,N2,andHe(1:2:8appearstobeoptimalwherethepartialpressureofHe
is4Torr).Pressuremayrangefrom1and20Torr.(Asmallerdiameter,e.g.,1/2inch,tubewillrun
athigherpressures.)Thelaserwillwork(butnotaswell)withoutHeusinga1:2ratioofCO2:N2.
TheCO2iswhatactuallylasesbuttheothergasesareneededtoefficientlyexcitetheCO2.Seethe
chapteronCO2lasersformoreinfo.
CO2canbeeasilyobtainedfromdryiceN2fromfilteredair(despitethepresenceofO2andother
tracegases)apparentlyworkswellenough.
Unlessyouhaveyourheartsetonexperimentingwithvariousgasratiosorothergases,theuseof
commercialCO2lasermixreallyisthebestwaytogoasiteliminatesthehassleandexpenseofa
fancygasmixing/meteringmanifoldandthethreeseparatesourcesofgases.CO2lasermixis
readilyavailablefromgassuppliers.Seethesection:SourcesofSpecialPartsandSuppliesforthe
HomeBuiltCO2Laser.
Estimatedgasconsumptionisroughly.1liter/hourofheliumperwattofoutputpower.Theamount
oftheN2andCO2thenscaleswiththeirfillratio.Alloftheseflowratesarereferencedtostandard
temperatureandpressure(20C,1atmosphere).So,a50WCO2laserwillrequireroughly0.625
liter/hourofCO2,1.25l/hrofN2,and5.0l/hrofHeassumingthe1:2:8gasfillratiosorabout
6.875l/hrofCO2lasermix.Thesegasflowratesdon'tsoundlikemuchuntilyourealizethatthey
willbealmost200timesgreaterat4Torrbutofcoursethegasusageisstillthatrelativelylow
number!:)
CoolingAluminumwaterjacket(12incheslongby2inchdiametercenteredonplasmatube)with
flowingtapwater.(GlassorPlexiglascouldhavealsobeenused.)
CouplingIntegraltotubeviametalbellowsand3screwadjustments.
MirrorsHR:Coppercoated,concave,f>=twicethedistancebetweenthemirrors(about112cm)
OC:Germaniumorholeinglass(2.5mm,!!)andIRtransparentwindowofNaCl(rocksalt!),
CaCl,KCl,orBaFlbutnotethatallofthesearehygroscopicwaterabsorbingsomustbestored
withadesiccanttokeepthemdryandinanenvironmentoflessthan35percentrelativehumidityat
alltimes),planar.(Germaniumispreferredbutmaybeexpensive.)Threescrewadjustablemirror
mountsarepartofendelectrodebellowsassembly.AlignmentusingHeNelaseroravarietyof
othertechniques.
Totalresonatorlength(mirrortomirror)Approximately56cm.
Vacuumsystem:
RequirementsLowtomedium.Asalvagedrefrigerationcompressor(usingthesuctionside)may
begoodenoughaslongasitcanachievethevacuumneededforoperation(goingalotlowerisn'tas
criticalwiththeflowinggasdesign).Seethesectionsstartingwith:SalvagedRefrigeration
CompressorsasVacuumPumps.However,aconventionalrotarytwostagepumpwouldbe
preferred(asinglestage'disto'pumpshouldalsowork.
FlowingThegasmixtureandflowratecanbeadjustedtooptimizeperformance.Thegassupply
tankwillneedalowpressureregulatorfollowedbyametering(needle)valvetothelasertube.At
theotherendofthetubeisanothermeteringvalvegoingtothevacuumpump.
Theideaisn'ttopumpCO2lasermixthroughthetubefastaspossiblebuttomaintainacontrollable
pressureinsidethetubewithaslowflowrate.Thegasdoesn'tget"usedup"thatquicklybythe
laser.Thinkofthepressurereguatorandvacuumpumpasanidealvoltagesourceswiththegas
pressureregulator,tube,andmeteringvalvesasresistors.Thereshouldbeaconstantflow(current)
throughthetubeandnearlyconstantvoltage(pressure)acrossthetube.Thus,theresistanceofthe
tubeshouldbelowcomparedwiththatoftherestofthesystem.
PressureSupplyLaserVacuumVacuum
GasSupply=>Regulator=>Metering=>Tube=>Metering=>Pump==>Exhaust
ValveValve
V1o/\/\/\/\/\/\oV2
R1R2R3
Specialchemicals/suppliesrequired(otherthangases)MaterialstoperformthecoppercoatingoftheHR
mirrorifneeded,desiccantstokeeptheOCcouplerwindowsdry,etc.
Excitation/Pumping:
Type(electrical/optical)PulsatingDCelectricaldischarge.
Powersupply12,000VRMS,100mAneonsigntransformerandVariacwithbridgerectifier
(unfiltered).Asetof8microwaveovenHVdiodes(2foreachlegofthebridge)canprobablybe
used.Or,astackof1N4007s.TherequiredPRVratingisabout18kV(assumingyourVariaconly
goesto115VAC).
D1
Ho+T1T2++|>|+oHV+
)||||=||(||
Variac)<+||||(|D2|
0115V)||)||||(+||>|+
15A)||NeonSign)||||(||
)||Transformer)||||++||
++12kV,100mA)||||(|||D3
|)||||(||+|<|+
No++||||(|||
||=||(||D4|
||+|+|<|+oHV
|||
Go+++
_|_
////
ThelasercanbeoperatedonhalfwaverectifiedDCwithabouthalftheoutputpowermakingfora
verysimplepowersupply.Itcanalsobeoperatedontherawoutputoftheneonsigntransformer
(AC)buttheefficiencyandmaximumpoweroutputmaybelower(thoughitisn'tentirelyclearwhy
thisshouldbethecasesincethedischargecurrentisvaryinginthesamemannerforbothcases).
Evenalowcurrentoilburnerignitiontransformer(typically8to10kVat15to20mA)orsmaller
neonsigntransformerwillbeadequatefortestingofshortertubes.
WiththeadditionofsomefilteringandaballastresistancetoabasicrectifiedDCpowersupply,the
nearlyoptimalcurrentcouldbemaintainedcontinuouslyboostingefficiencyandpoweroutput.To
achieveastabledischarge,aballastresistorof100Kormorewillbeneeded.Basedonitsresistance
andthetubecurrent,thepowerdisspationwilllikelyneedtobe100Wormore.Aseries/parallel
combinationoflowervaluelowerwattageresistorswillbethebestoptionforitsconstruction.A
moresophisticatedalternativetothehugeballastresistorisaregulatorbutdoingthisintheHV
outputwouldpresentsomesignificantchallenges,tosaytheleast.:)MostmodernCO2laserDC
powersuppliesareswitchmodehighfrequencyinvertersusingpulsewidthmodulationto
implementtheregulationcircuitry.
OnceafilteredDCsupplyisused,astarterlikeahighpowerversionofthatusedformodernHeNe
lasertubeswillberequired.SeetheHeNepowersupplyinformationinthesectionsbeginningwith:
StartersVoltageMultiplier,Pulse,Inverter,Piezo.
Also,seethesectionsstartingwith:PowerSupplyComponentsforadditionalcommentsrelatingto
theelectricalcharacteristicsofCO2lasers.
Manyvariationsarepossibletothisbasicdesignbeyondimprovingthepowersupply.Theseincludechangesto
theresonatordiameterandlengththeadditionand/orsubstitutionofothergases,ratios,andpressuresand
betteroptics.Withtherelativelynoncriticalvacuumrequirementseaseofmirroralignment,makingthesesorts
ofmodificationsshouldbefairlypainless.
However,don'tgooverboardatleastnotonyourfirstattempt.Keepitrelativelysmall,simple,andgetitto
work!OnceyouhaveafunctioningCO2laser,itwillberelativelyeasytoscaleitup.However,asthetube
lengthisincreased,thepowersupplyvoltagemayneedtobeboostedaswell.A15kVneonsigntransformer
maynotbeabletopowera1meterdischargetube(around0.8meterappearstobethelimit)reliablyoverthe
pressurerangerequiredforCO2laseroperation.Ifyouarereallyinterestedinhigherpowerlasers,considera
designusingasplitdischargetube.Seethesection:Steve'sNotesonBoostingCO2LaserPowerandQuality
Construction.
SourcesofSpecialPartsandSuppliesfortheHomeBuiltCO2Laser
Fortunately,thereareavarietyofsourcesfortheoptics(windowsandmirrors)andothercomponentsrequired
forthehomebuiltCO2laser.
LasertubefabricationAsnotedelsewhere,fancyglasswork(thoughprobablyavailablebypayingfor
timeandmaterialsorbeingnicetoalocalneonsignshopifyouaren'tableorwillingtodoityourself)
canbeavoidedentirelyusingvariousOringtypejoints,flanges,aswellasEpoxyorRTVSiliconefor
adhesives.Commoncoppertubingandsolderedfittingscanbeusedforvacuumandgaslinesaswellas
fortheelectrodes,withPVCpipeforthewaterjacket.Infact,whileIhaven'ttriedthis,Iwouldeven
venturetosuggestthatthedischargetubecouldbeconstructedfromclearPlexiglas/Lucite/Acrylicplastic
ifproperlycooledsincethevacuumrequirementsaremodest(sooutgassingfromresinsandsoforth
shouldn'tbeaproblem).Thus,therearemanyoptionsforthetubeitself.
(From:SteveHardy(hardy@sweng.stortek.com).)
"CO2lasersoperateatlowtemperature,soevensodaglasscouldbeused.Mostpeopleopt
forborosilicate,sinceit'squitecheapandhasbetterheatresistance(lessthermalexpansion).
Aquickbackoftheenvelopecalculationshowsthatthetemperatureontheinsideofa
typicalaxialflowCO2laserisonly20Cabovethecoolingwatertemperature.Nevertheless,
theremaybehotspots(e.g.,attheends)whichmaybeenoughtocracksodaglass.
Regardingothermaterials(notablyplastic),thesecouldbeusedbuthavethedisadvantageof
lowerthermalconductivity,lowerstiffness,andhigherpricethanglass.Fusedquartz,alumina
orberylliumoxidecouldbeused,buttheperformancegainwouldnotbeworththeenormous
expense."
Manypeopleaskaboutwheretogetthebellowsusedtojointhemirrormountstothedischargetube.
While,theseareavailablefromvariousindustrialsupplyandopticscompanies,theywillbeexpensive.
However,thereareavarietyoflowtechalternativesincludingflexiblewaterornaturalgaslinereadily
availableandlowcostatyourcornerhardwarestoreorhomecenter.Tobereasonablyflexible,thesemay
havetobelongerthanarealbellows,butthenyourmirrorswillbefurtherawayfromthebulkofthe
dischargeandlesslikelytosufferfromsputteringdamage!
(From:MichaelAndrus(andrus@ccountry.net).)
"Forthebellows,Iusedpiecesofflexablemetalgasline.Youcangetthisatahardwarestore
forafewdollarsasopossedto$40eachforrealbellows.Thisavoidsthealignmentproblems
withanOringonlydesign."
OpticsAmetalcoated(e.g.,copperorgold)mirrorcanbeusedfortheHRbutspecialmaterialsmustbe
usedforthepartiallyreflectingOCsincemostcommonmaterialsareopaqueattheCO2laser's10.6um
wavelength.Whiletherearewaysaroundthislikeusingatotallyreflectingmirrorwithaholeinthe
middlecoveredwithanNaCl(salt)orKClwindow(whichreflectsroughly8percentof10.6umlightat
normalincidence),forbestperformance,theOCisoftenmadefromamoreexoticmateriallikezinc
selenide(ZnSe)duetoitslowabsorptionat10.6um.ZnSeisalsousedforBrewsterandotherwindows
thatmustbetransparentto10.6umIR.
TryJanosTechnologiesforinexpensivebutgoodCO2opticsandprofessionaldesignhelp.Othersources
forCO2laseropticsincludeIIVIIncorporatedandDesignResearchOptics.
(From:NathanWhitfield.)
I'vespentthelast7or8monthsworkingonascratchbuiltCO2laser(glassblowingandall)andfinally
onJuly4thgotittolase(myfirstlaser).Thetoughestpartwassourcingtheoptics.Iendedupgetting
themfromDesignResearchOpticsaftertalkingdirectlywiththeownerBruceSunderlandacoupletimes
onthephone.Hewasgreat,gavegoodrecommendations,andthe1/2"ZnSeOCwasonly$100and
coatedSiTR(HR)only$50.Cheap,relativelyspeaking.Healsoofferedtogothroughhisboxesof'junk'
whenIgotthelaserupandrunningtoseeiftherewereoldlensesormirrorshecouldgetmeforcheap.
Allaroundgreatexperience,andhecouldn'tcarelessthatIwasahobbyiest,notalargesourceofrevenue
forhim.
(From:Sam.)
Forexternal(e.g.,beamsteering)mirrors,I'veevenheardthattheplattersfromharddrivesworkwell,at
leastatlowtomediumpower.Whiletheseareusuallyveryslightlytexturedtominimizestiction,since
theCO2laserwavelengthisover10timeslongerthanvisible,thisislikelynotaseriousissueanddoesn't
producemuchscatter.However,thisshouldbeconfirmedforthespecificplattersbeingused.
IpurchasedmymirrorsfromDesignResearchOptics,14018857353,Contact:BruceSunderland:
Part#DescriptionPrice

2Z80ZincSelenideoutputcoupler$100.00
1.000"Diax0.120"Thick
TRCC1012S10ESSiliconTotalReflector$80.00
EnhancedSilver,1.000"Diam.
x0.120"Thick,10mradius.
MeredithInstrumentscurrent(March,1999)hassomeCO2opticsatveryreasonableprices($49eachfor
ZnSeHRandOC,ZnSelens,andsiliconmirror).CheckouttheirMiscellaneousLaserPartspage.
(From:Sam.)
Here'sanothercompanythatlistsCO2laseropticsbuttheyprobablyaren'tcheap:LaserResearchOptics.
ThefollowingmayalsobeusefulthoughIdon'tknowifhehasanythingotherthanlenses(e.g.,mirrors)
orsmallerquantitypricingbutitwon'thurttoask:
(From:MubashirKhan(MubashirAK@aol.com).)
IwouldliketooffermyservicesforsuchpeoplewhoneedinexpensiveZnSeoptics.Mymanufacturer
canproducesuchcomponentsinsmallquantitiesalso.Thisofferisprimarilyforamateursandhobbiests
butotherscanalsobenefit.Asanexample,IhaveZnSeplanoconvexandplanoconcavelensesstartingat
US$55/piecefor5pieces.FormoredetailIcanbecontactedviaemail.IamwithMnAOptiks,Postfach
1224,64560Riedstadt,Germany.Phone:+496158915696,Fax:+49403603763573.
(From:3jl(jjjimenez@terra.es).)
Theconstructionofamirrorforalaserisnotaneasywork.
1.Usually,theradiusofcurvaturemustbegreaterthan10metersnearlyplanar,butnotquite.
2.Thebestmaterialsfor10.6umarecopperandsilver(Ihavedoneexperimentswithbronzewith
goodresults.Goldisgoodaswell,butveryexpensive.)
3.Thesematerialseasilyoxidize.So,youmustdepositaprotectionlayer.Withoutprotection,the
reflectionwillneverbemorethan96%.Youneed99%ormore.
So,commercialmirrorsaremadeofgoldwithseverallayersofZnSeandNaF(orBaF)viasputtering,and
haveareflectancegreaterthan99.5%.Theproblemisthecost.
IhavebeenabletosolvethoseproblemsbuyingthemirrorsinEbay.Makeasearchwith"CO2LASER".
Youcouldgetasurprise.
PowersupplyAneonsigntransformerreallyisthebestoptionforabasicpowersupply.Forasmall
CO2laser,anoilburnerignitiontransformer(typically8to10kV,10to30mA)mightsuffice.Other
typesofcommonhighvoltagesourcessuchastheoneinyourcomputermonitororlargescreenTVreally
don'thavethecurrentcapabilityrequiredforaCO2laser.Soleavethemalone.:)
ForoperationonDC,abridgeorfullwaverectifiercanbeconstructedfrommicrowaveovenHVdiodes
(typically12to15KPRV,.5A).Dependingontheoutputofyourtransformer,either1or2willbe
requiredinseriesforeachrectifier(1.414*VRMSminimumPRV).Ifyougetthemfromthesamelot
number,equalizingcomponentsareprobablynotneededwhere2areinseries.Electronicsserviceparts
placeslikeMCMElectronicsandDalbaniusuallysellreplacementdiodesforabout$2each.Ifcourseif
youwanttoconstructyourown,astackof1N4007swillbeevencheaper.Seethesection:Standardand
CustomHVRectifiersformoreinformation.
Inaddition,ifyouwanttodriveyourtubewithfilteredDC,smoothingcapacitorsaswellashighpower
ballastresistorswillbeneeded.Electronicsdistributorsorelectronicssurplusoutfitsarethemostlikely
sourceforthese.Ofcourse,youcouldgetreallyfancyandaddacurrentregulator.Thereissome
discussionofthisinthechapter:CarbonDioxideLasersandsomecircuitsthatmaybeusefulasastarting
pointcanbefoundinthechapter:HeNeLaserPowerSupplyDesign.However,thesearefortheadvanced
course.:)
CoolingIfyouwanttoforgotapwateranduseaclosedloopcoolingsystem,youwillneedaheat
exchangerofsomesortandacirculatingpump.Ahighaflowrateisnotrequiredbutmakesurewhatever
youusedoesn'tleakashighvoltageelectricityandwaterdon'tmixverywell!Surplusplaces,scrap,
salvage,andjunkyardsshouldprovideeverythingyouneed.
Notethatifthecoolantcomesincontactwiththeelectrodes,itneedstobenonconductive.Distilledwater
maybeacceptable.Mineraloilisanexcellentinsulator(ifkeptdry)aswellandoftenusedforcooling
transformersandotherelectricalequipmentbutisflammable.However,itisn'tperfect:
(From:JohnDeArmond(johngd@bellsouth.net).)
Disadvantagesofmineraloil:Lowerheatcapacitythanwater,abithardertopump,flammable,softens
somepolymers,itisconductivewhencontaminatedwithmoisture,maypolymerizeundertheinfluenceof
UVfromthedischargetube,especiallyifthereareanyparaffinicfractionsintheoil,doesn'tmagicallydry
upwhenyoukickacanofitover.:)I'dcertainlyusetransformeroilifIwentthatroutebutyoustillneed
tokeepitdry.
Foracirculatingpump,it'shardtobeatacarbonatorpump.Aroundhere,theusedrestaurantequipment
placespracticallygivethemaway.Cokewillputfountainsinrestaurantsandthenwhentherestaurant
goesoutofbusiness,they'lleithernotgetthefountainatallorelsethey'lljustgettheheadandleavethe
rest.Inanyevent,carbonatorsarerunningouttheyingyangaroundhere.Theyusuallycomecomplete
witha1galstainlesssteeltank.
Thelittlesubmersiblepumpslacktheheadpressureyouneedtoforceameaningfulflowthroughtubing.
Thesethingsaretypicallyratedforonly20feetofheadorsoandthatisonlyafewPSI.Thepumpwill
churnandfrothandlooklikeit'sworkingbutit'snot.youreallyneedapositivedisplacementpump.If
youcan'tfindacarbonatorpump,anotheroptionistheperistalticpump.Thisisthefamiliar"rollerand
rubbertubing"meteringpump.Thesethingsarecheapenoughtobethrowaways.Indeed,I'vehadseveral
differentvendorsinmyrestaurantforgreasecuttingenzymedraintreatment.Eachvendorinstallsa
peristalticpumptometertheenzyme.AndwhentheyletthereservoirgetemptyandIfire'emfornot
servicingit,theyneverbothertocomegetthepump.Ihaveseveralontheshelf.What'sreallyniceabout
thesepumpsistubingcanbehadforalmostanymedia.Siliconerubberistypicallyusedbutifyouwantto
pumpsomethingreallygnarly,anytubingthatisreasonablyflexiblewillwork.
(From:SteveRoberts.)
The25to50WSharplanlasersusea22litreperminuteplasticpumpmadeinGermanybyacompany
calledEheim(model1060).It'sgotanonconductivecaseandrotorbutisnotselfpriming.Theyhavea1
literreservoirabovethepumptokeepaconstantlevelinthesystem.Theradiatorusedisa6"by8"unit
with3layersoffins,1/4"tubinginthecore,anda200cfmfan.
GasFlowThisreferstobothpressureregulatorsandflowmeters.
Checktherestaurantsupplyoutfitsnearyou.Justlikethecarbonatorpumps,CO2regulatorsregularlyget
tossedwhentheoldfountaingetsyanked.AcoupleofyearsagoIwalkedinoneofmyfavoriteused
restaurantequipmentplacesandfoundalargeboxofregulatorslabeledtogotothebrassscrapyard.I
boughthalfadozenfortheirscrapvalue.(No,don'twanttosellany.:($5isthemaximumI'dpayfor
one.ChangetheCGAnippleandawaywego.
Forafairlycheap($20to$35)flowmeter,checkouteitheryourlocalweldingequipmentsupplieror
companieslikeOMEGAEngineering,Inc..
CO2LaserMixThebestwaytogetgasforyourCO2laseristobuyitfromyourlocalwelding/medical
supplycompanyinpressurizedcylindersalreadyfilledwiththeoptimalproportionsofCO2,N2,andHe.
Thekillerisinitialexpensesinceyoumustincludetherentalorpurchaseofthecylinderandthecostof
therequiredpressureregulators.Allsoseethesection:MoreonObtainingGases.
Theuseofpremixedgasalsodoesn'tallowyoutoeasilyexperimentwithchanginggasesorthepartial
pressuresofeachgas.Theobviouswayaroundthisistoprovideseparatetanksforeachpossiblegasand
amixingmanifold.Needlesstosay,thecosts,complexity,anddifficultiesincontrollingandmonitoring
gasflowcanquicklygetwayoutofhand.
Ifyoureallydon'twanttoinvestinofficialCO2lasermixorhighpressuretanks,regulators,gauges,and
meteringvalves,therearealternatives,atleasttogetyourlasergoinginitially:CO2fromachemical
reaction(e.g.,vinegarandbakingsoda!),CO2cartridges,orseltzermakersnitrogenfromtheair,and
heliumfrompartyballoontanks.Dependingonwhatyouendupwith,gascompositionandpuritymaybe
somewhathitormiss,butCO2lasersarefairlyforgiving.Aslongasyouusedecentopticsthatarefairly
wellmatchedtoyourlasertubelength,thereisanexcellentchanceofgettingthelasertowork,though
probablyatmuchlessthanopticalperformance:
However,somecompaniesmaychargealotforasingletankofCO2lasermix:
(From:CurtGraber(cgraber@fwi.com).)
Sadtosaybutmostofthelargercorporategassupplycompanieswanttohaveabottleamonth
relationshipmin.andifyousoundlikeyouhaveneverleased/purchasedatankpreviouslythey
automaticallygointounobtaniummodeandpricing.
doingyourownmixisagreatopportunitytotuneyourresonatorforit'stastesingasmixbutwillnotsave
youanymoneyatallasyouneedasignificantlybiggermanifoldsetupandprecisionmeterstocorrectly
(readrepeatably)setupthemixasthegasisdepletedfromeachreservoiratdifferentworkingpressures
andvolumes.
Mysuggestionistofindasecondhandmedicallasersupplierandbuyafullormostlyfulltankofpremix
thatwasa"removedfrommedicallyobsolete"flowinggaslaser,therearealotofthemoutonthemarket!
andthebottlestypicallygetthrowngentlyontheshelftoawaitanotherlifetimeandorlifestylesuchas
yourapplication.
Ifyoudon'thaveanysecondhandmedicalequipmentsuppliersinyourareascourtheinternetforafind
closetohomeasyouwillwanttolikelyalsoseetheirotherwaresstrippedfromsimilarunits.
(Portionsfrom:JohnDeArmond(johngd@bellsouth.net).)
GeneratingtheCO2chemicallycouldbekindofnastyunlessyoucameupwithsomesortofdrying
scheme.Notonlymaywatervaporinterferewithlasing,thecoatingonsomeopticsorthebasematerial
itselfmaybedamagedbyexcessivemoisture.
WhynotusetheCO2cartridgesforpelletgunsorseltzerwaterbottles?Youcanbuyaseltzerwater
makeratthelocalkitchennotionsstoreforunder$10.It'llpunctureaCO2cartridgeandbleeditintoa
pintmetalbottle.Ifyouvacuumthebottlebeforehandyou'llendupwithcleanCO2atareasonable
pressure.
Alternatively,Ionlypay$10fora20poundtankofliquifiedCO2fromCokeforthefountaininmy
restaurant.That'shighcomparedtowhatIcouldgetitforifIownedthetank.Cokechargesnorentaland
onlya$30deposit.Ifyouhaveafavoriterestaurant,perhapsyoucouldgettheownertosellyouatankof
CO2.Anotherpossibilityisapartyshop.Partyshopsaroundheresellponykegsofbeer(about1/3the
sizeofaregularkeg)andloanthetapper(withadeposit)thatconsistsofthefittingstothekeg,the
dispensingheadandasmallCO2tank(about3pounds,I'dguestimate).Evenifyouhavetobuythekeg
ofbeer,lifecouldbeworse!:)
Asforcheaphelium,aroundhere,WalMartsellsapartykitthatcontainsa30poundFreoncylinderfilled
withHeandsomeballoonsforabout$20.OK,soyourreallydon'tneedtheballoons.:)Someoftheparty
storescarryittoobuttheychargemore.Sinceit'sastandardFreontank,ithasastandardSAE1/4"flare
refrigerationfitting.Youcanattacheitherarefrigerationservicehoseorsimplya1/4"flaredcoppertube.
Thetankispressurizedtoabout275poundssothere'squiteabitofheliuminitandtheheliumispretty
pure.Iusethosetanksinmyneonshopforheliumflushgasonmypumpingmanifold.Thisisaboutthe
cheapestheliumonecanget,particularlywhenyoufigureinthelackofacylinderrental(orpurchase).
Afewsuggestions:
Ijustgaveaway2medicalsurplustanksat3/4thsfulltoalocalartistforhislasercarvingexperimentsas
I'mnotaCO2person.Ipaid$50atankforoneandtheotherwasonthelaserIscrapped.Whenmyartist
friendaskedaskedmewhattherefillcostwas,Icalledamedicallaserfriendandhesaid,outthedoor
costwithnewtankandfulltankownershipinSt.Louisfromhislocalgassupplierwas$140andtax.Now
whathehasisalocalmoreindependentgascompanythatbuysbulkandblendstheirownmixes,instead
ofabignationalchain.I'dfindsuchaplace,theydoexist,goseeeminperson,notonthephone,present
areasonableappearanceandiftheyaskyouwhatpartialpressuresyouthinkyouneed,beabletoanswer
them.Ibetyouscoreatankcheap.
Usuallylasergasisconsideredahighpuritymixandtheyneedtovacuumoutthetank,weighit,specially
cleanit,thenmassspectrometercertifyit,etc.Forareallypreciselablaserorsealedservice,Icouldseeit
needingthatkindofpreparation.Butwhatmybuddydoesishavethelocalplacedothemixonanormal
fairlycleantankbypressureandpercentages.Theyhavenoproblemsandthelaserworksjustfine.
SoI'deithertalktothebiomedengineersatyourlocalhospitalorfindausedSharplantankfroma
medicalresellerorfindamorereasonablegasplace.
However,ifyou'remixingyourowngases,foraflowinggaslaser,normal99.999%tankgasisfine.The
peoplewhotankthegaswon'tcertifyitas99.999%butthat'swhatitis,andusuallybetter.Afewpartsper
millionofimpuritieswon'thurtyou.But,sealedofflasersareawholedifferentmatter.
UnlessyouhaveamonsterofaCO2orareindailyproduction,theunitjustsipsgas,especiallyifyouadd
thesolenoidthatkicksoffthegasaftertheregulatorwhentheplasmaisoff.
Thelocal5kWCO2jobshopburnsonebigsizeStankeveryfourtoeighthours.Ifsomebodydoeslaser
cuttingintown,hitemupforatankattheirrateplusalittleextra.Ifyouhaveonenearby,theyprobably
willhelpyououtonceortwice,asthemoretheybuythecheaperitgets!Butwatchoutfordemurrage
charges,whichiswhenatanksitstoolongatoneplace.
Settingupablendingstationat1to10Torrfinalpressuresisarealpainintheneck,mostneedlevalves,
eventhemicrometerones,arenotthatgood,andIdohighvacuumaspartofmyliving.Justadjustingthe
finalpressureneedlevalveonaflowgasisadog.CO2sdolaseoverabroadpressurerange.Youcanbe
bothtoolowandtoohighandstillgetabout1/2theratedpower,butthesweetspotdoesvarysomewhat
withcurrent.
Iactuallygotsomelasingonceusingaweldingshieldingargon/CO2mixandblendinginnitrogen,but
1.5wattsoutofa60watttubewaskindofdisappointing.:)
(From:TomMiller(tmiller@umaryland.edu).)
IpickeduponeoftheHetanksfromWalMarttoday$15.19includingtax.Thistankisthesizeofthe15
poundfreontanksusuallyfoundinautomotiveshops.Ithinkifweusedthesebyaddingasmallamount
ofco2,only4to5%morepressure,andbleedingairinfortheN2/O2,itshouldmakeforacheapsetup.
(From:SarlockT.Icedragon(sarlock@twcny.rr.com).)
Icheckedalocalcompanyouthereandtheywillsellmea20poundCO2tank,andthefirstfillwith
custommixisonthem(ifthetankisboughtfromthemofcourse).Forthistheyaskatotalof$117.
Thatsoundslikeaprettygoodpriceifhe'sactuallysellingyouanewtank.Particularlyifitisan
aluminumone.(Luxoristhemostpopularbrandofaluminumtank.)
HerearesomeadditionalcommentsonCO2gasmix.
Agasfillingstationcannotlegallyfillatankownedbyacompetitor.Manygascompanieswill"sell"
(actuallyaonetimecharge)youatank.Thetankwillhavetheirnameonthecollarandtheytakethe
emptyandgiveyouafulloneeachtime.Asisobvious,afterthefirstfilling,younolongerpossessthe
sameserialnumberedtankasislistedonyour"purchase"receipt.Thereisnoproblemuntilyoutakethat
tankandtrytogetitrefilledatacompetitor'sstation.Whenthecompetitorseesanothercompany'sneck
ringonthetankandthetankserialnumberdoesnotmatchthereceiptyoubringalong,theytypically
refusetofillit.Oriftheydo,theywillnotdoatankexchangeandinsteadsendyourtankoffforfilling.
Thatmeansyouhavetowaitforittobefilled.
Ifyouactuallybuythetank,theneckringwillbeblank.Youcanstampyournameonitifyouwish.Your
tank'sserialnumberwillmatchtheoneonyoursalesreceipt.Yourtankwillbesenttotothespecialtygas
supplierofyourchoice,filledandreturned.
Allthatisrequiredtogetanytankfilledis(1)proofofownership(salesreceiptdoesjustfine)and(2)
currenthydro(dateisstampedonthecylinder).Sincelasergasisaspecialtygas,onewon'tbebuyingit
fromthelocalweldingsupplystoresotheissueofswappinganemptytankforafulloneversussending
thecustomerownedtankoffforfillingdoesn'tarise.
Youdon'tneedafancyexpensiveregulator.AMIGgasregulatorislessthan$50atTractorSupplyand
otheroutfitsthatselltheCenturywelderandallofitsprivatelabelversions.Aheliumballoonfilleris
evencheaper.CO2lasergasislotech,unlikesomeothertypesoflasersthatrequireverypuregas.
Asforshipping,ifyouhavetoUPSit,putitinabox,labelitascompressedgasandship.UPSchargesa
hazardousmaterialssurchargebecauseitishighpressure(andbecausetheycan).
(From:SteveHardyhardy@sweng.stortek.com).)
Thetypicalratioof1:2:8ofCO2,N2andHerespectivelywassuggestedbyLindeGaswhosuppliedmy
mix.Thepreciseratiois9:18:73,andisexpressedintermsofpartialpressure.Inpractice,thisisfairly
closetothemolarratio(sincemostgasesat1atmand20degC,areabout1moleper22.4litres).
Pleasedon'tworryaboutprecision.10%deviationeitherwayinanyofthecomponentsisnotgoingto
makeanoticeabledifferenceatleastnottousamateurs.
YoumayhearofdifferentratiosbeingusedinvariouscircumstancesusuallytheamountofHeisvaried.
Forexample,alowerratioofHeisusedinaTEACO2laser.Youcanevenrunyourlaserwith1:1
CO2:N2andnoHe,withreducedefficiency.
(From:Sam.)
SeeSpectraGases'CO2LaserMixturesPageforsometypicalpercentages.
(From:MarkDinsmore(tango@coolmail.net).)
IfoundwhatmightbeanothersourceforCO2.Wehavealocalpaintballsuppliesstore,andIboughta12
ouncebottleofCO2andvalve,full,forabout$40.12ouncesofCO2isaLOTofgas,andarefillisonly
$2.00.Isawtheguyfillitfromastandardfullsizesiphontank,soIbelievethatitisreasonablypure.I'm
sureit'snotresearchgrade,butI'mhopingit'sgoodenough.
Alsoseethesection:CO2LaserConstructionReferencesandLinks.
GuidelinestoAssureaSuccessfulHomeBuiltCO2Laser
ThesesetofguidelinesshouldbefollowedduringconstructionofyourfirsthomebuiltCO2laser.Thefactors
belowwillgreatlyinfluencetheultimateoutputpower,beamquality,andwhetheritproducesanycoherentlight
atall!FortheCO2laser,whichisquiteforgiving,increasingthelengthofthetubemodestly(uptoatotal
dischargelengthofabout3/4meter)toboostoutputpowercanprobablybedonewithminimalriskaslongas
theopticsandpowersupplyaremodifiedaccordingly.Onceyouhaveaworkinglaser,feelfreetomakeother
modificationsoneatatime.
Obtainproperlaserresonatormirrors.WhileitmaybepossibletomakeCO2lasermirrorsinyour
basementassuggestedintheSciAmarticle,thisreallywon'tresultinoptimalperformanceandwill
complicateyourefforts.Ofcourse,thatwouldresultinamorefromscratchlaserifthat'swhatyouare
after.TheHRshouldhaveashighareflectivityaspossibleat10.6umandcanbeeithermetalor
dielectric.TheoptimalreflectivityandRoCoftheOCwilldependonthetubedesign.ForhomebuiltCO2
lasers,theOCreflectivitywilltypicallybebetween75%to95%withtheRoCofbothmirrorsranging
fromverylongtoplanar.Seethesection:UsefulFormulasforCO2LaserOptics.
MirrorssalvagedfromcommercialCO2laserswillbesatisfactoryiftheirRoCandreflectivitiesare
compatiblewithyourtubelengthandtheyareingoodcondition.(CO2mirrorsaresubjecttoboth
degradationduringuseduetohighphotonfluxandfrommoisture/waterdamagewhileinstorage.)
UseanHeNeorcollimateddiodelasertoperformthemirroralignment.ThewideboreCO2laserisalot
lesscriticalaboutthisthananarrowboreHeNeorionlasersoyoushouldbeabletodothisquicklyand
painlessly.Dotheinitialalignmentonceeverythingisassembledbutbeforeactuallyevacuatingthe
systemandfillingitwilltheCO2gasmixture.Then,you'llbeallsettolase.
UsepremixedCO2lasergasdon'tcomplicatemattersbytryingtocomeupwithyourownmagic
formula,atleastnotinitially.
Foranexampleofassembly,powersupplies,alignment,vacuumandgashandling,andoperation,see:
AssemblyandOperationManualforaFlowingGasCO2LaserbyRobConway.Hesellskitsofpartsfor
aflowinggasCO2laser(currentlya35Wsystem)butthemanualisgenerallyusefulforanyhomebuilt
flowinggasCO2laserandmaygiveyousomeideasaswell.AlsohisWebsiteatEmissionTechnologies.
Makesureyouread,understand,andfollowALLtheSAFETYguidelinesfoundinthesection:Home
BuiltCO2LaserSafety.
OtherExamplesofHomeBuiltCO2Lasers
IanniniCO2LaserDescription
ThesummarybelowisfortheCO2laserprojectfrom"BuildyourownworkingFiberoptic,Infrared,andLaser
SpaceAgeProjects"byRobertE.Iannini.Seethesection:CO2LaserConstructionReferencesandLinks.
AlthoughgenerallysimilartotheCO2laserfrom"LightanditsUses"(seethesection:HomeBuiltCO2Laser
Description,itismorethantwiceaslongandshouldthereforebecapableofmuchhigherpoweroperation.
Someglassworkingisspecified(thoughthiscouldeasilybeavoidedwithminimaldesignchanges)andthe
powersupplyhasmorefrills(butisonlyACinsteadofDCandthereforewillnotbeasefficient).
Levelofdifficulty(ratedL=low,M=medium,H=high):
OverallLtoM.
GlassworkM.
FabricationM.
Vacuum/gashandling.L.
Powersupply.M.
Additionalapparatus(HeNelaserforalignment,etc.)L.
Risks(highvoltage,toxicchemicals,etc.)M
Lasingwavelength(s)10,600nm(10.6umfarIR).
Resonator:
Type/lasingmediumLowpressuremixtureofCO2,N2,andHe.
Borediameter5/8inchID,borelength27inches.
Totaltubelength30inches.
Tubematerialborosilicate(Pyrex)glass.
ElectrodesColdcathodetype(rated200mAsealedinPyrex)fusedintosidearms.
GasfillCO2lasermix:9.5%CO2,13.5%N2,and77%He(LindeGas).
CoolingPVCwaterjacket(30incheslongby3inchdiameterwithflowingtapwater.
CouplingIntegraltotubeviametalbellowsand3screwadjustments.
MirrorsHR:Silicon,99.5%reflecting,concave,f=10metersOC:Zincselenide(ZnSe),80%
reflecting,planar.(ThepartslistalsocallsforaGaAsfocusinglens,meniscus,f=125mm.)All
opticsare25mmdiameter.
Totalresonatorlength(mirrortomirror)Approximately34inches.
Vacuumsystem:
RequirementsMedium.Mustbecapableofachieving1TorrorlesssuchasSargentWelch#1400
twostageor#1399singlestagerotarymaechanicalpump.
FlowingThegasmixtureandflowratecanbeadjustedtooptimizeperformance.
Specialchemicals/suppliesrequired(otherthangases)none.
Excitation/Pumping:
Type(electrical/optical)ACelectricaldischarge.
Powersupply12,000VRMS,60mAneonsigntransformerandVariac.Theremainderofthe
powersupplyisnotessentialfunctionallybutisneededtomeetsafetyrequirements(afterafashion,
atleast).
ChrisChagaris'sCO2LaserandComments
ThemostrewardingpartofbuildingalaserfromscratchisthemoneythatyouDON'Thavetospend.:)The
onlyrealoutlayofcashforsuchasystemisfortheresonantoptics.But,withtheinexpensiveCO2optics
currentlyofferedbyMeredithInstruments,eventhisisveryreasonable.
ThisultimateoperatingpressureofyourCO2laserdependssomewhatonyoufinaldesign.Long,smallbore
plasmatubeswilleffectivelyoperateathigherpressuresthanshorter,fattertubes.Long,relativelysmallbore
CO2lasertubeswilloperateatbetween25and35torr,atbest.
Thehighpressureregulatorsnormallyattachedtocompressedgascylinderswillnotofferthecontrolneededto
accurately'feed'aCO2laser.Needlevalvesmustbeincorporatedinthelinesaftertheregulatorstoadjusteach
separategasflowtothelaserhead.
Therearemuchsimpleroptionsavailableratherthanusingneonsignelectrodesinthistypeoflaser.Whydo
somepeopleinsistonneonsignelectrodeswhentheyarenotreallyneededinasmallslowflowCO2gaslaser?
IfyourlaseristobeoperatedonDCthenallyoureallyneedisashortlengthofcopperorbrasspipeinthe
plasmatubeasacathodeandsimplyasmallloopofwireasananode.
Thereisaneedforamassiveelectrode(copperpipeorsimilar)onthecathodeendofthetube,aselectron/ion
bombardmentwilltendtoheatthisend.Theanodeendonlyrequiresawireloop.Iwouldleavethemethodof
sealingthewireintotheglasstubetothosewithglassworkingskills,astherewouldbemanywaysto
accomplishthis.
Asanexperiment,IrantheCO2laserusinga10,000VDC,30mApowersupply.Ambienttemperaturewas77
F.Thecoolingwaterfortheplasmatubestartedat76F,asIhadnotkeptmychillerpluggedintopowerover
thepastseveralweeks.Afterapproximately45minutesofnormaloperationthecathodeelectrode(theonewe're
concernedwith)wasjustwarmtothetouch(besuretoturnoffpowerforthattest!)andmeasuredjustatadover
100Faccordingtomy'notveryaccurateatthatlowtemperature'temperaturesensor.Don'tworryaboutthisif
youareusingagoodsizedelectrode.
Athreeelectrodeconfigurationdoeshavesomemerits,butonlyifyouhaveaspecialpowersupplydesignedto
properlyoperatethistypeofdesign.Youwouldideallywanttheanodeinthecenterofthetubeandcathodeson
eachend.Thecathodesmustbelargeenoughtodissipatetheheatcreatedbyionbombardmentwhiletheanode
canbemuchsmaller,asthisdoesnotheatupandisbettersuitedtobeinthecenterofthetube.Thissetup
wouldnotbepracticalusinganeonsigntransformer,asthesecondaryhighvoltagewindingsarecentertapped
tocaseground.Moreimportantly,isthatyouwouldnotgainanythingusingasingleNST.Youwouldmerelybe
puttinghalfoftheoutputvoltageoneachhalfoftheplasmatube.Waterjacketconstructionalsobecomesmuch
moredifficultwhendealingwithacenterelectrodetypeconfiguration.
TheeasiestandleastexpensivemethodforattachingtheelectrodestotheCO2plasmatube,whichwillrequire
noglasswork,istousethecopperpipefittingsatbothends.Thiswillalsoallowthosewhowishtooperateon
ACasimplesolution.Thecommoncopperpipefittingsthatareavailableatyourcornerhardwarestorewill
workwellinthisapplication.Withalittlemodificationthesewillalsoprovideportsforvacuumandlasergas.If
youattachalligatorclipstoyourpowersupplyoutputwires,thesecanbeattachedanywhereonthecopper
fittingsforsimplicity.
MycopperfittingsareattachedtotheplasmatubeusinganOringsealandasimpleclampingmethodbuiltfrom
Plexiglasplatesandmachinescrews.TwopartEpoxyisemployedtoattachthefirstPlexiglasplatetothe
outsideendoftheplasmatubeandtoattachtheendofthecopperfittingtothesecondPlexiglasplate.Allthe
screwsareplaced120degreesapart.MirrorsareEpoxiedontothemirroradjustmentplatesandathickOring
willprovidebothavacuumsealandenoughplayformirroradjustment(nobellowsrequired).Thisisavery
simpleandinexpensivemethodwhichworkswellandshouldallowanyonewithareasonableamountof
mechanicalskillstobuildafunctioningCO2laserwithouttheneedforexoticorexpensiveequipment.
IuseastandardCO2lasergasmixof4.5%CO2,13.5%N2,and82%He.Thisiscommonlyavailablefrom
commercialsupplierslikeAirgas,IncwhichiswhereIobtainedmine.Thesecompaniescanusuallyprovide
whatevermixratiosyouspecify.OthermixturesthatIhaveseenthatwillreportedlyworkwellare:8:8:84,
4:28:68,and15:25:60(CO2:N2:Herespectively).Iwouldguessthatexperimentationwithvaryingratioswould
leadyoutothebestmixtouseinyourparticularlaser.
UpdateonChrisChagaris'sCO2LaserandOptimizingSettings
MyoriginalCO2laserandpowersupplyisprettymuchalongthelinesastheScientificAmericanasdescribed
inthesection:HomeBuiltCO2LaserDescription
Ihaverecentlybuiltasmallerandmorecompactpowersupplyforit.Thisconsistsofa9,000volt,30mAneon
signtransformer,manufacturedbytheCanadianfirmofAllanson,asthebasicunit.Thisisthetypeof
transformerwiththetwohighvoltageterminalscomingdirectlyoutthetopofthetarinsulation,allenclosedin
asomewhatlargermetalcase.Thiscaseleftplentyofroomforabridgerectifier,keyswitch,fuse,'on'light,
milliammeteranda3ampVariac.Asixfoot3wireappliancecordwithIECinputmoduleandtwo20inchhigh
voltageoutputleads,withcolorcodedalligatorclipscompletethepackage.
Thispowersupplyseemstoperformaswellasthe15,000volt@60mAunitthatIhademployedinthepast
withthismodestsizedlaser.InolongerhaveasupplyofcommercialCO2lasergasandhavebeenusingthe
'threeseparategas'systemforsometimenowwithgoodsuccess.Ihavebeenusingacommercialcylinderof
compressedhelium(usefulformostotherlasersalso),nitrogenfromtheair(bubbledthroughwater)and
sublimatingdryicefortheCO2supply.IhadboughtasmallsupplyofdryiceonFridaywhichlastedonlyuntil
Saturdayevening,duetoitstendencytomysteriouslydisappearevenwhenstoredinaninsulatedcooler.Outof
sheercuriositytodayIdecidedtotryamuchmorereadilyavailablesourceofcarbondioxidegastooperatethis
laserwith.SearchingthroughthecupboardsIfoundsomewhitevinegarandasmallboxofbakingsoda.Loand
behold,asmallamountofthismixtureinaflaskproducedafinesourceofCO2.Iwaspleasantlysurprisedto
opentheneedlevalvefromthisflasktothelaserandseeafineburnpatternappearonmythermalFAXpaper
target.Nomoredryice!Ijustthoughtyoumaywishtopassthisontotheamateurlasercommunity.Thisreally
simplifiesthegasproblemforsmallCO2lasers.
AllsmallCO2laserssuchasthisoperateundersimilarconditions.Thegasmixisprettymuchstandardformost
slowflowCO2lasersandisusually4.5%CO2:13.5%N2:82%He.Thisshouldbeavailablepremixedfrom
anylargeindustrialgassupplier.Asfarasoptimumoperatingpressue,thisshouldbeeasytodetermine
experimentally.Itwilldependsomewhatontheplasmatubedimensions,butwilllikelybesomewherebetween
5and25torr.Ifyouhaveanadjustableoutputpowersupply,yousimplystartatathelowestpressureandlowest
currentsettingthatwillallowlaseroutput,thenslowlyincreasepressureasyouincreasecurrent.Youwillfind
thatpoweroutputofthelaserwillincreasetoapointofsaturation.Justbelowthispoint,atthehighestoutput
level,iswhereyouwanttosetyourcontrols
Beingabletoseetheglowdischargethroughaclearglasstubehasadvantagesbesidethepurelyaestheticvalue.
WithsomeexperienceoperatingaCO2laser,onecantellmuchabouttheoperatingconditionsfromthevisual
appearanceoftheglowdischarge.Thecolor,intensity,anddensityoftheplasmaallgivecluestoadjusting
parameterssuchasgasmix,gaspressureandcurrentdensityforoptimumperformanceandpoweroutput.
IamnotsureofthepoweroutputIamgettingwiththissystem,butitwilleasilyignitetheFAXpaperina
matteroffivetotensecondswithoutanyfocusingoptics.Theburnpatternisquitelargealsowiththiswidebore
(1inch)plasmatube.IhavereadaboutyourplanformeasuringCO2outputpowerbyheatingameasured
quantityofwaterfortenminutes.Ihaveyettotrythisyet,basicallyforlackofasuitablereflectortosteerthis
beamintoacontainer.Ihaveasimplethermometerwithaflatblackpennyattachedtothestemtosee
temperaturerisefromthebeamimpinginguponsaidtarget.Thisallowssomecomparisonofoutputpower,but
isthereanywaytotranslatethistowatts?IamgettingaboutaoneandonehalfCriseintemperatureper
secondatfullpower.
(From:Sam.)
Yes,byknowingthemassofthepenny(about5gramsIthink)andtherateofinitialriseintemperature,you
shouldbeabletocalculatetheapproximatebeampower.Whatyouneedistemperaturerise/joule(orcalorie)of
energyforastandardpenny.:)Isay'initial'sincelossesduetoconvectionandradiationoftheheatenergywill
besmall.Thisisstillgoingtobetrickywithoutaseriousefforttoinsulatethe'sensor'.
Flavio'sCO2LaserNotes
HerearesomenotesontheconstructionandpoweroutputofmyhomebuiltCO2laser:
Plasmatube:
Idonotrecommendhavingaplasmatubeof1,000mm(ormore)inlength,theremybeproblemswith
sustainingthedischarge.15/30NSTwillnotbeenoughinstrikingatubeofthissizeevena15/60mayhave
sometroubles.
Ihavecutmytubelengthfrom1,000mmto800mm.
Formytube,Ichoseaboresizeof20mmIDand24mmOD.Thelargerborewillgeneratemorepower.
Optic/mirroradjustmentmounts:
RefertothefollowingabsolutelyfabulousASCIIdrawingwhenreadingthedescriptionbelowandalsosee
Flavio'sCarbonDioxideLaserPlansforsomedetails.
____
HR||||ResonatorRod||||OC
Adjusting=[||]=======[||]===================[||]=======[||]=Adjusting
Screw_||||(Oneof3)||Out||_Screw
O=||=>||______|_|_____________________|_|__||__||<=||=O
__|_/\/\_|__|_______________________________________|__|_/\/\_|__
|BellowsPlasmaTubeBellows|
HR|___________________________________________________________|OC
|\/\/||_____________________________________||\/\/|
O=|_|=>||In||||WaterJacket||||<=|_|=O
||||||||
=[||]=======[||]===================[||]=======[||]=
|_||_||_||_|
Mylasertubehasanintegralcoolingjacket,andatbothendsoftheplasmatubeare20mmlongextensionsof
themainplasmatube.Theseextensionsthengointotwocopperpipefittings(oneateachend.Thesolidfittings
thenaresolderedtoasetofcopperbellows,thenanotherpipefittingissolderedtotheothersideofthebellow.
Oneendofthebellowassemblyisconnectedtotheplasmatube,andtheotherissolderedtoasmallbrassplate.
ThebrassplatethenisscrewedintoaPlexiglasplatethatformspartoftheadjustmentplate.Behindthe
adjustmentplate(theplatesclosesttothecenter),areasetoffixedPlexiglasplates,theseactuallyDONOT
supporttheplasmatubeinanyway.Inthisplate,willbefastenedasetofthreefinethreadedrodspositionedin
thetypical'L'configuration.Thefrontadjustmentplatesarethenspringloadedontothisplatewhichenables
theadjustment.
Inthefrontadjustmentplate,thefronthasbeenworkedsothattheopticssitinan'ORing'groove,thena
clampingplateispositionedovertheoptictoholditinplacevactightseal,andtheabilitytoremovetheoptic
andnotmessupthealignmentofthelaser.
Therearenorequirementsforspecializedceramicinsulatorsrequired.And,bestofall,theopticsandtheir
adjustmentsareisolatedfromthehighvoltage.Butallcautionmuststillbetakenintoaccountwhenworkingon
thelase.
Estimatedpoweroutput:
Althoughitisverydifficulttodetermineduetothemanyvariablesinvolved,frommydesignusing1"optics,20
mmbore,800mmlength,andapowersupplyof15kVat60mA,Iamguestimatinganoutputfrom20wattsup
to60wattsbutthisisonlyaguestimategoingoncommerciallasersofsimilarsize.
Providingmorevoltage/currentwillgiveyouhigheroutput,untilyoureachasaturationpointwheretheoutput
willbegintodecreasewithfurtherinput(thesameasaHeNelaser).
SteveHardy'sCO2LaserandComments
ThisisadescriptionoftheCO2laserbuiltby:SteveHardy(hardy@keeper.stortek.com)withavarietyof
comments(andsomeclarificationsfortheU.S.audience)from:JohnDeArmond(johngd@bellsouth.net).)
(From:Steve.)
MylaserwasslightlyunusualinthatafilteredDCsupplywasused.ThismeansIhadtheluxuryofearthingthe
cathodeand.Ifyouuseaneonsigntransformer,youwon'tbeabletodothissopleasemakeallowances!
TubeSize:
Irecommendtheuseofasmallerdiametertube.Youcanrunthemathigherpressureandhighercurrent,since
thesmallerdiameterprovidesbettercoolingofthegas.Iused15mmIDtube,butonlybecauseofignorance
whenbuildingit.Nevertheless,Iwasverypleasedwiththeresults(about30Woutfor600Win).
Electrodes:
Theelectrodesdonotgetoverlyhotinoperation.Mostpowerisdissipatedinthegas,whichislargely
conductedtothetube.Theanodestayscoolbynormalconvection.Thecathodeissubjecttoionbombardment
butthisisnotasbadassomepeoplesuppose,becausethegaspressureishighenoughthatthemeanfreepathis
soshortthationsdon'thavemuchchancetoaccelerate.Soldermostdefinitelywillnotmelt.
Aluminumisagoodchoiceforelectrodes.Itnaturallyacquiresanoxidefilm,whichreducesthedangerof
sputtering.Iexaminedmyelectrodesafteroperationandfoundthemtobecoveredwithaniridescentoxidefilm.
Vacuumstuff:
Lasergasistypically1:2:8ratioofCO2,N2andHerespectively.IhavebeenassuredbytheexpertsatLinde
thatthisistheonlymixtureyouneedtouseforlowflowlasers.Thisgascomesinsteelcylinders,andhasthe
tradenameof'lazpure'(atleastforLindeinAustralia).
Thegasiscompressedinacylinderatmanytimesatmosphericpressure.Thishastobebroughtdownto25
Torr.Youwillneedaregulatoronthebottle.IhappenedtohaveanOxyregulatorwhichisjustfine.Theoutput
oftheregulatorisadjustablebetween1and4atm.Thisisfedintothemeteringvalve,whichisbasicallyan
adjustablesmallorifice.IusedaPortermeteringvalve(series20)whichcostsunder$100.
Meteringvalvesdon'tnecessarilycutoffcompletely,soyouneedtobecarefultoshutthebottleoff(usingits
valve)afteruse,toavoiddamagingthetubeorvacuumpumpwithoverpressure.
Thegas(quitecoldduetoitsexpansionfromhighpressuretoarelativevacuum)flowsrapidlydownthetubeto
theanodeend,whereitisexhaustedbythevacuumpump.Beforeexitingthetube,Ihaveaslightrestrictionto
slowtheflowotherwisetoomuchgaswouldbewasted.Itwouldbehandytomakethisadjustabletoo(soyou
couldcontrolthepressureaswellastheflowrate).Ifso,thenmakesureitsgasconductivityismuch,say100
times,higherthanthemeteringvalveattheotherend,becauseitisusedatmuchlowerpressuredifferential.One
possibilitywhichIhaven'ttriedistouseaballvalve(normallyusedforwater).Notethatanypartswhichthe
operatorneedstotouchmustbepositivelyandsecurelyearthed.
(From:John.)
Thereisadeviceavailablecalledthebackpressureregulatorthatmakesregulatingthepressureandflowmuch
easier.Arelateddevice,thevacuumregulatorwilldothesamejobinthisapplication.Thebackpressure
regulatorworksjusttheoppositeofconventionalregulators.Itopensitsportwhateveramountisnecessaryto
bleedoffpressureinexcessofthesetpointpressure.Withabackpressureregulatorbetweenthevacuumpump
andthetube,thetubepressureiswiththeregulatorandonlytheflowrateiscontrolledbytheinletneedlevalve.
Thislittlevalvewillpayforitselfinsavedgasbecausewithneedlevalvesonbothports,onetendstojuggle
themuntilastablepressureinthetubeisachievedandthenjustlivewiththeflowrateevenifitismuchtoo
high.
(From:Steve.)
Soundsnifty.Ipresumethebackpressureregulatorregulatesthepressuredifferentialacrossitsinletandoutlet
ports.Isthereatypeofregulatorwhichcanregulatetoanabsolute(butsubatmospheric)pressure?
ThereasonIaskisthatitwouldbenicetobeabletosetthetubepressureinabsolutetermswithoutworrying
abouttheeffectofthevacuumpump(sinceitsinletpressurewouldvaryslightlywiththeflowrate).
(From:John.)
Twotypesareavailable.Onetypeisreferencedtoatmosphere.Theotherhasavacuumcapsuleandis
referencedtoavacuumandthusabsolutepressure.Wallace&Tiernan(sp?)makesanabsoluteregulatorbutitis
$$$$new.I'veseen'ematC&Hbutnotoften.
(From:Steve.)
Notethatwithtwin'needlevalves'Ineverhadanytroublegettingastablepressure,butasyousayitwashardto
adjustflowrateandpressureindependently.Aregulatorsuchasyoumentionedwouldmakelifemucheasier.
(From:John.)
Yep.Analternativeisthemassflowcontroller.Aselfcontainedmassflowmeterandvalve.Widelyusedinthe
semiconductorandthinfilmindustriesandsoarefairlycommononthesurplusmarket.Thatwayyousetthe
flowwiththecontrollerandthensetthepressurewiththeoutletvalve.
(From:Steve.)
Oneproblemwouldbeactuallymeasuringtheflowrate.Ithoughtofputtingaballoonoverthepumpoutlet,and
measuringtheincreaseinvolumeusingArchimedes'principleetc.Thiswouldallowderivationoftheflowrate
inthetubebymultiplyingbythepressureratio(atmospheric/tube).Or,justforfun,usea'calibratedcondom'
andmeasuretimetoburst!
(From:John.)
:)Thecommonamateurscientistmethodisthesoapbubbletechnique.Thisrequiresonlyasidearmburette.A
squeezebulbisfittedtotheburetteandthegasflowisintroducedtothesidearm.Fillthebulbwithasoapy
watersolution.Whenyou'rereadytomeasuretheflow,simplysqueezethebulbuntilthewatercoverstheside
arm.Abubblewillformintheburette.Simplytimehowlongittakestotravelasetnumberofgraduations.
Assumingthegraduationsareincubiccentimeters,dividingthenumberofgraduationstransversedbythe
elapsedtimeinsecondsgivestheactualvolumetricflowincc/sec.Thisworksbestwhentheburetteisventedto
air.Assumingyourvacuumsystemisfairlytight,youcanflowtheexhaustofyourvacuumpump.Thisis
especiallypracticalifyou'reusingahermeticrefrigerationcompressorforthevacuumpump.Rememberthatthe
flowmustbecorrectedtohetubepressureusingthegaslawstogettheflowthroughthetube.
Ahotwiremassflowmeterisalsoveryeasytomake.CertainGMcarsusedahotwiremassflowmeterto
measureintakeair.Ifyoufindoneoftheseinthejunkyard,you'llseeasmallventuricontainingacoupleofhot
wirefilamentsinsidetheflowpath.Simplyremovingtheintegratedelectronicsfromthehousingandmounting
thehotwiresinasmallertubeisallthatisnecessarytomakeaverysensitiveflowmeter.Theintegrated
electronicsoutputapulsetrainwhosefrequencyisproportionaltoflow.Acomputerinterfaceisthusobvious.A
cheapindustrialpulsetotalizer/ratemetercandirectlydisplaytheflow.Theelectronicsrequireeither5voltsor
raw12volts,dependingonthemodel.Notethatlikeallthermalinstruments,theoutputisdependentnotonlyon
theflowbutalsoontheconductivityofthegassotheinstrumentmustbecalibratedtothegasmixinuse.
(From:Steve.)
Thevacuumpump(andflowrestrictor,ifused)isconnectedtooneendofalongtube.Thistubemustbelonger
thanthedischargetubelengthtopreventarcingbetweentheanodeandthevacuumpump.Thegaspressurein
theconnectingtubemaybeconsiderablylowerthanthedischargetubepressure,whichtemptselectricitytoflow
alongit.
(From:John.)
Letmeamplifyonthatabit.Ifoneplotsvoltagedropversuspressure,onefindsthattheminimumvoltagedrop,
andthereforethelongestpossibledischargeforagivenvoltageoccursatabout1.25Torr.Belowthatitrises
sharplyuntilabout1micronwhichisessentiallyavacuuminsulator.Abovethatpointthevoltagedropalsorises
butwithamuchmoregradualslope.
Toputthisinperspective,a15kVtransformerwillruninexcessof100feetof25mmtubingpumpedto5Torr.
Theimplicationofthisisthatitisdifficulttokeepthedischargefromfollowingthevacuumlineifthelineisat
alowpressure<.Thesolutionistoputthedischargeregulatingvalvenearthevacuumpumpsothattheline
fromthelaserisatthetubepressure.Thenmakingthevacuumlinesmallerandlongerthanthelasertubewill
dothetrick.NotethatSMALLERtubinghasMOREvoltagedrop.Sincewe'refarfromthemolecularflow
region,simplesmalltubingcanbeused.Thisiscountertointuitionandconventionalwisdomforvacuum
systemswherelargerhosesarealmostalwaysdesirable.
(From:Steve.)
Thisisinteresting.However,Iwonder(publicly)whetheritisvoltagedropwhichistheproblem.Iwouldhave
thoughthatbreakdownvoltageisthekeystatistic.
Aseveryoneknows,ittakesasignificant'overvoltage'tostartagasdischarge.Oncethegasdischargestarts,
thenthevoltagedecreasessignificantlydependingontheavailablecurrent(highercurrentmaycauselower
voltagedropveresistanceregion).
ThisiswhyIwonderhowyoucantalkaboutdischargelengthswithoutspecifyingtheavailablecurrent.
Withoutactuallytryingthis,Iwouldhavethoughtthatanarrowertubewouldhaveahighercurrentdensity,and
hencelowervoltagedrop.However,Iwilldefertoyourundoubtedexperiencehere.
ThepointIwouldliketomake,isthatwearetryingtopreventdielectricbreakdowninthegascolumninthe
firstplace(notworryingabouthowitperformsafterit'sbeen"lit")thiswillbeindependentofthetube
diameter.
ItisalsogoodpracticetosurroundthevacuumtubewithflexiblePVCtubing.Thisisbecausesomerubber
tubesareslightlyconductive(e.g.forantistaticproperties)andoftenhaveapoordielectricstrength.Ifoundthis
outtomycostwhenanarcpunchedaholeinmyexpensivevacuumline.
NowIusevacuumhosefromtheautosparepartsshop.Thegoodstufftogetisusedintrucks(partoftheir
brakesystemorsomething).It'squitestiff,butseemstohavebetterdielectricpropertiesthan'proper'vacuum
tube.
(From:John.)
Thislookstobeaplacewherecheaperisbetter.The(relativelyspeaking)cheapredgumrubbervacuumhoseis
completelynonconductive.
(From:Steve.)
Measuringpressure:
Formeasuringpressure,Imadeaclosedendmercurymanometer.Normally,fillingthetubecanbearealpain,
butIfoundthatasyringeisgoodforsuckingupmercury.Themercurycanbesquirtedintothemanometertube
viasomeplastictubingslippedoverthesyringeneedle.Iusedinsulatorstrippedoffwire,howeverarecentvisit
tothehospitalprocuredsometubingofthetypewhichisusedforepidurals.Youcanevengetthefiltersection
(whichIneeded,sincemymercuryhadbeenmuchlovedandwasratherdirty).Actually,youcangetsome
prettyneatstuffatasurgicalsupplierscalpels,latexgloves,thoseniftyglassinglasssyringestonameafew.
IhavealwayshadtroublemanipulatingPyrexsinceIonlyhaveabunsenburner.Thebunsencan(just)manage
toheattubingsoyoucanbendit.Anythingmoresophisticatedisbeyonditspower.Thusthetraditional
techniqueofmeltingtheendofthemanometerclosedwasnotavailabletome.Instead,Isealeditoffwitha
plastic(acrylic)plugandepoxy.Theotherendconnectstocoppercapillary.Mercuryamalgamateswithcopper,
butIthinkitwilltakealongtimeforthemercuryvapourtocreateaproblem.Theadvantageofthecopper
capillaryisthatitcanbebentorcrimpedtocreatearestrictiontoairmovement.Youwillappreciatethisifyour
vacuumissuddenlylostthemercurywon'tbashouttheclosedendofthemanometer.Sincemercuryisnasty
stuff,enclosethewholemanometerinamercuryproofcontainer.
ThefirstmanometerItriedmakingusedsiliconediffusionpumpoil,howeverthisseemstohavequiteastrong
surfacetensionagainstglass(themeniscusisconcaveasopposedtotheconvexmercurymeniscus)tothepoint
thatitwouldrefusetoseparatefromtheendofthemanometer.Theoilseemstoabsorbgasandwater,which
requiresthatitbedegassedbyheatinginvacuo.
(From:John.)
YoumightwanttotakealookattheDC704siliconefluid.ItismuchthinnerthantheDC705thatmanypeople
use.Itstillstickstothetopofthemanometerbutashortblastwithaheatgunorhandtorchsolvesthatproblem.
Iliketheexpandedscalethatthefluid(specificgravityaboutthatofwater)givesovermercury.
(From:Steve.)
Cooling:
Ididn'twantmylasertobetetheredtothenearestcoldwatertap,soIdecidedtoconstructarecirculating
coolantsystem.Ifoundanexcellentpumpintheformofabilgepump(usedbyboatingenthusiasts).Theserun
off12VDCandgenerateenoughpressurehead(centrifugally)toraisewaterfromfloortotableheight.Thecost
isabout$30.The'tank'isaphotographydevelopingtray(11"x14"),opentotheair.Thesurfaceareaishigh
enoughtodissipatethewasteheat.
SinceIwasparanoidaboutwaterleakingoverthehighvoltagestuff,Ioverengineeredthewaterjacket.Itwas
madeofaluminumtubingmachinedandthenshrunkfitintoendcaps.TheendcapsincludedOringsealsfor
thePyrextubetoslipthrough.Thecathodeendwasdirectlyconnectedtothewaterjacket(andthisisearthed
forsafety),sothatmaximumcoolingwouldbeavailableforthecathode(whichtendstobethehotend).The
anodewasinsulatedfromthewaterjacketassemblyby3mmsheetacrylic,caulkedinwithsiliconesealant.The
laserassemblywasactuallysupportedbythewaterjacket,whichisquiteaestheticallypleasing(inmyopinion).
Watercirculatesthroughthejacket,pumpedbythebilgepump.Igotfairlygoodatmakinghosebarbs,since
thereisquitealotoftubingbythetimethewholethingiscompleted.
Iusedacrylicallovertheplaceattheanodeend.Withthewatercooling,thereisverylittleheat.
Beforeyouflyintoapanicregardingheatdissipation,justrememberthatthedissipationperunitsurfaceareaof
thetubeisnotallthathigh.Mytube'swasteheatisabout1Wpersquarecm.Justmakesuretherearenolarge
areas(sayoverafewcm^2)whicharecoveredbythermalinsulatorslikeplastic,otherwiseahotspotwill
develop.
Don'tputanythingbetweenthetubeandthewatersincethethermalconductivitywillbeimpaired.2mmthick
glasswilleasilytake30or40kVsodon'tworryaboutdielectricbreakdown.
Don'tworryaboutashort(say3cm)sectionofuncooledtubeateitherend.Justlettheairflowaroundit.
Thepurposeofthewaterjacketisnotsomuchtogetridofvastquantitiesofheatratheritistokeepthetube
(andhencegas)tempaslowaspossible.(SometimesIwonderifdryice/acetonewouldbeanidealcoolant...)
Powersupply:
Youcanneverhavetoomuchpower.Ifyouhaveachoiceoftransformers,getthelargerone!Throttleitback
withaVariac.Fortwicetheelectricalpowerinput,youwillnotnecessarilydoubletheoutput.Itdependsonso
manyfactors.Forthesamesetup,youmayactuallygetmorethandoubletheoutputbecausethehighercurrent
maymeanthatyoucanincreasethegaspressure,thetubegain,andhencetheoutputcouplerefficiency.Then
again,youmightgetlessthandoubletheoutputifyoursetupisoperatingoptimallyatthe30mAlevel.
Mypowersupplyisa600Wmicrowaveoventransformer,multiplieduptoabout12kV.Ifoundthatatverylow
gasflow,thethinghadaboutthepowerofadeadmatch(justenoughpowertosmoulderasmallspotonmy
muchabusedpineblock).Openingtheneedlevalveandsimultaneouslyincreasingthevariac(tomaintainabout
70mA)reallyboostedthepoweroutput(tothepointofpunchingholesinthepineblock).Unfortunately,further
increasesingaspressure(andflowrate)causedthearctogooutsincethepowersupplycouldn'tpushthe
requiredcurrent.A15kV/60mANST(900W)shouldbegoodenoughforpushingtheperformanceenvelope.
Measuringpoweroutput:
Everyonewantshighpower.It'sveryfrustratingifyouhavenomeansofmeasuringthepoweroutput.Iusedthe
principleofmeasuringtheequilibriumtemperatureofanobjectwhichabsorbstheoutputbeam.Thisis
comparedwiththetemperatureobtainedbythesameobjectheatedbyaknownresistance,whennotilluminated.
Althoughveryslowtotakeameasurement,itisatleastaccurateenoughtocalibrateafasterinstrumentsuchas
apyroelectricorthermocoupledetector.The'object'isafinnedaluminumblockwitha15degreeconicalhole.
Theholeisblackenedbyoverheatingoliveoilinit.A20Wwirewoundresistorisclampedtoit(forthe
referencepowersource).
SteveHardy'sPlansforHisBIGCO2Laser
MynewCO2lasershouldproduceabout500WifImanagetosolveafewproblems.
I'mplanningtouseafoldedtube.Currently,6tubesofabout600mmdischargelengthgivingatotalof3.6m.
Thesewillfitintoa75mmdiamcoolingjacket.BothOCandTRwillbeatoneend(thegroundedend).The
otherendwillbeafixedcubecornerarrangement,whichmeansthatonly3flatswillberequiredforatotalof6
reflections,andadjustmentwillnotberequired.BackattheOCend,4additionalflatswillberequiredforthe
beamfolding.Pairsoftheseflatsarecombinedintopreadjustedcubeedgeunits,tominimizetherequired
numberofadjustments.
Althoughitisalotoftroubletobuildafoldedassembly,theshorteroveralllength(1minsteadof4m)willmake
theunitmuchmorestableanduseful.Inaddition,theincreasedcrosssectionandreducedlengthwillallowthe
gasflowtobeincreased.Also,it'smucheasiertomakearelativelylowvoltagesupply(11or12kV)torunthe
reducedlength.Imaginethealternativeof40or50kVfora4metertube!
Allthisdependsonthepowersupply,whichisamajorpartofthewholeproject.Ioriginallyconceivedthis
powersupplyasaversatileexperimentalaid.Itoperatesfrom240VACat10Aor415VACat10Athreephase.
Theoutputisadjustablebetween1and31kHz(in1kHzsteps),andthedutycycleadjustablebetween0/256
and255/256.Theprimarywindingoftheoutputtransformer(abigferritecore)isfixedat50turns,andthe
secondaryisreplaceable.Icanputasingleturnsecondaryfor12Vat500A(e.g.forwelding)or1,000turnsfor
12kVat0.5A(forCO2lasers).TheadvantageofhighfrequencyACisthatonecanusemuchsmaller
capacitorsandinductors.Iamstillintheprocessofdesigningthistransformer,sincethecurrentversionhastoo
muchleakageinductance.
Everythingwillbemicroprocessorcontrolled,soIcanprogramthingslikepulsetimings,feedbackcontrol,and
soon.
I'mseriouslytoyingwiththeideaofdesigningamoremodestSMPS(perhaps1kWmaxoutput)specificallyfor
laserexperimenters.Thiswouldhavetheoptionofcontrolviaastandardparallelport.IfIgetthisdesignedand
working(hopefullyinabout6months),Imightsetupakitforpeopleinterestedinbuildingit.
FortheUSA,woulditbeOKtodesignonthebasisof220VACbeingavailable,oristhatinconvenient?It
wouldcomplicatethedesigntobeabletohandleboth115VACand230VACoperation.Justdealingwith
220/260VACismucheasier.
(From:Sam.)
Yes,singlephase220VAC(typicallycloserto230VAC)isusuallyavailablebutwouldrequirerunninga
separateoutletinmostcasesnobigdeal.IntheUSA,230VACisusedforelectricranges/ovens,clothes
dryers,largerairconditioners,andsoforth.
However,itisasimplemattertooperateoneither115VACor230VACwithaconstant300to320VDConthe
mainfiltercapacitorsmanySMPSsincludinglargeonesdothiswithasinglejumperthatconvertsbetweena
bridgeandavoltagedoubler:
D1
ACo+|>|++oDC(+)
~|D2|+|
+|<|+|+_|_
D3||C1
+|>||+|
|D4|+oo++320VDCtochopper
ACo+|<|+|J1|
~|||+_|_
+|+C2
||
++oDC()
Withthejumper,J1,installed,thecircuitisavoltagedoublerforuseon115VAC.(D3andD4never
actuallyconductbecausetheyarealwaysreversebiased.)
Withthejumper,J1,removed,thecircuitisasimplebridgerectifierforuseon230VAC.
(From:Steve.)
OK.I'lltrytodesignwiththeoptionoffiltercaps.Withoutthecaps,thevoltagedoublertrickisn'tavailableso
thedriverwillhavetonativelyworkwitheithervoltage(115or230VAC).
I'mexpectingthepricetobeabout$400fortheelectronicandmagneticcomponents,butthisdependsonhow
manytakersthereare.Typically,onehastoorderabout75powersemiconductordevicestogetadiscount.
Imightdowngradethepoweroutputto700Wifitmakesalargepricedifference.Afterall,thisisstillalot
morepowerthanyourtypical15kV/60mANSX(about400W).
RegardingDCoutput,thisisaninterestingquestion.Therearebasicallythreesolutions:
1.TrueDCwithresistiveballast.
2.ACwithinductiveballast,followedbyunfilteredrectifier.
3.Unrectifiedversionof(2).ThisisnotstrictlyDC,butwithanappropriatedriveitmayapproacha
constantcurrentmagnitudethatjustflipsinsign.
Thereareothertheoreticalsolutions,butnotpracticalforsuchhighvoltages.
(1)suffersfromthedisadvantageofpowerlossintheballaste.g.mylaserrequiredaminimumof40kat70mA
i.e.powerlossof196W.Theadvantageissteadycurrentwhichallowsbest_tube_efficiency.
(2)Iselectricallyefficient,buttubeoutputmaybelowerthanitwouldbeifdrivenbythesameRMSDC.
(3)Wouldhavethesameperformanceas(2),butthecostoftherectifieriseliminated,andthepowerdissipated
atthecathodeisdistributedoverthetwotubeelectrodesinsteadofconcentratedononeend.Thisisan
advantageasfarasheatdissipationgoes,butrequiresappropriateconstruction.Anotherpossibleadvantageof
(3)iseasiertubestarting,sincethe(HF)ACisgoingtoionizethegasbycapacitivereactance.
The$Mquestionisjusthowmuchdifferenceinoutputistherebetween(1)and(2)/(3)?Idon'tknowthe
answer,butI'mwillingtobetthattherewouldnotbemuchdifferenceiftheoperatingfrequencywasoverafew
kHz.Myguessisthatthegaswillstillexhibitlasergainforafewtensofmicrosecsafterthecurrentdropsto
zero,thusathighenoughfrequenciesthetubewillrespondmorethetheRMScurrentlevelratherthanthe
instantaneouslevel.PleasetellmeifI'mwrong.Ifsomeonehasthetime,theyshouldmeasuretheoutputoftheir
tubewithrespecttothe60HzACphasei.e.spinastripoffaxpaper(woundaroundadrumspinningona
synchronousmotor)anddirectthebeamontoit.Ifthefaxpaperiscompletelyunaffectedatonepointitmeans
thatthepoweroutputdropstonearzeroatthecurrentcrossingpoint.
Anyway,ifIdesignthisSMPSitwillbeastraightHFACoutputyouwillhavetomakeyourown
arrangementsforrectifyingandfiltering.Tominimize50/60Hzmodulation,theratedoutputwillbeobtainable
foranyinputvoltageover,say,50VwiththedutycyclevaryingtokeepconstantoutputwhenevertheinputAC
isover50V.Thiswillprovide'steady'outputfor80%ofthetimewith115VACinput(or91%at240VAC).The
powerfactorwon'tberealgood,andthere'safewtechnicalproblemstoovercome,sospecificationsubjectto
change!
Mark'sCO2LaserandFirstLight
(From:MarkDinsmore(dinsmore@ma.ultranet.com).)
I'dliketoreportasuccessfulpoweruponmylaser.SomephotosofthelasercanbefoundviatheLasergrowing
1WebPage.
IlinedthemirrorsupverycarefullywithalittlelaserpointerandassoonasIturnedonthecurrent,itburneda
perfect1/2"roundspotonsomepapercoveredplexiglassIwasusingforatarget.Ithengraduatedtoared
brick,andgotaniceroundredhotspotthesamesize.WhenIputinthe7.5"FLlensIbought,thingsgotreally
exciting.Thebrickgotwhitehotwhenplacednearthefocallength,andthebeammeltedthebricktoadiameter
ofaround0.2".Thisisabitbiggercraterthanthe30WattCWYAGlaserIhaveatworkwilldo.Ithenswitched
tothe3"FLlens,andstartedplayingwithpopsiclesticks.Wavingthestickthroughthebeamatthefocallength
madeareallypleasantbuzzingnoisewithawhitehotspotonthesurface,andwouldburnalinethroughhalfthe
stickin100milliseconds.IcouldtellthetimebecauseIcouldseethe120Hzpulserateburnedintothestick!IfI
movedthestickalittleslower,itwouldsliceitrightinhalf.Theonlyproblemisthatthereisastrongjetof
smokedirectedrightbackatthelens,anditgotitalittlesmokey.Itcleanedrightupwithsomelenspaper,butI
definitelywouldneedsomekindofairblasttoprotectthelens.
Thelaserwouldoperateoveraverywiderangeofgaspressureandcurrent,sothatpartoffiringupyourlaser
willnotbeverycritical.Itranfinefrom~5Torrtothepointwheretheplasmablinkedout,withnohuge
variationsinoutput.Idon'thavemypeltierpowermetersetupyetsoIcouldn'tmeasuretheactualpowerout,
butitwasquitegratifying.TheonlydisappointmentwasthattheelectrodesheatupmorethanIexpected.Iam
usingaluminumcylinders1"diaby4"long,andtheygethotenoughtobeuncomfortabletotouchafterabout5
minutesofoperation(Yes,thepowerwasoffandthepowerplugdisconnected!).IfIwanttobeabletorun
continuously,Iwillhavetofindawayofheatsinkingthemorforcedaircoolingthem.Iamusingaverysimple
mountingsystemfortheoptics,justpushingthemagainstanOringwiththeadjustableopticsmount.Thereis
morethanenoughmovementallowedbytheOringtoalignthecavity.Themountismechanicallyreferencedto
a2"diametersteelpipe,sosmallmovementsoftheplasmatubeshouldnotaffectthemirroralignment(we'll
see).Idesignedtheadjusterswithceramicstandoffinsulators,sotheadjustmentknobsareatground(water
pipe!!!)potential.
Thecavityisabout1meter,witha5meterradiustotalreflector,anda80%transmissionoutputcoupler.Iam
usingthegasmixrecommendedintheCORDinformation,i.e.,1:1.5:9.3CO2:N:Heatabout0.5liter/min.Ijust
mixedthegasusingpartialpressuresinasmallgasbottle.TheHeandN2Igotatwork,ultrapurestuff,butthe
CO2Igotfromthelocalpaintballshop!Theactivelengthis80cm,witha15kV,60mANSXpoweringthe
systemwithAC.Iwilltrytogetsomepicturestopostsometimeinthenearfuture.
IamintriguedbyU.S.Patent#4,756,000:DischargeDrivenGoldCatalystwithApplicationtoaCO2Laser
wherethegoldisusedtorecombinedecomposedCO2inthelaser.Inoticeonmy80cm,30mAtubethatthe
lastthirdofthedischargeregionisturningwhitish,asignofsignificantcontaminationaccordingtothepatent.
Thishappensevenatfairlyhighflowrates(e.g.,4L/min).Icanthinkofseveralwaystogetthegoldonthe
tube,butbeforeIspendanytimeonthisIwouldliketoknowifanypracticalsystems,i.e.,commercial,use
catalystsystemslikethis.
I'vebeenburningotherinterestingsubstances(allinthenameofscience,ofcourse!)Ihaveapieceofalumina
insulation,andthefocussedbeamgeneratesabrilliantwhitespotandleavesaglazedtrailonthesurfacethat's
over2000C,accordingtothebooks!Icanburnniceroundholesthroughmica.Istillhaven'tattempted
burningmetal,otherthatapieceofstainlesswirethatIjustgotredhot.
I'mstillnotsatisfiedwiththestabilityofmymirrormounts.Ihavetotweakthemoftentokeepthemaxpower
up.I'mtryingtoanalyzewhetherthatisanintrinsicqualityofusingOringsforthecompliantpartofthemount,
orifitissloppinessintheadjustablepartofthemount.
Bill'sCO2Laser
(From:BillBoutsikas(bmqwists@otenet.gr).)
Inthemiddleof1999IbuiltasmallCO2laser.ThisconstructionwassimilartotheRobertIanninilasercapable
of20to30W.
OnemonthagoIbuiltabiggerandrevisedslowflowCO2laser.Herearesomeofthemainconstructiondetails:
Thelaserutilizesathreeelectrodeconfigurationwiththecathodeinthecenterandtheanodesoneachend
oftwotubes.Bothcathodeandanodesaremadeofaluminumnotonlybecauseofreducedsputtering
effect,butalsooftheeasiestmachiningandreducedweight.Theseareattachedtothetubesbymeansof
Orings.
Eachofthe2tubesis750mmlongby15mmIDand21mmOD(verythickwalls!!).Twoseparated
coolingjacketsareusedwithflowingtapwater.ThesejacketsarePlexiglastubes730mmlongby50mm
ODwith3mmthickwallattachedtothetubesbymeansofhardresinwithOrings.Thisresinisspecial
greencoloredveryhardnonconductivematerial,thatmymachinistfrienddonatedtome.Inthiswaythe
systemisvacuumandwatertightandcanbedisassembledeasilyformaintenance.
Thewaterfittingsare10mmwideandIusetapwaterforthis.Iplantouseaclosedloopsystem,butI
havetosolvesomeproblems.Firstthepropercirculatingpump.Ifoundasmallplasticpumpwhichworks
at12VDCwithpumpingspeedof9lpm,butitisnotselfprimingandpowerful.Secondproblemisthat
ofheatexchanger.Thismustnotbeaircooled,butitmustuserefrigerantsinordertokeepthewater
temperaturelowerthanenvironmenttemperature(Imaginethecontinuoususeofthislaserinthesummer
at40Cwithonlyanaircooledheatexchanger).Thewatertempmustbe10to15CandIhopetofindthe
solutionsoon(anyideahereiswelcome).
Themirrormountsare3pointadjustedplates,placedwiththick(3mm)Oringsateachendofanode
block.TheopticsIusedareasfollows.HR:Siliconwithenhancedsilvercoating,1"diameterx0.12"
thickwitha10mradius.OC:Zincselenide(ZnSe)1"diameterx0.12"thick,70%reflectance.Focus
Lens:Zincselenide(ZnSe)1"diameterx0.12"thick,5"FL.
Theaboveconstructionismountedon2mlongby120mmwideby20mmheightextrudedaluminum
base.Theoverallsystemisfairlystrongandnosignificantvariationofoutputpowerisrecordedduring
stress.
GasmixtureIuseis9.5%CO2,13.5%N2,77%Heina20litertank,flowingthroughatwostage
regulatorandsimplemedicaltypeflowvalvetofeedthesystem.Thegasfeedisattheendelectrodeswith
1/4"hoses,vacuumpumpconnectedtomiddlewith1/2"hose.Thevacuumpumpisa2stage75lpmunit
capableof103mbarultimatevacuum.ThelowestvacuumthatIgotitwas40microns(0.05mbar)onmy
digitalgauge.
Thepowersupplyconsistsofacustomwound15kV,120mAneonsigntransformerdrivenfrom0to250
VAC,8AVariac(inEuropeweuse220VAC),fullwavebridgerectifiermadefromastackof104
1N4007s,twoballastresistors(oneforeachanode),timedelayforCDRHcomplianceandsoftpower
circuittoprotectfusesfromstartupovercurrent.Keyswitch,'on'light,DCmilliammeter,emergencystop
button,2mHVcables,fulllabelingcompletethepackageandeverythingappearstoworkfineexceptthat
afterafewminutes,thetemperatureonballastsrisesto230C!!!.Thedisadvantageofusingasingle
transformeristherequirementofseparateballastresistorstodividethecurrenttotheanodes,butthe
problemofoverheatispresentandisveryserious!!.Theoptimumcurrentforeachtubeis35mA(70mA
total),hencethethermalpoweroneachof60KOhmresistorisabout74W.Wearetalkingaboutfora
smallfurnace!!!.Iwillreplacethe15kV,120mABIGNSTandtwoballastswithtwosmaller12kV,60
mANSTs(1foreachanodeandsharethecathode)and2ndbridgerectifierinordertoavoidtheuseof
ballasts.
Atthispointanyhelporideaiswelcome.Asyoucanunderstand,therearenofiltercapacitorintheabove
PSU.IwouldappreciateifsomeonetellmewhereIcanfind1uF,25kVorsomethingsimilar
inexpensiveoilfilledcapacitorforthisfunction.Ihaveinmindsomeplacetobuysuchcapacitor,butthe
priceisprohibitiveforme.
Hereisablockdiagramofthesystem:
++++++++++++
|VacPump|<|SV|+<|LaserTubes|<|NV|<|SV|<|REG|
++++|++++++++
||v||
+>+||+|
|++++|/\
||VS|>|Control|>+||
|+++++|Gas|
|||Tnk|
+<+||
++
Where:REG=Regulator,NV=NeedleValve,SV=ShutoffValve,andVS=VacuumSensor.
BecauseIdonothaveaproperpowermeteryet,I'mnotsureaboutthepoweroutputI'mgettingwiththis
system,butIestimateabout93W,basedontheCORDLEOT'sequationsforhemisphericalslowflowcavity.In
thenearfutureI'llbuyapowermeterfromMackenInstruments.Thislaseriscapableofburningholesin
ceramics,plastics,andglassbutIhavenottriedsheetmetalyet.
Iplantoautomatethegassupportsystemwithelectronicallycontrolledsolenoidshutoffvalves,sowhenthe
vacuumfallsbelowof0.5Torrtheshutoffvalveswillopenandthegasmixfeedthesystemwithdesire
pressure.Whenpumpstops,thevalveswillclose,protectingthecavityfromoverpressure.
Rob'sCO2Laser
(From:RobertConway(rconway1@cfl.rr.com).)
DetailsonmyCO2lasercanbefoundat:EmissionTechnologies,Rob'scompanyfoundedtosellCO2laser
plans,kits,andevenacompleteCNClasercuttingsystem.
WhatIwantedtoaccomplishwastobuildaCO2thatwouldbelightweight,extremelystable,andpowerful
enoughtodosomethingwith.Myintentistobuildacomputercuttingtablefromscratchincludingthesoftware
whichIwillwriteinBorlandDelphi4.Thistubeputsoutover30watts(andIhavealsobuiltasimilar60watt
version.
ThecurrentdesignofthelaserheaditselfisverystableandIampleasedwithitsperformance.Youcanrunit
for0.1secondburstsfordrilling,orleaveitonfortwelvehoursatatime.Ifiguredhey,thecommercialheads
aremostlyallglasslookinglikeanovergrownHeNe,sowhycan'tahomebuilttubeuse"glassonly"asthe
structuralmemberofthelaser.IjustusedlowexpansionPyrexwitharelativelythickwall.
Asforthemachinistpart,Ihavebeentinkeringfor20yearsmachiningthingshereandtheresoIhavebasically
taughtmyself.Thistubewasbuiltinaboutthreeeveningsofsittingatthelathe.Thenacouplemorenightsspent
remachiningpartstogetthebugsworkedoutwithanisolationissue.Themirrorcellsarestonecoldelectrically
andthistubeissafetotouch,adjust,orholdwhilerunning.Thiswasanotherdesignparameter.
Thecostdependsonyourstockofrawmaterialsformachining,andyourresourcefulnesswiththeother
components.Themirrorsarethebiggestexpenseforthetubeat$50fortheHR,and$150fortheOC.Thelarge
Pyrextubingcomesin48"lengthsforabout$40.Theboretubeisneonsigntubingandcanbehadlocallyfor$5
per48"section.Teflonstockisprettyexpensivethoughat$125fora2"by12"pieceofbarstock.Iprobably
have$325investedinthetube.ThevacuumpumpisaSPEEDIVACmanufacturedbyEdwardsHighVacuum
Ltd.inEngland.Theycostabout$2,000newbutIluckedoutandgotthisonesurplusinnewconditionfor
$300.Themanometerishandmadefroma1mmIDglasscapillarytubeandreservoirofmercuryprocured
fromseveralmercuryswitches.Thegasflowgaugeandneedlevalvearesurplusandwerecheap.Gasbottle
$125newfromweldingsupplyplusabout$30tofillitwiththelasermix.Gasbottleregulatoranyinertgas
regulatoradjustablefrom0to20psiwilldoandtheycostabout$120new.
Indoingthemathandassumingtheuseofa40cubicfootBottleofgasmix(8"diameterx18"tall),youshould
getabout18.9Hoursusageat1L/minuteflowrate.Thecosttorefillthebottleisaround$25.00.
Thecoolantsystemconsistsof1gallontankwith$18baitwellpump(700gph)fromWalMartboatsection
runningfroma12VDCsupply,andacopperheatercorefromaGMcarwith7"diametermuffinfan.Fanwas
$25butIdon'tknowontheheatercoreasIhaditalready.Isuspecttheyare$80$100new.Powersupplyisa
15kV@60mAneontransformer$150new,with6ampVariac$25surplus,homemadebridgerectifierfrom
601N2007diodesabout$25worth,andeight2000VDC@1.0uFcapsinseriesforfiltrationoftheoutput
$32surplusbutcouldbe$400ifboughtnew(HighVoltageCapsareExpensive).Ballastresistoris(now)
ceramic100K@250Watt$18new.A0to60milliampgaugeat$10completesthepowersupply.
AsyoucanseeIhaveabout$1,200inthisonebutthecostscouldbealotmoreifyouarenotagoodscrounger
ofsurplusparts.
Iwillkeepyouinformedontheresultsofthefoldedresonatordesign.OncethesearealldebuggedandIgetmy
AutoCADDrawingsupdated,Imayofferpartialorfullkitsofthelaserhead,andpossiblyacompleteroll
aroundenclosurethatholdsallofthesupportequipmentinaniceneatpackage.
(UpdateasofSummer,2001)
Iamnowofferingakitofpartsforthe35Wand60Wlasertubeassemblysaswellascompletelyassembled
units.ThereismoreinfoatmyWebsite,above.
Iwan'sCo2Laser
(From:IwanMarty(iwanmarty@aol.com).)
Myfirsthandsonexperienceofflowinggaslaserswasgainedmanyyearsago,inthebiomedicalfield,a35watt
flowinggassurgicallaser.Thisusedpinklasermix1andhadlotsofsolenoidsandvalves.Itwasentirely
microprocessorcontrolled.
Wewereallamazedbythequantummechanicsofthewholeprocess,themanualwasexcellentbeingalmostan
instantcourseonthehistory,development,problemsandapplicationsofcuttingbythisinvisiblelight.Also
greatemphasiswasplacedonthevarioussafetyhazardsthatexistfromsuchadevice.
Atfirstglance,eitherarelativelycheapglasssealedCO2laserorperhapsthelatestsmallindustryOEMunits
couldbeintegratedalongwithourcomputercontrolledXYtableswithexcellentresults.Althoughthecostof
theserangefrommoderatewalletpainto2ndmortgagelevel,itwouldbedifficulttojustifysuchasumfor
casualuse.
Althoughsomeonewhoneedsalaserwouldchoosetheabovepath,myinterestsmainlylieintheeducational
andfunvalueofbuildingaprototypetube.Thisactuallyworks,alaserthatisuserserviceablewouldbehandy
forsome,butthiswouldnotreplaceconventionaltoolingformostfolksneeds.
Thisprojectimmediatelyranintodifficultyduringtheonpaperdesignstage.Itbecameclearthattheresonator
HRandOCwouldeitherbeaveryexpensivecustombuiltdesignorperhapsacheaperstockoptic.
AlthoughIoriginallywantedaZnSeOCforeaseofHeNelaseralignmentandtransmissionofIR,partial
coatingtoaspecifiedreflectionwasprohibitive.Gewaseasilysecuredsothebasicnatural50%reflectiveOC
wasoneconcreteequation.
TheHRiscurrentlyaflat1stsurfaceenhancedaluminiummirror.Iamkeentoseeifacoppermirror,gold
plated,wouldworkaswecouldexperimentwithdifferentRoCvaluesinhouse.Atruedielectric10.6micron
HRmirrorcouldthenbepossiblybecustommadewithsomeconfidence?
Therequirementofareasonablyhighgainresonatorkeptthedischargetubediameterdownto10mm,600mm
inlength.Thisprovedeasytostartwitha10kV,100mAneonsigntransformerandVariac.Igatherthatthisis
themaximumallowableU.K.ratingfordoubleinsulatedneonsigns.
Iwaskeentokeeptheplasmadischargewithinthecooledareaoftheresonatorandthattheresonatorshouldbe
easilyremoved/replacedalongwiththeturnedAlelectrodesandsubassembly.
AsIalreadyhadCO2andN2inhouse,itwaseasierformetorentahighgradeHecylinderandusearotometer
mixingmanifoldformylasermix.ThisseemsbestatB.O.C.lasermixOne/lasermixTworatios.Premixedgas
wouldremoveanydoubtshere.
Atwostagerotarypumpseemstobeeasilycapableofprovidingagoodvacuumlevel.Freshlasermixgasflow
ratesofaround2to4littersperminuteseemOK.Thevacuumpumpisthereforerequiredtocopewiththis
virtualleakandkeepwithinthecurrent20mbarvacuumenvelope.
Coolingwasprovidedbyaclosedcircuitwatercirculation.
Againoptionsexistforeitherusingacopperturningandfocusingmirrororperhapsmoreamoredesirable
specialist45degreemirrorandaconverginglenseswithgasassist.Againinhousemillingandturningwould
probablydothetrickforthemountsatleast.
Iamverypleasedthatthelaseractuallyworks,asagardensheddesign.Ashortvideoclipisavailableonthe
Compucutforum(takelinkbelow),veryearlydaysyet.HereisaphotoofIwan'sHomeBuiltCO2Laserin
action.
Buttheinfraredoutputhasgotmeexcitedenoughtocontinuethislabouroflove.
Toensurethatresultsarerepeatablethisbasicdesignwillbereplicatedtwice.LuckilyIhaveenjoyedgood
relationswithseveralU.K.basedspecialists,neonsignpowersupplyvendors,opticaltechniciansandMaster
glassblowers.Itwasanimportantfactorthatpartsusedwouldbeavailableatthesamespecificationforfurther
developments.
IreallyappreciatethekindhelpthatIhavereceived,especiallythecompaniesthattookmeundertheirwing,
donatingdata,sendingoneofffreeendoflinesamplesandinsomecasessteepdiscountsoncurrentproduction
lineequipment.
IamespeciallyindebtedtoSam'sLaserFAQandDavidKnapp'snotes.
Asyoucanseethedesignhasevolved,theglassrodspacersdidnotworktoowellonthe1stattempt.
Hopefullythistypeoflaseralongwithmyfriend'scomputercontrolledCNCXYtablesetupwillbeagreat
boostformygardenshed!
IhavemyownCNCmillandlathefromCompucuthereinCoventry.
AdditionalInformationonHomeBuiltCO2Lasers
UsefulFormulasforCO2LaserOptics
Note:AprogramtoperformthecalculationsdescribedbelowusedtobeatTimGoldstein'sLasersPagebut
apparentlyhasdisappeared.However,everythingneededis
(From:SteveHardy(hardy@keeper.stortek.com).)
ThemostoftenaskedquestionsaboutCO2laseropticsaretherequiredreflectanceoftheOutputCoupler(OC)
mirrorandtheradiusofcurvatureoftheHighReflector(HR)orresonatormirror.Thefollowingsectionsshould
helpyouanswerthosequestions.
Refertothesimplifieddrawingbelowwhilereadingthisdissertation.:)
HR<BoreLength(Lb)>OC
(Curved)___________________________________________(Flat)
|(_________________________________________||===>OutputBeam
||(Rreflectivity)
<DischargeLength(Ld)>
<ResonatorLength(Lr)>
1.OCreflectance:
TheoptimumvaluefortheOCreflectanceisgivenby:
Ld
R=1
500*D
Where:
R=OCreflectance(asafractionbetween0fornonreflectiveto1fortotallyreflective)mirror.
Ld=Lengthofthedischarge(activemedium,NOTthedistancebetweenmirrors).
D=Diameterofthebore.
Forexample,mytubeis1,200mmlongwithaninsidediameterof15mm.Thedesiredreflectanceisthus
0.84(i.e.,84%).
Inpractise,thereisabitoflatitude,sincethisformulaisfora'typical'axialflow.MyOChappenedtobe
75%reflectiveandworksfine.Giventhechoice,goforslightlylowerreflectivitysinceitallowsfor
'futureenhancement'bytheradiationcrazedpoweraddict.
Notethatforlongerand/orthinnertubes,thereflectanceneedstobeloweredsincetherewillbehigher
gain.Itisnotobviousthatthinnerboresleadtohighergain,butthisisduetothefactthatthermal
conductivityfromplasmatotubewallisenhancedwiththesmallerdistances.Itismostimportanttokeep
thegasatalowtemperature.
Herearesomeexamples(forrelativelylongtubesbutyoucanrecrankthemathforyourtubelength):
Assumingthe15mmID,theformulaaboveresultsinR=75%,80%,and85%,fortubelengthsof1,875
mm,1,500mm,and1,125mm,respectively.
However,IwouldprobablyrecommendaslightlylowerRlike75%where85%fallsoutofthe
calculationsbecause:
Thedifferencebetween85%and75%willhardlybenoticeable.
Ifthereisadifference,youcancompensatebyincreasingthegainofthemedium(higherflowand
currentthan'normal').
Itallowsuseofsmallerdiametertube(e.g.10or12mm)withacorrespondingincreasein
efficiency,andasmallerpowersupply.Peoplewhodon'thavethefull60mANSTswillstillget
excellentresults.
The75%OCwillallowforupgradesinthefutureto,say,100W.
Ifyouarenotkeenonexperimenting,byallmeansobtainamirrorwithpreciselythespecifiedreflectivity.
2.HRradiusofcurvature:
Singlemode(TEM00)operationisprobablythemostdesirable,evenifnotalwaysaspowerfulas
multimode.AconcaveHRwithaflatOutputCoupler(OC)willensurethiscondition.Knowingthis,the
nextquestioniswhatradiusofcurvatureshouldtheHRbe?Theanswerwilldependon(orsuggest)a
properborediameter.
Theoutputbeamisnotafeaturelesscylinderoflight.Itisactuallymostconcentratedontheaxis,fading
toobscurityattheboreradius.Whentalkingaboutthebeamdiameter(actually,let'sbeconsistentandtalk
abouttheradiushalfthediameter).Byconventiontheradiusisdefinedasthepointatwhichthebeam
intensitydropsto1/e(1/2.71...)ofitsaxialvalue.Attwicethisradius,thebeamintensitydropsto1/e4,at
threetimesitdropsto1/e9,etc.Thisisarapidlydecreasingfunctionsoinpracticemostoftheuseful
poweriscontainedwithinaradiuswheretheintensityfallsto,say,1/e4(about1/54).
Nowlet'sdefinethe'spotsize'whichistheradiusofthebeamwhereitfallsto1/e.Thereisaspotsizeat
theOC(whichiswhatyou'reinterestedin)aswellasaslightlylargerspotontheHR(whichyouaren't
interestedinbutneverthelessneedtoknowabout).Notethatallthisisassumingtheboreismuchlarger
thanthespotsize(i.e.,asifthelaserwasoperatingin'freespace'.
AttheOC,thespotsizeis:
lambda*Lr*sqrt((RoCL)/L)
w1=sqrt()
pi
andattheHRitis:
lambda*Lr*sqrt((RoCL)/L)
w2=sqrt()
pi*(1L/RoC)
Where:
lambda=wavelength(10.6micronsfortheCO2laser).
Lr=Lengthoftheresonator(distancebetweentheOCandHR,NOTjusttheactivemedium).
RoC=radiusofcurvatureoftheHR.
Thislooksabitfrightening,andshouldbeusedjusttocheckthatyourresonatorisroughlyright.Let'sdo
anexample...Mytube(asyounowknow)is1,200mmlongby15mmID.Theresonatorisslightly
concaveat10mradius.Pluggingeverythinginweget:w1=3.3mmandw2=3.5mm.
Thepracticalbeamradius(bythe1/e4criterion)isthus2timesthesevalues(i.e.6.6and7mm
respectively).Thisfitsnicelyintothebore(15mmdiameter=7.5mmradius)sowecanassumethatnot
toomuchofthebeamisoccludedbytheIDofthebore.
Iftheboreismuchlargerthanthis,thenpowerisbeingwastedinionizinggaswhichthebeammisses.If
smaller,thenthetubegainwillbereduced,andyouwon'tbeabletofocusthebeamsokeenly.Choosea
longerradiusedmirrorforlargerdiameterbores.
Aruleofthumbforcheckingtheefficiencyis
r2
Nf=
lambda*Lb
Where:
Nf=Fresnelnumber.
r=boreradius(1/2theIDofthetube).
lambda=laserwavelength.
Lb=lengthofthebore(usuallythesameasLd,thelengthofthedischarge).
Nfshouldbegreaterthanorequalto1forlowloss,butnottoolarge.Thistestsyourtube'sradiusand
lengthfordiffractionloss.
Uptoapointincreasingtheradiusofcurvatureincreasespoweroutputbecausetheavailableexcitedgas
volumeisusedmoreefficiently.Forexample,a1/e4radiusof1mminaboreof15mmwillonlybeusing
1/225ofthegasvolume.Thusthemaximumpossibleefficiencywouldbeonly0.3*1/225=0.13%.
However,alargerradiusalsoincreasesthedifficultyofmirroralignmentroughlyinproportiontothe
radius.
Also,iftheradiusissolargeastoincreasethe1/ebeamdiametertolargerthantheactualboresize,then
theoutputbeammaybreakintohighertransversemodes.I*am*sortofguessinghere,sinceIhaven't
actuallytriedthis.
NotethattheeffectsofthedifferencesbetweenLd,Lb,andLrareusuallyverysmallandwillnotmakeallthat
muchdifferenceformostdesigns.ThisisparticularlytruefortypicalCO2laserswithinternalmirrorsand
combinedelectrodesandmirrormounts.
ExamplesofCO2LaserResonatorConfigurations
IhavebeenlookingintotheCO2laserpoweroutputformulaintheCORDLasers/ElectroOpticsTechnology
Module39:CO2LaserSystems,andcomparingitwiththeformulaeIcollatedsometimeago(asimplemented
byTim'sCO2LaserOpticsCalculationPage,nowdead).
Thecalculationsofspotdiametersagree,buttheformulaeforoptimumO/Creflectivitydon'tagree(atleastat
firstsight),withtheLEOTformulasuggestingamuchlowerreflectivitythanthe1L/500Dformula.However,
lookingintothisdiscrepancymoreclosely,itseemsthatthedifferenceisnothingtoworryabout.Usingthe
LEOTformula,thereisaverywidebandofreflectivitiesthatmaybeusedwithverylittlechangeinoutput
power.Forexample,overtherange2080%reflectance,theoutputpowerforatypicalconfigurationchangedby
onlyafewpercent!
NotethattheLEOTformulaisforalowflowaxialtype,withwatercooledjacket.Unfortunately,itonlygives
themaximumoutputpowerandsaysnothingabouttheelectricalinputrequired.
Ihavetabulatedsomeresultsfromthisformula,whichfollow.Thetableisforsometypicaltubelengthsand
diameterswhichwemayuse.ThetableliststheoptimumOCreflectance,thediffractionloss,andtheoutput
power.IhaveassumedanHRradiusof10m,withareflectancelossof0.5%.
Byfarthemostimportantfactoraffectingpoweroutputisactivelength.Allotherfactorshavearelativelytrivial
effect.Themoralofthisstoryis:makeitlong,flowitfast.InthisrespecttheLEOTformulaisrather
uninterestingasatoolforoptimisation,sinceyougetabout60W/mnomatterwhat.
NoteinparticularthattheoptimumoutputpowerisalmostindependentofHRradius.Runningthetablesagainst
R=5mandR=20mshowsonlyinsignificantdifferences,soIhaveusedR=10masacompromisebetween
diffractionlossandutilisationofactivearea.
Thecolumn"Ld%"showsthediffractionlosscausedbytheborediameterapproachingtheHRspotdiameter.
Thisdoesnotdirectlytranslatetoalossofoutputpower,butthereisaslighteffect.Theadvantageofahigher
Ld(uptoabout5%)isbetterefficiencyduetohigheractiveareautilisation.Thefewpercentlossinpowerisa
smallpricetopayformuchbetterelectricalefficiency.Myguessforworkingoutelectricalefficiencyis:ifyou
doublethetubediameter,thendoubletheelectricalpowerrequired.Thereasoningforthisisthatdoublingthe
tubediameterwillrequire4timesthecurrent(4timesthearea),howeverthecurrenthastobereducedtohalfof
thatsincethethermalresistanceofthegascolumnwilldouble.Foraconcreteexample,takethe600mmlong
tubewithdiametersof7mmand14mm.Ifthe7mmtubetakes200Wtorun,the14mmtubewillrequire400
W.Therespectiveefficiencieswillthenbe28.3/200=14%and36.7/400=9%.
TubediameterstotabulatearebasedonamaximumLdof15%,thenterminatedatthehigherdiameterend
whenthepoweroutputactuallydecreases.Stepsareinwholemmincrements.
Thepoweroutputisforaflowofafewlitreatmospheresperminute.(Exactlyhowmuchwasnotspecified).
Thepowercouldbeincreasedupto10fold(to600W/m)ifahighenoughflowcouldbearranged(suchthatany
oneCO2moleculeonlyspendsafewmsintheactivearea).Becauseofthissensitivitytoflowrate,takethe
followingresultswithalargegrainofsalt.
Herearethetables:
1.Activelength=0.6m,cavitylength=0.8m,HRradiusofcurvature=10m,HRspotdiameter=6.30861
mm,Outputspotdiameter=6.051mm.
D(mm)Refl%Ld%Pwr(W)

7388.5228.3023
8464.0131.8972
9561.7134.3704
10640.6635.8653
11690.2336.6002
12720.0736.8474
13730.0236.8543
14730.0136.7686
2.Activelength=0.8m,cavitylength=1m,HRradiusofcurvature=10m,HRspotdiameter=6.70729
D(mm)Refl%Ld%Pwr(W)

73111.3237.0264
8365.8141.7931
9452.7345.2237
10551.1747.4732
11630.4648.7577
12670.1749.336
13690.0549.4881
14700.0249.4358
3.Activelength=1m,cavitylength=1.2m,HRradiusofcurvature=10m,HRspotdiameter=7.05964
D(mm)Refl%Ld%Pwr(W)

72814.0045.4001
8307.6751.3513
9363.8855.7594
10461.8158.7936
11550.7860.6816
12620.3161.6785
13650.1162.0642
14670.0462.1044
15680.0161.9851
4.Activelength=1.2m,cavitylength=1.4m,HRradiusofcurvature=10m,HRspotdiameter=7.3793
D(mm)Refl%Ld%Pwr(W)

8269.5360.5921
9305.1066.0056
10382.5469.8502
11481.1772.3759
12560.5073.8483
13610.2074.5426
14640.0774.7379
15650.0374.6692
D(mm)Refl%Ld%Pwr(W)

92010.43104.219
10216.14111.629
11263.42117.012
12331.80120.724
13410.90123.1
14480.42124.439
15530.19125.023
16560.08125.116
17570.03124.93
D(mm)Refl%Ld%Pwr(W)

101711.53158.178
11167.33167.88
12184.46175.1
13222.60180.266
14291.45183.784
15350.77186
16410.40187.213
17460.19187.69
18490.09187.669
DeterminingHomeBuiltCO2LaserOutputPower
RatherthanguessingasIhavedoneforsomeoftheotherhomebuiltlasers,hereIsuggestalowcostwayof
testingit!
Sincewaterisagoodabsorberof10.6umradiation,asimple'waterheatingtest'likethatusedtoevaluatethe
performanceofamicrowaveovenshouldbeabletodeterminetheactualpowerinthelaserbeamtoafair
degreeofaccuracy.Sincethe10.6umoutputoftheCO2laserwon'tgothroughmostcommonmaterials,
provideawayofdirectingthebeamfromyourCO2laserdownwardapolishedcopperplateusedamirror,for
example.Place100mlofwaterinasmallvacuuminsulatedflask(e.g.,ThermosorDewer)andmeasureits
temperature.RuntheCO2laserbeamintothewaterfor10minutes.Then,thepowerinthebeamisgivenby:
P(beam)=TemperatureriseinDegCmultipliedby.7.Idonotknowtowhatextentthereflectivityofthewater
willaffectthesereadingsbuttheexperimentiseasyenough!
(From:SteveHardyhardy@sweng.stortek.com).)
IthinkthereissomeriskofbreakingtheThermosorDewerwithamisdirectedbeam.Iwouldsuggestthe
followingdesignforhighpowerCO2laser:
|\
|\
|\
Beam>\Mirror
|\
|wwwwwwwwww\
|____________\
T
Aprismshapedboxisconstructedfromthincoppersheet.Anaperturetoaccepttheincomingbeamiscutinthe
verticalside.Watercoversthebottomofthebox.Althoughthedrawinglookstallandnarrow,itisbettertohave
shortandwide.A15degreeslopeonthe'roof'wouldbeideal.The'T'representsathermometeringoodcontact
withtheundersideofthebox.
Thewholeboxissurroundedbystyrofoambeadstominimiseheatloss.Theapertureallowsverylittleradiation
toescapebackout,soitisacloseapproximationofablackbody.
Usingtheheatcapacityofthemassofwater,plusthatofthecopperbox,andknowingthetimeofexposure,
thenifthetemperatureriseismeasuredthenthetotalenergyinputcanbecalculated.Fromthisthepowerinput
canbederived.
Also,measurethedropintemperatureoverseveralhoursafterexposure.Thiswillindicatetheheatlossofthe
calorimetersothatthissourceoferrormaybeaccountedfor.
Ataguess,thebiggestsourceoferrorisgoingtobeyourtemperaturemeasurement.Youshouldbeableto
determinethetruepoweroutputofyourlaserwithin5%eachway.
(From:MarkDinsmore(tango@coolmail.net).)
IhadanideawhileIwastryingtofigureoutagoodwaytooptimizetheoutputpowerofmylasertobe.I
wantedapowertransducerthathadhighoutputlevel,reasonablyfastresponse,andpredictableopticalpower
toelectricalsignaltransferfunction.ItoccurredtomethatmaybeaPeltiercooleroperatedinreverse,i.e.,asa
heattoelectriccurrentconverter,mightworkquitewell.allyouwouldneedtodoistoputalowmassinfrared
absorberononeside,andcooltheothersidewithafreeairorliquidcooledheatsink.Itwouldbeeasyto
calibrateputapowerresistoronthehotsideandfeeditwithvariousknownpowerlevels.Isetupacrudetest
oftheconcept,andgotabout70mAofcurrentat2wattsinput.Itseemedapproximatelylinear,with~40mAat
1wattand~130mAat4watts.Thisoutputcurrentlevelmeansyoudonotneedfancythermocouplemetersor
sensitiveDMMs.Thethermalconductivityofthedeviceisquitehigh,sothetemperatureofthehotsideonly
roseacoupleofCat4Watts,withoutaheatspreader.Iwasnotbeingverycarefulwiththesetup,soIwas
quitepleasedwiththeresults.ThepeltiermoduleIusedistheonethatyoucanfindalmostanywhereinthe
surpluselectronicdealer'scatalogs.Ithinkitisratedat12voltsand4amps,andcostabout$25.
MeasuringCO2LaserBeamDivergence
Howyoudothiswilldependonyourbudget.I'llassumethereisn'tmuchofone.:)
Ifyouhaveenoughpowertodoa"modeburn"oncardboard,thermalpaper,orthetraditionalPlexiglas,youcan
usethattovisualizethebeamdiameteratvariouslocations.Ifyourpowerislower,gotoMackenInstruments,
Inc..Buyaplatecoatedwiththewonderfulmaterialthatischargedupunderafluorescentlightandthenglows
when9to10umlighthitsit.Thatwayyoucanseeyourbeam.
Measureyourbeamwidthattwopoints,onenear,andonefarsay10to20metersandfindyourbeamwaistthen
usingtheequationsforbeampropagationfoundinanygoodlasertextbookandmakeanapproximation.Youcan
alsocomeupwithanapproximationbymeasuringthediameterinthefarfieldanddividingbythedistance.For
example,1.5cmdiameterdividedby1,000cmdistanceis1.5milliradiansfullangle.Thedivergenceisvery
nonlinearclosetothelaserassumingaclassicalcavity,sodon'tgetconfusedifyougetsomeoddmeasurements
there.
Thisisaheckofalotcheaperthenbuyingaexpensivebeamanalyzer,andunlessyouneedveryhighaccuracy
onyourcollimation,theeasiestwayofdoingthings.Wearappropriatesafetyglasseswhendoingthis,asfried
cornealsurfacesandfacialburnsarenotfun.Mostlaserbeamanalyzersforthiswavelengthwouldusea
spinningdiskorcylinderwithaslitandfastdetectorpyroelectricdetector,oracooledIRcameraorlineararray.
ThereisanothertechniqueifyouhaveaGaussianbeamandconsistentpulsetopulsepower.Thisisinsertinga
knifeedgemountedonamicrometerstageintothebeamtillthepowerfirstdropsto90%offullpower,notethe
micrometerreading.Thenmovetheknifeedgetillyouhave10%offullpower.againnotethemicrometer
reading.Thedifferencebetweenthetworeadingsdividedby.65isequaltothediameteratthe1/eintensity
points,whichiswhatisusedbydefinition.It'sactually86%insteadofthe80%differenceIused,butthe
detectorerrorsareprobably+5%anywaysunlessyourveryluckyandwellequipped.Bydoingthisatseveral
pointsclosetothelaseryoucanthenworkoutafittotheGaussianequationwhichispublishedinmostbetter
lasertexts.IfyouhaveacomplexmultimodepatternoraunstableresonatorI'moutofmyfamiliarterritoryand
disregardwhatI'vesaid.
MeasuringCO2LaserBeamSpotSize
(From:LeonardMigliore(lm@laserk.com).)
AcheapwaytomeasurethefocusedspotsizeofaCO2laser:Burnaholeinpaper.Allotherwaysusecostly
instrumentation(Spiricon,ModeMaster,PhotonBeamscan,Prometec).Youhavetobeabletodeliverconsistent
shortpulseswithacoupleofmJofenergytokeepfromburningbigholesinthepaperbut,asyoudecreasethe
energyandapproachtheminimumdiameterbeforetheholebecomesconical,yougetareasonable
approximationtothebeamsizeasmeasuredbyrealinstruments.
Ifyouwanttomeasurethesizeoftheunfocusedbeam,acrylicdoesagoodjobbutthefumescan'thelpyoulive
longer.
DiscussionofCO2LaserConstruction
(From:KristianTapaniUkkonen(kukkonen@epsilon.hut.fi).)
I'mconsideringaprojectofbuildingasmallCO2laser.Ihaveafullyreflectivemirror(germaniumwithgold
coating)andoutputcoupler(transparentmaterialwithgoldcoating)froma500Wlaser.Thesemirrorsareold
butusableaccordingtothepersonwhokindlygavethemtomefromacompanydoinglasercutting.
(From:A.E.Siegman(siegman@ee.stanford.edu).)
Theoutputcouplerispossiblyzincselenide(expensive)coatingprobablyis*not*gold,butagoldcolored
dielectriccoating.
Ifmirrorsaresalt(NaCL)(they'llbequitelightinweight)keep'emdry!
WhenIbuiltmyCO2laserbackincollege(fromtheScientificAmericanarticle),weusedaluminumflashed
saltcrystals.Workedwell.Goldwouldworkevenbetter.Onenicethingaboutgoldisthatitcanbedeposited
usingwetchemistrynovacuumovensorplasmasrequired.Ihavesomestuffavailablefromtheceramic
supplystorethatwhenheated,leavesanicegoldfilm.Justflowitonandheatiteitherinanovenorwithaheat
gun.
IhaveplansforaCO2laser(from"LightanditsUses")butseveralquestionsdoarise:
Thearticledoesnotreallycommentontheratioofdischargetubelengthtothediameterandhowtocorrelate
thistooptimalperformanceandpressureandratioofgases.Theydomentionabout18"longand1"diameter
tubewith1to20torrand8partsHe,2N2and1CO2whilewithnarrowertubehigherpressuresapply.Their
efficiencyisratherlow(about1%)whileI'vereadeven30%canbeachieved.Whywouldthisbedoeserrors
withpressuresandtubedimensionscausethis?Theydouse12kV,0to100mAtodrivethetubewithwithless
than10Woutput.
CO2isinsensitivetotubediametergaingoesuplinearlywithlength.1"diameterislargish1cmmore
common18"lengthisquiteshort60cmto1mmightbemorelikeit.
Poweroutputperunitlengthisalmostindependentoftubediameter(largertubehasmoregas,butgasgets
hotterbecauseoflongerdiffusionlengthtowalls,andsoyoudon'tgetmorepower).
Optimumpressure,mixtureanddischargeconditionsprobablybestdeterminedbytrialanderror.Thereare
probablyknownrecipesforoptimumconditions,butstill,trialanderroristheeasiestwaytogo.
Sputteringtomirrors.Thearticlehasthemirrorsdirectlymountedtotheendswithbellowsofbrassasmeansto
alignthem.I'dguessthatthemirrorsgetdestroyedbysputteringatleastatoneend??InordertopreventthisI've
thoughtaboutusingbisectionaltubewithmiddlegroundedandeither+VorVatbothends.Wouldthishelp?
Whatisitthatreallyisthethreationizedelectrodematerial?I'veplannedusingstainlesssteel.I'dratherthan
mountmirrorstodirectcontacttoplasmadousesomewindowsatendsandmirrorsatsomedistanceaway
doesthissoundreasonableorwillIfaceproblemsifnotwhatwouldbeagoodmaterialforthewindowsand
dotheyhavetobeatbrewsterangleI'veseensomedesignsofhighgainlasersthatdonotuseangledwindows.
Becareful!!!!Bellowscouldbehotelectrically,andevenifyouthinkbellowsaregrounded,dischargecould
jumptomirrors.
Ishouldn'tgiveadviceonthis,becauseIreallydon'tknow,butIhavetheimpressiontheCO2laserdischargeis
afairly'soft'glowdischarge,anddoesn'tdoalotofsputteringordamagetomirrors.
CO2gainfairlylowifnotintracavitymirrors,thenBrewsterwindowsessential.Largesaltflatspossible,but
fragilebigZnSeslabsbestbutpricey,andangleisverysteep.
Idousea220VAC,20kV,7kWexternallycurrentlimitedtransformerforthisproject.Icancontrolboth
voltageandcurrentwithVariacandadjustableinductance>0to20kVat0to350mA
(From:Sam.)
ThatsortofpowersupplyisgrossoverkillforasmallCO2laserandverydangerous.Iwouldrecommendusing
aluminoustubetransformerassuggestedinthearticlestillverydangerousbutnotquiteasinstantlydeadly.
LasercavityshallbeconstructedusingPyrextubewithstainlesssteelends(electrode/windowholder/adjuster)
andplasticwaterjacketaroundtheglasstube.Vacuumismaintainedwithmechanical2stagepump.
Icanputafocusinglensaftercompletingthelaser.
Water
_InWaterJacket_
Mirror||_____||____________________v_________||Mirror
||||________________.__._________________||||
||I________________|__|_________________I||
||||_________________||________________||||
|_||||||_|
ElectrodeGroundandWaterElectrode
VacuumPumpOut
Thegasfeedisattheendelectrodes,vacuumpumpconnectedtomiddle.
Inchemicalglasswarecatalogsyoucanfindwatercooledstraightdistillationcolumnsinmeterlengths.These
makeagoodcheapwatercooledCO2lasertube.
Anyothercommentswelcome.
Justtolimittheamountofsafetyconcerns:Ihaveexperienceabouthighvoltages(evenTeslacoils)andshall
useadequateprotectiontoIRprotectivegogglesandIRcameratoviewbeamlines.I'mnomadscientistbutan
amateurwithrealneedtoacuttinglaser.
(From:BillHigdon(willard561@aol.com).)
IbuiltaCO2laserabout30yearsagofromplansintheJournalofAppliedPhysics(JAP)(AtleastIbelieveit
wasJAPabout19691973).Thewindowsweresupposedtoberocksalt,butIusedacoupleofgermanium
wafers(surplus).Themirrorsweregoldplatedeyeglasslenses.
Steve'sCommentsonCO2LaserElectrodes
I'veservicedalotofthem,butonlybuiltoneofthem.Sothisadviceisworthwhatyouhavepaidforit)
Largerelectrodeswillhavelesscathodefall(good)andmoreheatdissipation(good)atthedisadvantageof
beinghardtoinitiallyprocess.IfyournotgoingtouseaHochulimatrix,thennickelorSwedishiron(svea
metal)isagoodchoice.Thetraditionallayoutinasmallflowinggaslaseristoplacetheanodeandthesuction
atthecenterandacathodeandgasfeedateachend.Thisdragsjunkintheplasmaouttothepumpandhelps
cooltheanode.
ManyofthelasersI'veservicedthatweresmallborehadeitheralayerofgoldandnickelcatalystvacuum
evaporatedinaspotalongthebore,orabouthalfwaybetweentheelectrodestheyhaveacatalystofnickeland
orgoldwirestocausesomerecombinationandanoticeableboostinoutput.
Asformultipletubes,theplasmagenerallylikestojumpbetweentubesinsteadoflasing,soyoumightneed
morethenonePSU.atraditionalwayofisolatingdischargesislonglengthsoffinemetalscreeningallowedto
floatuptoahighpotentialinanarrowtube.thisbecomesamajordragonthepumpingsystem.anythinginthe
structureofahollowcathode,i.e.,metalfilltube,hollowglasstometalsealetchasatendencytobecomea
electronemitterandthuscauseplasma"jumps"inweirdplaces.oftencatanodeelectrodes(smallopposing
dischargesofamilliamportwo)areneededtokilljumps.
Thelowpressureregionofthemainvacuumlineisanotherplacedischargesliketostartandwillgodownthe
plasticorrubberlinetothepump.hencehavingthepumpatanodepotentialwhichisearthgroundinmany
systems.
CoolingCO2LaserOpticsandCommentsonGermanium
(FromChrisChagaris(pyro@grolen.com).)
WaterisanexcellentabsorberofIRradiationsoyoucan'tsubmergethemirrororwindowinwatertocoolit
(nottomentionthatsomematerialsarewatersoluble!).Infact,insomelaserapplications(suchasflashlamp
pumpeddyelasers)thispropertyofwaterisusedtoadvantage,asanIRfilter.
Thetypicalgermaniumopticitselfisnotsubmergedinwater.Theseopticsareheldinveryconductivemetal
carriersandthewateriscirculatedthroughthecarrier,whichinturnwillcooltheoptic.
Germaniumopticswerecommonlyusedinolder,commercial,lowpowerCO2lasers,asinfactthecostof
germaniumopticswerelowerthanthenowcommonzincselenidematerials.Germaniumisasemiconductor
materialthathasahighinternaltransmittanceforIRradiation,particularlybetween3to5and8to12microns.
Thismaterialhasahighrefractiveindexwhichmakesitagoodmaterialfortheconstructionoflenses.Oneof
themajordrawbacksofgermanium,becauseofthishighrefractiveindex,isthehighreflectancelossesofthe
uncoatedsurfaces.TheapplicationofspecialARcoatingsareessentialinpracticalusetopreventthenormal
36%reflectionlossespersurface.
AnotherdrawbackofgermaniumisthatwithCWapplicationsthereisthepossibilityofthermalrunaway,asthe
thermalconductivityofgermaniumisratherlow.Oncethegermaniumopticbeginstoabsorbenergynearthe
beamthelocalvalueoftheabsorptioncoefficientwillalsobegintorise.Thiscanbringonacontinuedand
uncontrolledtemperaturerisewhichwillleadtodestructionofthematerial.Thisiswhywatercoolingis
essentialinCO2laserapplications.
Thethirddrawbackofgermaniumopticalcomponentsistheiropacitytovisiblelight,includingthe632.8nm
outputfromaheliumneonlaser.Thiswouldbecomeveryimportantwhenitcametimetoalignyouroptical
cavityinyourCO2laser.ZincselenideOC'stransmitalargepercentageofthisredbeamanditmakesalignment
ofyourlaserusingthismaterialMUCHeasier.
BeamStopforCO2Laser
Unlikethebeamfroma1mWHeNelaser,thebeamfromevenasmallCO2laserhomebuiltorotherwise
cancausedamagetopersonnelandproperty.Infact,specularreflectionsofsuchabeamcanbeevenmore
hazardousbecausetheirultimatedestinationmaybeunknown!Planarsurfacesareworstinthisregardbutwith
powerinthebeamthousandsoftimeshigherthanthatHeNelaserordiodelaserpointer,evenmomentary
reflectionsfromthingslikecommonconstructionmaterialsandcurvedopticalmountsmustbeavoided.
Abeamstop(orbeamblockasitiscalledbelow)isanessentialpieceofsafetyequipmentforaClassIVCO2
laserandconsistsoftwoparts:
1.Amaterialthatcanabsorbtheenergyofthelaserbeam(reflectingaslittleaspossible)withoutbursting
intoflameordeterioratingsignificantlywithuse.
2.Anenclosuretocontainanyofthebeamthatdoesreflectfromtheprimaryabsorber.Aholeatoneend
allowsthebeamtoenterbutverylittletoescape.
Notethatjustbecausesomethinglooksblackdoesn'tmeanitwillfullyabsorblight,especiallyatawavelength
youcan'tsee.Forexample,blackanodizedaluminumwillstillreflectabout10%oftheincidentlightwhich
couldbequiteabitforaCO2laser!So,thedesignofthebeamstopmustalsominimizethepossibilityof
reflectionsbackoutintotheworkarea.
HereisonesuggestionforabeamblocksuitableforatypicalhomebuiltCO2laser:
Youwillrequireafullyenclosedmetalbox,painttheinsideoftheboxwithblackpaint.Ononesideofthebox,
drillaholesothatthebeamwillpassthrough.
TheblackpaintwillservetoabsorbtheIRenergy,andthemetalwillactasaheatsink.Thereasonforthe
hollowbox,issotocontainanystrayreflections.
Therearearewaysandmaterialstomakeabeamblock,butthebasisofablockisthatisabsorbsexcessenergy.
ForCO2lasers,youshouldavoidmaterialsthatreflectthe10.6umwavelengths.Forexample,copperisagood
reflectorforCO2laserlight.
(From:Authorunknown.)
Ifyouwanttheabsoluteminimumbackscatter,withoutspendinganarmandaleg,dowhatThorlabsdoesfor
theirbeamblocksuserazorblades!Astackofrazorbladesisagreatbeamblock,becausealloftheclosely
spacedfacetsofthebladecauseanybeamfallingontoittobouncebackandforthtillitisveryeffectively
absorbedbytheotherwisebrightshinnysurfaceoftheblade(Note:Thereflectivityofthebladeiswhatmakes
thiswork..don'ttryspraypaintingitblack,etc.,youwilljustreducetheefficiency).Ifyoulookhardinsome
drugstores,youcanstillfindboxesof100to500razorsbladesfor'oldfashioned'manualrazors.Ispent$6for
aboxof500,thatmadeastack,about2or3inchestall.Stackthemup,insert3longscrewsinthethreeholes
throughthestack,andpresto:arelativelyhighpowerbeamblockforunder$10.Ihavehitmyblockwitha70
or80WYAGlaserforminutesatatime,andalthoughitdoesgetwarm,itdoesn'tgethottothetouch.
(From:Bob.)
Getsomeblackanodizedaluminumheatsinkthebiggerthebetter(withinreason).Anythingmorethana
couplewattsoflaserpowerwouldmakeasmallpieceofmetalquitehotinshortorder.Whateverheatsinkyou
use,alsocoatitwithhightemperatureflatblackspraypaintthekindofstuffyouwouldsprayonabarbecue
grill.ThestuffworksgreatatabsorbingnearandfarIR.Ifyouwanttomakeaverygoodbeamblockandare
worriedaboutstraylight,youcanmakearazorbladebeamblock,orbuyonefromThorlabs.Theyarequite
efficient.It'snothingmorethanastackofoldfashionedrazorblades(thekindwithasharpedgeonbothsides
sotheywillstackclosetogether).Youstackthemupallniceandneat,andboltthemtogethertokeepthemthat
way.Thesideofthestackofbladeswhereyoucanseetheindividualsharpedgesbecomesyourbeamblock.
Basicallyanyincominglightisreflectedmanytimesoffthenearlyparalleledgesofthesharpedgesoftherazor
blades,andisquiteeffectivelyabsorbedbythematerial.Suchabeamblockwouldheatupprettyquick,butit
wouldbeeffectiveifyouweremomentarilydoinganalignment,forexample,anddidn'twanttoshutthelaser
forsomereason.
BrewsterWindowsforCO2Laser?
ThetypicalhomebuiltCO2lasernormallyusesatubewithinternalmirrors.However,therearesome
commercialCO2lasersthathaveBrewsterwindowsandexternalmirrors.Herearesomeprosandcons:
AdvantagesofBrewsters:
1.Outputwillbeapolarizedbeam.DoesthismatterforaCO2laser?
2.YoucandoyourfiddlingwithoutgoingneartheHV.:)
3.Mirrorscanbeinterchangedmoreeasily.
4.Additionalopticscanbeintroducedintocavity.
DisadvantagesofBrewsters:
1.Opticscanandwillgetdirty.
2.LossesinBrewsterwindowmaterial.
3.Makingsureyougettheanglescorrect.
4.UnavoidablereflectionsfromBrewsterwindows(4places)mustbetreatedasClassIVbeams.
5.AdditionalcostofBrewsterwindowsandseparatemirrormounts.
(From:PresMacy(malase@javanet.com).)
AsfarasIknowthereisnoBrewsterwindowsaren'tused,excepttosavecoststhatyoucannotusewindowson
yourtube.IbelievethatallindustrialdesignsincorporatetheHRandOContotheirtubeswhichactasbotha
vacuumsealandopticalfeedback.
Infact,afewdesignsusean*uncoated*window(uncoatedonesideonly)asanOCbecauseuncoatedZnSehas
anaturalreflectanceofabout27%persurface.
Further,IwouldguessthataBrewsterwindowforCO2laserisdifficultsinceIhavenotseenanyinindustryor
scientificdesigns.TheindexofrefractionforZnSeis2.60orsoandallBrewstermaterialIhaveseenis1.49to
1.56whichresultsinananglearound55degrees.TheBrewsterangleofZnSewouldbeabout69degrees.
IthinkyouarebetteroffusingARwindowsratherthanbrewster.Althoughwindowsaregoingtohavehigher
loss,theCO2laserisahighgaindevicesoafewpercentadditionallossisnotreallynoticeable.
PlayingaroundwiththeLEOTformula(seethesection:ExamplesofCO2LaserResonatorConfigurations),
additionof2%cavitylossina'typical'configurationresultsin412%lossinpoweroutput,withhigheroutput
lossassociatedwithlargertubediameters(lessgainperunitvolume,hencemoresensitivetolosses).
This2%lossiscomposedofatotalof8reflectionsperroundtripthroughthetube.Thismeansthateach
windowfacemustreflectlessthan0.25%ofincidentradiation.
Intheory,youshouldinclinethewindowsbyafewdegreessothatanyreflectionsdonotinterferewiththemain
beam.
Forexample,considerawindowwith0.5%reflectionateachface,plus0.5%absorption.(Thesearemaximum
figuresandyouwillprobablygetbetterperformancethanthis.)Takingtheworstcase,theroundtriplosswillbe
4x1.5%=6%.UsingtheLEOTformulafor,e.g.a1mtubegivesthefollowingresults:
Activelength=1m,cavitylength=1.2m,HRradiusofcurvature=10m,HRloss=0.5%,Windowloss=6%
HRspotdiameter=7.05964mm,Outputspotdiameter=6.62253mm.
D(mm)Refl%Ld%Pwr(W)Pwr2(W)Delta%

72814.0045.400140.384911.0465
8307.6751.351345.480311.4329
9363.8855.759448.537312.9522
10461.8158.793649.584715.663
11550.7860.681649.241818.8522
12620.3161.678548.084422.0402
13650.1162.064247.340223.7239
14670.0462.104446.622924.9282
15680.0161.985146.140225.5626
Pwristheoutputpowerwithnowindowloss,Pwr2isthepowerwiththespecifiedwindowloss,andDelta%is
thepercentagedifference.Atworst,youwilllose25%ofyouroutput.Maximumpowerisobtainedfroma
narrowertube(10mmversus14mm).
CommentsonGasSupplyandSetupforSlowFlowCO2Lasers
RegardingtheCO2lasergassystemandmixture,Iwillstartfromthegassupply.
Forthis,youhavetwochoices:
1.Mixyourownthreegases.
2.Purchasethepremixedlasergas.
ThegasratiothatisusedforslowflowtypeCO2lasersistypically:4.5:13.5:82(4.5%CO2,13.5%N2,and
balanceofhelium).
Ifyouaregoingtomixyourown,youhaveafurthertwochoices:
1.Generateyourowngas.
2.Purchase3separategasbottles.
Ifyoutakethefirstoption,youcangeneratethegasinthefollowingorder:
HeYouwillneedtopurchaseabottleofthis99.99%puritywillbeadequate.(Whataboutparty
balloonheliumifitisreasonablypurs?Sam.)
N2Bubbleairthroughwater.(Iguessthewaterremovesanydustandtheroughly18percentO2and
othergasesintheair,andtheadditionalwatervapor,don'taffectperformancemuchoractuallyimproves
it!Sam.)
CO2Sublimedryice(dryiceinwater),ormixupaquantityofvinegarandbakingsoda(sodium
bicarbonate).
Youwillthenneedtoconnectthethreecontainersofgastoamanifold,withaneedlevalveoneeachbottlethat
youcanregulatethepressureofthegas.Youwillneedafurthervalveafterthemanifoldtocontroltheentiregas
supply.Apressuregaugeisusuallyplacedthatthisendofthetube,furthestawayfromthevacpump.
Ifyouaregoingtochoosethepremixbottledgas,thefollowingwillberequired:
Onthebottle,youwillneedtofirstlyselectaregulator,youwillneedadualregtype,thatgiveyouagaugefor
bottlepressure(HighPressure),andoneforthegasflow(lowpressurefromthebottle).Forseparategasyou
willneedthreeregulatorsbig$$$.(Iamusinggoingthepremixroute.)Fromthelowpressuresideofthe
regulator,youwillthenneedtoaddafinegascontrolvalvetoregulatethepressureofthegaswithinthelaser
tube,thiscontrolcanbeachievedwithaneedlevalve.
Onethevacuumsideofthelasertube,Isuggestthatyouuseanotherneedlevalvesothatyoucanshutoffthe
tubefromthepumpduringvacuumtestingandexperiments.
ThisisbasicallythegassystemsetupforaCO2laser.Thevacuum/gasrequirementsforaCO2laserismuch
lesscriticalthanthatofheliumneonorargonionlaser,whichrequiresophisticatedvacuumequipmentandvery
puregassupplies(eventheslightestcontaminationmayandwillkilllasingintheselowgaintypelasers).
Pressureinthetubeiscontrolledbyincreasingordecreasinggasflowthroughthetube.Thisisdonein
conjunctionwiththevoltageandcurrenttothetube.Thelowerthevoltage(andcurrent),thelessgasisrequired
highervoltage,moregas.Opticalpoweristhusregulatedbyacombinationofpowertothetubeandgas
pressure/flow.
Forexample,atypicalCoherentslowflowCO2laseroperatesasfollows:Atlaserturnon,theHighvoltage
powerisplacedacrossthetuberegardlessofwhetherthetubeisgassedupornot.Priortotheflowofgas,the
lasertubeisfirstpumpeddown,onceithasreachedanappropriatevacuum,thegasflowisstarted,andthelaser
willstarttorun.Theoutputpowerisregulated,bythegasflow,pressure,andtubevoltage.
OnceyouhavebeendealingwithCO2lasersforawhile,youwillgettheexperiencetoknowhowthelaseris
runningbylookingatthedischargeandthecolour.
Verylittlegasisactuallyneededduringoperation.Dependingonyourusage,a'G'sizebottlewilllastavery
longtime.
(From:CesarMartinez(arterel@intercable.net).)
Thisisacommentfromanefriendwhoisanexpert(andIDOmeanexpert)onlasersystems:
"Gasflowisprobablyyourmostcriticalthing.Infact,ifyouhookedthegasestoarootsblower,
andblastedthemthroughthecavity,youcouldupyouroutputwattage.Finecontrolofthenitrogen,
heliumandCO2gasesisalsocritical.Youwillfindthataperfectlytunedcavitywon'tlase,orlase
verywellifthegasmixturesarewrong.Withexperienceyouwillbeabletotunethegasmixtureby
watchingthecolorortheexcitedgaseswithintheglasstube."
I'mgladhementionedaboutbeingabletoseetheresonator.Itwillgiveyoumanyclues,suchasgasleaks,etc.
Thecolorrangeyouwillactuallyseeinthelasingcavity,ifthegasmixtureiscorrectwillbeamber.Bluemeans
toomuchnitrogenandredmeanstoomuchhelium.
RegulatingCO2GasPressureandFlowRate
Boththevacuumportandgasinletportneedtohavevalves(manualorautomatic)toobtainthedesiredpressure
inthelasertubeandgasflowrate.
Thinkofthesystemasbeingequivalenttotwovoltagesources(yourvacuumpumpandgassupplytank)in
serieswithaload(yourtube),aresistortothepositive(yourinletvalve)andaresistortothenegative(your
outletvalve).Unlessyouhavethatsecondvalve,yourtubepressure(thevoltagedropacrosstheloadinthis
simulation)isdeterminedbyhowfastyourvacuumpumpcanpullgasout(thepumpseffectiveseries
resistance)relativetohowfastyouletitenter(the'resistance'ofthefirstvalve).Thus,youcouldgothroughgas
atquiteaclip.:)
Forabasicsetup,aneedlevalvefollowingthetankpressureregulatorsandavalvewithalargerorificeinthe
vacuumlineshouldsufficethoughitmaytakesomepracticetogetthemsetjustright.Ofcourse,aniceservo
systemwheretheoperatingpressureandflowratecanbedialedinwouldbenice.:)
Asforhowtooptimizeoutputpoweranduseofgas,startatlowflowoninletneedlevalveandadjusttheoutlet
valvetomaintainthedesiredtubepressure.Increasetheflowuntiloutputpowerstartslevelingoff.I'dexpect
you'llwanttorunatthehighestpressureatwhichyoucanstillmaintainadischargesincethiswillresultin
maximumpower(thoughitmaybenecessarytostartthetubeatalowerpressure)butabovesomeflowrate,you
won'tgetsignificantlymorepowerandwilljustwastegas.
Ifyouhaveroughlysimilarneedlevalvesateachend,youwillfindthatthevalveatthevacuumend'chokes'the
flow,andyouwillendupwithmiserablepoweroutput.
Thereareseveralsolutionstotheproblemofobtainingsimultaneouslythecorrectrateofflowandtubepressure.
1.Atthevacuumend,usealowpressureregulator.Theflowrateisthenindependentlyadjustableusingthe
valveatthehighpressureend.
2.Usetwovalves.Thevariablesarenolongerindependentlyadjustable,butthisisarguablyeasierforthe
amateurtoachieve.
Theimportantthingtonoteabout(2)isthattheneedlevalvesshouldhavedifferentorificesizes.Thehigh
pressureendwilluseafineorifice,whereasthelowpressureendneedsalargeorifice.Thereasonforthismay
beobtainedbyconsideringthepressuredifferences:
Themassflowrateofthegasmustbeconstantthroughtheentiresystematequilibrium,becauseoflawof
conservationofmatter.Thepressuredropacrossthehighpressurevalvewillbeoftheorderof2atm,whereas
thepressuredropatthelowendwillonlybeabout20mmHg(or1%thatofthehighpressureend).
Thehighpressurevalvethusrequiresabout100timesthe'resistance'togasflowthanthatofthelowpressure
valve.Inpractice,thismeansthatyoushouldnotusea'needlevalve'atthelowpressureend.Rather,youshould
useaballorgatevalvewhichisdesignedforhigherflowrates.
AirCooledCO2Lasers
EventhoughtheCO2laserisamongthemostefficient,thisstilldoesn'tsaymuch!Atbest,youwillget20
percentelectrical>opticalefficiencyforthetube.HomebuiltCO2laserscoulddoalotworse.Fora50Wlaser
at20percentefficiency,200Wneedstobedissipatedasheat.(250Win,50Woutinthelaserbeam,therestas
heat.)At10%,thisgoesupto450W!Dependingonavarietyoffactorsincludingthetypeandqualityofyour
mirrors,itcouldbeevenless.Whileitispossibletogetridofthisamountofwasteheatwithasuitableheatsink
andforcedaircooling,ittakesmoreeffortthanasimplewaterjacket.Flowingliquidisamazinglyeffectivedue
itsspecificheatbeing100softimeslargerthanair.
However,alsorealizethatjustpreventingthetubefromcrackingormeltingisn'tenoughlasingitselfis
affectedbythetemperatureofthegas.Asitheatsup,theefficiencygoesdownfurtheruntilyoujusthaveapoor
excuseforagasdischargesculpture!
(From:ChrisC.)
Youcandouptoabout50Wwithoutwatercoolingina1meterlongPyrextube.Figuring20%efficiency,that's
200Wdissipatedbythetube.Notunreasonablefora1mlong1to2cmboretube.Aircoolingcanbedoneas
longasthegasisflowingthroughthetubewhilerunning.Hencewecallthese"flowinggas"CO2lasers(butnot
"gasdynamic"whichisadifferenttopologyaltogether).
Waterisneededforsealedtubes.Reason:Wearenotsomuchworriedabouthurtingthetubeasweareabout
keepingthegascool.CO2getsvibrationallyexcitedbyacollisionwithelectronicallyexcitedN2.Thus,you
needN2tomakeaCO2laser.Thereisaproblemthathappenswhentheplasmagetstothermallyhot.Returnto
thegroundstateorsomethinglikethatdoesn'thappen.YouendupwithallyourCO2orN2stuckinsomestate
thatcan'tlase.Coolingmakesthelaserphysicswork.Onlyatmuchhigherpowersdoyouneedtoworryabout
meltinganything.Flowinggasprovidesacontinuoussupplyofcoolgas.Theflowisnotlarge.A1Liter/minute
vacuumpumpwilldo,andsomeveryfinemeteringvalvesforthegases,fedtothevalvesat2to3psi.
Letmeputitthisway:MybossdidmilitaryresearchwithGEandtheretheybuilta14kWflowinggasCO2
laser.Ithadabouta6inchbore,andabout4mlonganddidnotrequireanythingbutaircooling.
Also,youneedHetomakeaCO2laser.TheHehasahighthermalconductivityandassistsintransferring
thermalenergyfromtheN2tothewallsofthetube.CO2laserwon'tworkwithoutN2andHe!
You'regonnahavetoliquidcoolitunlessyouhaveheatsinksofsomesortclampedaroundthetubewithlotsof
forcedair.Convectioncoolingprobablywontcutit.Youwillgetittolasewithnocoolingforshortperiodsof
timebutevenatitsthreshold,itwillheatupenoughforlasingtoceaseevenifitdoesn'tgethotenoughtobe
damaged.
IgnitionCoilBasedCO2LaserPowerSupply
(From:BarryBenson(bensonbd@erols.com).)
YoucanuseapulsedHEIignitioncoilforupto1kW(2inparallelorseriesfor2kW).Use16uFat500volts
topulsetheignitioncoil(undermineraloil).NoHVdiodesorneonsneeded.Justa$20ignitioncoilanda
2N688orbetterSCRtriggeredbyyourfavoritetriggercircuit(555+2N2222).ItcanuseSCRsnubbercaps
(SCRNxxxx)foundatsomeHamfestsforafewdollars.
HEIstandsforHighEnergyIgnitiononeofthosenewervacuumEpoxyimpregnatedveryhighvoltageignition
coilsonasquarishshapedcore.TheoriginalarticlecalledforaDelco523D.Therearenewercoilsthathavea
highvoltagenippletosolvesomeoftheinterfacingproblemsfromtheolderdesign.GotoaTrackAutoorAuto
Zonestoreandbrowsetheignitioncoils.Theyareusuallyinaclearseethroughpackhangingup(usedtobe).I
canget6"sparks(>100kV)betweentwocoilswithoutoilimmersion.Youcanalsogetthematjunkyardsfora
fewdollarseach.Theyarewonderfulforallkindsofhighvoltageexperiments.Youcandrivethemwith
transzorbs,MOSFETs,SCRs,IGBTs,etc.
Iranonecoilat60Hz(20uF,500Vperpulse)tosimulatethedischargefromaneonsigntransformer.WhatI
gotwasmorelikeapoletransformer!Thecoilgothotandmeltedafter10minutes.Iconcludedfromthat
experimentthattheanswertohighpowerwastobankthecoils.
ThepulseisafewtensofnanosecondswideandaboutanAatabout50kV.Thistakesadvantageofthe
magneticpulsecompressionfromthecoresaturatingtoproducethehighpowerpulse.TheCO2lasersranat
about10Hzandwouldeasilycookboards.
Hereisthearticle,uponwhichthiswasbased:
SimpleLongitudinallyPulsedCO2LaseranditsApplicationinSingleModeOperationofTEALasers,
M.M.T.Loy,P.A.Roland,ReviewofScientificInstruments,vol.48,no.5,May1977.
Ourlaserwasusedforplasmadiagnosticsduringworkinghourswoodbeamimagingandpaintremovalafter
hours!
RForMicrowavePowerSupplyforCO2Laser?
HeNeandAr/Krionlasersrequireaconcentrateddischargeinanarrow(orderof1mm)bore.Themost
convenientmeansofachievingthisisviaDCexcitationasdiscussedinthechapters:HeNeLaserPower
SuppliesandAr/KrIonLaserPowerSupplies.However,someHeNelasersarepoweredbyRFsourceswith
externalelectrodespositionedinsuchawayastoforceadischargeinthebore.Idon'tknowwhetherthiscanbe
donewithordinaryHeNetubeswithwideenvelopestheexamplesIhaveseenwereonexpensiveresearch
laserswithcustomtubesandexternalmirrors.
However,forthewideboreCO2laser,RFexcitationismucheasierandmanycommercialCO2lasersofall
sizesareRFexcited.EvennarrowboreCO2laserscanbeRFexcitedwiththeproperelectrodeconfiguration.
Therefore,itmightbepossibletopoweryourhomebuiltCO2laserusingtheoutputofaradiotransmitterorRF
poweroscillator,orusingthemagnetronanditspowersupplyfromamicrowaveoven.Whilethiswould
eliminatetheDCelectrodes,therewillbesignificantchallengesinvolvedinefficientlyandsafelycouplingthe
RFormicrowaveenergyintothedischarge.ForRF,acouplingtransformerwillbeneededforimpedance
matching.Formicrowaves,itmaybepossibletomakethelasertubeoutofmetalandanextensionofthefeed
waveguidefromthemagnetronifitiswideenough(microwaveovensrunat2.45GHzabout5inches).
However,keepinmindthattherewillbesignificantlossesincurredconvertingelectricalpowertoRFor
microwavesandcouplingthemtotheplasmadischarge.Wallplugtooutputbeamefficiencyisprobablycutby
atleastafactoroftwocomparedtoadirectDCdischargeunlesstheefficiencyofthedischargecouplingis
muchhigher.Difficultiesinmaintaininguniformexcitationoverthelengthofthelasertubefurtherlimits
performance.And,ifyouarethinkingaboutgangingmultiplesourcestogether,unlesstheyareallphaselocked
together,therewillbeadditionalissueswithrespecttomodeinteractionsandbeatpatternsthoughwithalittle
work,thiscanbedealtwithaswell.
Therefore,Idon'treallyseeanysignificantadvantagestothisapproachforasmallhomebuiltCO2laser,at
leastnotinitially.Asimpleneonsigntransformerbasedpowersupplyisprobablyaloteasieraswellasbeing
muchsaferinarelativesortofwayalthoughyoucaneasilybeelectrocutedwitheitherpowersource,atleast
youwon'tbecookedfromRFormicrowaveleakageintheprocess!OneshouldNEVERunderestimatethe
potentialdangerofseveralhundredwatts(ormore)ofRFormicrowaveradiationrunningaroundyour
apparatus.And,standingwavescanappearinthestrangestunexpectedplacestoattachtheunsuspecting!
Alsoseethesections:NovelIdeaforCO2LaserandRFExcitedCO2Lasers.
Now,moreaboutthesafetyissues:
WhileitistrueasfarasIknowthattheonlydangersofmicrowaveradiationrelatetothermaleffects,these
shouldnotbeminimizedinimportance.Theinnerstructuresoftheeyeareparticularlysensitiveandhasnopain
orheatreceptorssotheremaybenowarningbeforeirreversibledamageisdone.But,otherpartsofthebody
whichareequallyhighlyvaluedcanalsobeeffected.
Ithinkitisrecklessofsometobesocasualaboutthisstuff,especiallyonpublicforumslikeUSENET
newsgroupsoremaildiscussiongroups.Idon'tdoubtthatthosewhodosoprobablyhavebeentrainedorhave
enoughexperiencethattheycanavoidmostofthedangersorhavejustbeenlucky.Myconcernisforothers
whoareNOTveteranRFjocks.Howaboutthe10yearoldwhoislisteninginandmightfigurethatdefeating
thesafetyinterlocksonthefamilymicrowavewouldbecool!:(Itisirresponsibletobegivingtheimpression
thatakWofmicrowavesisnothingtoworryabout.
Tosomeextent,peopledothistodefendtheirpreviousbehaviorsincetheyhavegottenawaywithitSOFAR.I
don'tthinkmostofthemarereallystupidbutpeoplecandefenddumbthingswhentheirbeliefsarequestioned.
I'djustratherbeonthesideofcaution.
Furthermore,forlasers,guesswhatyouhavetodowhileadjustingmirrorsandoptics?GETNEARTHE
LASERTUBE!!!!Iwouldn'twanttodothatwith1,000WofRFormicrowaveenergy2inchesfrommyhand
orhead!Thisisn'tliketherecentcellphonecancerscare.And,evenatadistance,itdoesn'ttakemuchtofocusa
microwavesourcetoproduceatightbeam(alittlesheetmetalnearthemagnetron)resultinginahotspotwhere
youleastexpectit,orforthemetalcoreorframeofyoureyeglassestodecidetoresonateat2.45GHzandarcor
meltdownonyourface!
Asforthehighvoltage,theoutputofanyportionofamicrowaveovenpowersupplyisDEADLY.Asasimple
comparison,a15kV,60mAneonsigntransformercanprovide*only*amaximumofabout225wattsduetoits
currentlimitedconstruction.That*can*killyouonabaddaybutitisn'tasurething.Atypical2,500V
microwaveoventransformercanproduce2,500WorMOREuntilthebreakerfeelsliketripping!Thatwillkill
youonanyday.Experiencedmicrowaveovenrepairpeoplewhosupposedlyknewalltheruleshavebeen
electrocutedwhilejustprobingapoweredunit.
Amicrowaveovenpowersupplyisprobablythemostelectricallydeadlythingontheplanetaccessibletothe
curious(exceptperhapsclimbinga100,000Vutilitytower!).
Havingsaidthat:
I'vebeenexperimentingforquitesometimewithusingamicrowaveovenmagnetronasanexcitationsourcefor
neonart.Itworksgreat!Properlycoupledtoatubefilled(inthiscase)withneon,theglowdischargeis
impossibletolookat!Sincea1000wattoutputmagnetroncanbehadforthecostofamicrowaveoven,thisis
aboutthecheapestpowersourcesavailableforlaserexcitation.Imadea25mmtubeandfabricatedacoupling
waveguideoutofaluminumfoiltotestthistheory.Thetubelookedlikealaserbeambeforeitoverheatedand
cracked!(Makeanoteleadedglassneontubingisunsuitableforhighpowerplasmatubes.:)
Multipletubescanbeeasilyarrangedwiththeproperwaveguiding1/2wavelengthapart(about2.5inches)to
operateasasinglesourceandgeneratehigherpowerthanispossiblefromasinglemagnetron.They'llphase
locktoeachotherandthepowerwillsum.
AndbeforethesafetyNaziscrankuponthis,anoteaboutmicrowaves.Thehysteriaofafewyearsagoabout
"microwaveradiation(sic))thatwenthandinhandwiththenuclearenergyhysteriahasmanypeoplebelieving
thatthemerestexposuretomicrowaveswouldleadtoinstantsterilization.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthe
truth.
(PutsonhisHealthPhysicisthat)
Thetwoareonlydistantlyrelated.Ionizingradiation(nuclearandXray)causesbiologicaldamageby
penetratingfleshandcausingionizationwhenfinallyabsorbed.Theionizationproducesfreeradicalswhichdo
theactualdamage.Microwave(andotherradiowaves)areoftoolongawavelengthtocauseionization
(simplisticstatementbutadequateforthisdiscussion).Theonlydamagecausedbymicrowavesisthermal.That
is,itcanheattissueenoughtokillit.Themostsensitivepartofthebodyistheeye.Microwaveexposuretothe
clearoftheeyewillcoagulateitjustlikeitwillcoagulatetheclearpartofanegg.Toomuchmicrowaveand
Voila!Instantcataracts.Theinversesquarelawappliessodistanceisthebestprotection.Anarmslengthaway
ismorethanenoughdistanceforafreelyradiatingmagnetrondipole.Muchmoreisneededifthebeamis
emittingfromawaveguide.
Theproperprotectivegearisapairofscreengoggles.Thesearejustwhattheysoundlikegogglescontaininga
finewiremesh.Almostanymeshwillworkaslongastheopeningsaresmallerthan1/4wavelengthatthe
frequencyofinterest.Thefrequencyofamicrowaveovenmagnetronisabout2.5Ghzso1/4waveisabout30
mm.(simpleformula:wavelength=300/(frequencyinMHz)
Onethingyouhavetobeawareofisthatitisveryeasytoinadvertentlyformaresonantcavitywiththingslike
yourhands.Itcanbeeasilydemonstratedbycuppingyourhandsnearamagnetronantenna.Juuuustrightand
pow!!,smokeandflameseruptfromyourhandasarcs'nsparksfly!Don'tdothis!RFburnshealveryslowly.
JustaskmehowIknow:(
AnSbandwaveguideisabout2"by3"inside,maybealittlelarger.Usingmicrowaveenergywouldfacilitate
theexcitationofmixturesandatpressuresthatmightnotsustainaDCorlowfrequencyACdischarge.This
mightincludecapillaryboresthatallowmaximumgainbyusingtheborewallsaspartofthecavity.Along
aluminaoraluminumnitridetubewitha1to2mmboremightbeusefulforthis.Makeitlongenoughandyou
endupwitha"mirrorless"highpowerlaserwheretheendmirrorsandOCsbecomelesscritical.
ThetubeintheMerrimack850Merrimack850consistedofa1mmboredividedintoshortsegmentsandranat
reallyhighpressures.Thepressurehadtobeloweredtostartthedischargeandthenbroughtuptoabout80Torr
formaximumpower.Withtheelectrodesonlyabout5to6inchesapart,thismakesmetendtobelievethat
hundredsofwattsarepossiblewithRFexcitationmuchmoreeasilythentheyarewitharraysof150mA
transformers.
Allyou'dreallyhavetodoismakealongstretchofwaveguidefromsheetcopperorplatedtin,sticka
carbonizedwoodtetrahedroninthefarendforadummyloadandplacethedischargetubeinlengthwise,with
sometuningpinsbetweenitandthemagnetron.ifthetubesweresmallenough,youcouldhavemorethenone
inthewaveguidetoaddpower.
(From:RainerEngelbrecht(rainer@lhft.eei.unierlangen.de).)
WedidlotsofworkonmicrowaveexcitationofCO2laserseveralyearsago.Theideawasthatamagnetron
with1kWRFpowerfromakitchencookingmicrowaveisanextremelyefficientandcheapRFsource.
Unfortunately,itdidn'tworktoowell(atleastitdidandwilldo!):
Becauseoftheshortwavelengthof2.45GHzitisdifficulttorealizeahomogeneousgasdischargeovera
largevolume.
Theelectricfieldstrengthneededtooperatethegasdischargeatthisfrequencyismuchhigherthaninthe
HFregion(say13or27MHzwhichiswhatTRUMPFusesforits10kWCWCO2lasers...).SoaCW
microwavedischargeputstoomuchpowerintothedischargeandthelasergasgetstoohotforefficient
operation,especiallyforCO2lasers.
Theworkaroundwastopulsethemicrowavewithletssay10%dutycycleandgreaterthan10kHz
repetitionrate.Eventhentheefficiency(microwavetolaserpower)waslessthen5%.Thisisunacceptablefor
anycommercialuse,comparedtoexistingCO2lasertechnology.Andpulsingthemicrowavevalveaddsreally
muchcomplexitytothehighvoltagesupplycircuitsandstressesthebravecookingmagnetron.Pulsedradar
magnetronswouldbeasolution,butnotacheapone.
RFandmicrowaveexcitationofHeNelasersworks!AtleastoneofthefirstHeNelasersinGermanyback
inthesixties,builtbymydoctoralfather,Prof.BrandinAachen,Germany,wasRFexcited.Sodidthefirst
HeNelaserbyBennet,HeriottandJavan,whenIcorrectlyremember(althoughnotatmicrowavefrequencies).
ThecolleagueswhodidtheworkwereWolfgangOestreicherandMartinMaerz.YoumightsearchGoogle
orliterature/sciencecitationindicesforthemandmicrowaveandlaser.
UhlenbuschinGermanydidsomereallyimpressivemicrowaveexcitedlasers.Searchfor"Uhlenbusch"and
"microwave"and"laser".
Steve'sCommentsonBuildinganRFExcitedCO2Laser
Ifyou'reuptobuildingaclassERFampthatiselectricallynoisyandneedstobeverywellshielded,thena10
to30wattRFexcitedCO2witha1/2"aluminaboremaybe14"longisnothardtobuild.You'dneedawhopper
ofa24VDCsupply,a2kilowattdummyload,aHFSWRmeterandsomepatience.
You'dneed250to400wattsdependingonyourgasandoptics
Ihavetwoofthem,ifyoudon'tminda10percentdutycycleitcanbedone.andtheheadishandheld.Ifyou
dosomehardsearchingonthenet,youmightfindaPfizerlaserdivisionsurgicallaser,althoughPfizerleftthe
laserbizaftermaybe3years,therearealotofthemoutthere,pluginto110VACandyougetthis1"diameter
16"longlasergunlikelaserheadwithafiberopticsuppliedHeNeaimingbeamona5footcordattachedtoa
PCsizedRFampandchiller..Ipaid100$formine.
You'llalsoneedalathe,someexpensiveindiumfoilforthebrasstoaluminacompressionseals,andabudgetfor
anHRandOC.Anda6"squarewatertoairheatexchanger,andasmallwaterpumpandglycolasthecoolant.
A1/4"coppertubejustlaidalongsidetheboreiscoolingthealumina,hencethelowdutycycle,butthat'sthe
onlywayitthecoolingcanbedonewithoutabsorbingRF.
DidImentionthevacuumsystem?WhatIhavearecommercialsealedunits,butIhaveconvertedoneto
flowinggaswhenitsmixdied.
IfyouwereahamradiooperatorandalreadyhadtheHFampandthevacuumpump,thelaserI'mtalkingabout
couldbeeasilybuiltinaday,andjustsubstituteleadfortheindium:)
CO2LaseronaBudget?
Somepeopledon'taskformuch:
"IwouldliketoconstructacheapCO2laserthatdoesn'trequirespecialcomponentsandglass
blowingskills."
Forthoseofuswhoareexperiencedscroungersandimprovisors,theestimatesgivenbelowareprobablyway
excessive.However,wherethisisnotthecase,expecttospendafewbucks.Ofcourse,thatestimateof$100
mighthavebeenin1971dollars!
Theproblemisthattherearesuchawidevariationinwhatitwillcosttoobtainthingslikevacuumpumpsthatit
ishardtoputpricesonacompletedlaser.Dependingonyourresourcefulness,scavengerability,andluck,it
couldbelessthan$100butitcouldalsobealotmore.But,ifyouhaven'tanythingsetupnow,therewillbe
seriousadditionaloverhead.Anadequatevacuumpumpcouldeasilyblowthebudgetrightthere.
(From:MarkWilson(wilson_mark@htc.honeywell.com).)
IhavebuiltseverallasersinmylifeincludingaCO2laser.ThatishowIfirstgotintoglassblowing,building
lasertubesandgasmanifolds.Ibuiltabouta25wattCO2laserusingstuffIscroungedupforverylittlemoney.
Thelasertubewasmadeusingelectrodesandtubingfromtheneonsignindustry.IcuttheBrewsterwindow
anglesataglazer'sshop,gottheNaClwindowsdonatedfromasaltcompany,usedtworefrigeratorcompressors
inreverseforthevacuumpump,andaneonsigntransformerwithamercuryrectifierforthepowersupply.My
cavitywasconstructedusingextrudedaluminumforanopticalrail,and1/8thdioptereyeglasslensesforthe
mirrorblanks.Idrilledaholethroughtheoutputmirrorfortheoutputbeam,andthengoldcoatedthelens
blanksusingasputteringsystemIbuiltoutofagallonjugbottlethatIcutoff.Itwaslotsoffun,butdifficultto
scaleupto100watts.
(From:JoeorJoEllen(joenjo@pacbell.net).)
Yesitpossibletobuildamediumtohighpowerlaserwithalimitedbudgetbuteventhebestscroungerwould
haveatoughtimedoingitfor$100!IstartedbuildingamultiwattCO2laseryearsagobuthadahardtime
maintainingmirroralignmentduringpumpdown(thecornercuttingdesignistousetheendmirrorstosealthe
resonatorinlieuofZnSeBrewsterwindowsusedinthecommercialversions.ThedesignIusedwasahybridof
theIanniniversion[3]andthatfrom"LightanditsUses".
BTW,Ialsostartedbuildingtheargonlaserfeaturedinthesamebook.
(From:Dave(davea@li.net).)
IworkforaCO2lasermanufacturer(namewithheld)anditdependsonwhatyouwanttocutwithit.
You'llneedlasergasmix(onthecheapside),threeflowmeters(expensive),andtheneithernitrogenoroxygen
tocutdependingwhatyouarecutting,polarizingmirrors,outputmirrors,etc.,etc.It'sgoingtobeexpensiveany
wayyoulookatit.Whatareyoutryingtocut?Andhowmuchwattage?
(From:ChrisC.)
Onfirstnote,ifyouarenotexperiencedwithelectronics,youshouldknowthataCO2laserpowersupplyis
VERYDANGEROUS.Thehighvoltageandhighcurrentinvolvedcanquicklykillyou.Therewillbe
absolutelynoroomforerror.Getacquaintedwithbasicelectronics,andthenelectricalsafetyskillsbefore
settingouttobuildalaserpowersupply.
MyplansforbuildingaCO2arenotreallyplans,butratherpracticalengineeringformulasthatcomefroma
declassifiedoldCO2lasermanualfromtheU.S.AirForce'searlyexperimentswithCO2andCOlaser
technologyforStarWarsapplications.
Mypurposeforbuildingthethingis,wellquitesimply,myprofessortoldmetodoit.HewantsaCO2laserona
longrailwhichwillallowthecavitylengthtobeadjustedoveralargerangetodemonstratelaserconceptsto
opticsstudents.Plus,itshouldbeawholelotoffun,andagoodexperienceforme.
Ifyouwanttocutstuff,IwouldrecommendacommercialCO2orNd:YAGlaser,fromthesurplusmarket.
Currentlyyoucangetsomethinginthe$1,500to$5,000rangethatwilldothejob,andyouwillavoidagreat
dealoftimeinvestedinbuildingyourownwhichmightturnouttobedisappointing,orworse,deadlyifyou
aren'tsurewhatyou'redoing.
WithrespecttothecostofcomponentsaloneneededtobuildyourownCO2laser,youmustconsider:
1.Aheavyrailandprecisionopticmounts,maybe$300.
2.Highreflectorandoutputcoupleroptics,maybe$200.
3.Tubecomponents,maybe$100ifyou'recleverenough.
4.Powersupplycomponents,maybe$200.
5.Highvacuumpump,maybe$200to$500ifyougetaworkingusedpump.
6.Lowpressuregauge,gasmanifoldandvalvecomponents,plumbing,andtankregulators,maybe$300if
you'redeterminedenoughtohuntatlengthforbargains.
7.CO2,N2,andHetanks,maybe$100to$200torentthetankswithfreshfill,butthenyou'llhavetopay
eachmonth'srentonthetanks.
Iestimateabout$1,500ataminimum.
WellIwouldbehighlysurprisedifanyonecouldreallybuildaCO2for$100asmentionedatInformation
Unlimited.Youmustunderstandthattheyareadealerinsomegoodinformation,andmuchhighlysuspect
information.
(From:Dave(davea@li.net).
Damnthat'scheap!TheCO2(4.5or4.8)usuallygoesforalotmorethenthat!Betterthegas,thelongeryour
opticswilllast.TheN2andHearethecheapones(comparedtoCO2).Ijustwentthroughthiswithacustomer.
Hebought4.0CO2andtherewasa*major*jumpinpricetoscientificgrade(4.8Ithinkitwas.99.998%)The
99.99wasn'tgoodenough.Thoughheshouldgetawaywithpremix(MazackInowuses/usedpremix).
Butyou'reright,buyasurplus'head'itscheaper.Plusyounowhaveaworkingunitthatyoucanmodifyto
tweakupthepower:).
ChrisC'sNotesonCO2LaserDesignandConstruction
(From:ChrisC.)
IbuiltaCO2laserwitha1meterglasstubewithaboreofabout2.5cmandmachinedaluminumfittingswhich
sealtotheendswithOrings.IthasKClopticalwindows(thesecannotsitintheatmosphereortheywillcloud
duetomoistureattacktheymusthaveaheatlamppointedatthemwhenoutofthestoragedessicator)
perpendiculartothetubeaxis.KCLwindowsarecheap,$55perwindow.NoBrewsterwindowsbecausethis
tubewasoriginallyforaCOlaser,andthewholethinghadtobeplunkedinliquidN2forcooling.Sothe
researchershadotherprioritiesthandesigningBrewsters.
Actually,itisbettertonotusewindowswithaCO2,becauseofthehighintracavityIRflux.JustputtheHRand
OConthetubedirectly.MynextdesignIplantousecommercialmirrormounts(checkoutThorLabs,Inc.)and
brazeabellowsstylevacuumpipetothemirrormount.Icanthensealthepipetothetubeendwithsome
method,maybejustflangeswithOringsorepoxy.Thentheopticsneedtobesealedtothemounts.Somesortof
reversiblemethodwouldbepreferable.ThorLabshasaprismtablethatcouldbecustommachinedtogivea
largerseatingrimthantheirstandard1"mirrormounts.ThenacoverflangeandOringcouldbefitted.Notethat
Idon'tdesignforminimumcost,butrather,maximumrepairabilityandmodularconstruction.
Backtothelaserthatiscompleted:IthasacopperHRandZnSeOC.ZnSereallyisthebest.About$150to200
foreachcavityoptic,new.GetaJanos(opticssupplier)catalogandsomeothers,justlookinaLaserFocus
Worldorontheweb.Thisstuffreallyisn'tthathardtoget.Gettingsurpluspartsforapowersupplyisharder.
Theopticsreallyaren'ttheplacetogosurplus.Irarelygetflawlessspecimensfromanysurplushouses.
PickupaZnSelenswhileyourshoppingaswell,you'llneedittofocusthebeamforfryingthings.Although,
youcoulduseacheapmetalsphericalmirror,alensissafer,becauseit'seasiertoknowwherethefocussed
beamisgoing.
Youmustcalculatetheparameters(opticfocallengthsasafunctionoftubelength)forastablecavityresonator.
Thisistheonlynonwingitpartofthelaserdesign.Fora1mtube,a1mfocallengthontheHRwithaflatOC
works.Thisisasimplecalculation,butIdon'thavetheequationhandy.It'sjustasimplyinequality.Geta
physicisttodoitforyou(Idid)oralaserengineeringbook.Thereisalotofsloponthiscalculation,likeIsaid,
it'saninequality.
AnOCofabout60%reflectanceandantireflectioncoatedontheoutsidesurfaceiswhatyouwant.Thereare
researchpapersaroundwithchartsoflaserefficiencyandstuffversusreflectance.Therearewaystooptimize
this,butforthedimensionswe'retalkingabout60%willwork.Ifyoucanbuildthehardware,believeme,this
laserisveryeasytomakeworkonceyouturniton.CO2reallywantstolase!
Ihavereadsomeresearchthatsuggeststhatthepoweroutputis*independent*oftubeborediameter.Soifyou
wantabeamthatexhibitslotsofTEMmodes,makeafattube.ATEM00needsanarrowtube,maybelessthan
5mm.
Ourlaserwasbuiltona1x1x8footsolidblockofgranite,onceusedforasurfaceplateinamachineshop.It
hadbeenboredandmetalthingssunkinwith1/420tappedholes,standardforresearchopticsmounting
equipment.ThisisnotsomethingyoupickupatHomeDepot.NexttimeIplantouseanaluminumIbeam,
about4"onaside.Ithinkthisshouldbesufficientlyrigid,andiseasytodrillandtapforboltingdownyour
opticsmountsandtubemountinghardware.About$100newfora6footpiece,butI'msuretherearecheaper
substrates.
Ihavepumpedabout50Wofelectricalpowerintoourlaser,andhaven'tmeasuredtheoutputpower,becauseI
didn'thaveapowermeterforthisrangeofpowerandwavelengthuntiljustafewdaysago.Qualitatively,I
estimateabout12Wofoutputpower.Thetubehaddualanodesandonecentralcathode,soeacharmreceives
about3500Vat7.5mA.Thisisjustenoughcurrentdensitytoreachthelasingthreshold.Thus,Iamsurethata
heftierpowersupply,likearound300to500Wwillresultinanoutputpowerinthe30to50Wrange.Figureon
10%efficiency,varyingfrom5%atthresholdto20%ifyoudoeverythingjustright.Thatmeansconceivably
almost100Wfroma1mtubewith500Win.50Wisalmostguaranteed.Nowatercoolingisneededwitha
flowinggaslaser.Thisisgoodbecauseyoucandesignanextremelysimpletubewithnoglasstometalseals,
justapipewithsomeexpandedsectionsand"T"s,havetheedgesdiamondgroundsquare(needthickwalls)and
youcanepoxytheelectrodesin.Getafewdiamonddrills,assembletheelectrodes,epoxythemintoasmallhole
drilledthroughaheavyglassplate,andepoxytheplatetothemachinedsurfaceonthetube.Doingthisstuff
yourselfwillmakethetubeglassblowinginvestmentaminimum.
ThisiswhatIplanfornexttime,butthecurrentlaserhassixporttubesgroundto1/4"and1/2"diameterstofit
Swagelokstandardfittings.IsealedofftwoofthemwithTeflonSwagelokfittings(getaSwagelokcatalog,all
yourgaspartscancomefromthere).TwoothersIputvacuumhosesleadingtoaTandtothegasmixing
manifold.Thistubefeedsgasinattheanodes,andflowstowardalargecentralportwiththecathode.AFernco
(yes,fromtheplumbingdepartmentatHomeDepot)andsomePVCpipefittingsallowedavacuumconnection
andanelectricalfeedthrough(1/8"steelwireepoxiedthroughthePVCpipe)toconnecttothecathode.The
othertwoportshaveanodepinsfedthroughaglasscapillary,sealedwithepoxy,andfittedtothetubewitha
TeflonSwagelok.
Thecathodemustbelargeandheavyforitwilldissipatealargeportionoftheheatgeneratedinthetube.Itis
goodtokeepinthemiddle,usingthedualanodedesign.Thatwayheavyionsflowawayfromtheopticsatthe
endsofthetube,andtheopticsdon'tgetsputteredbymetalbouncingoffanearbycathode.Anodesdon'tsputter
andtheycanbejustmetalpinsstickingintothetube.
Imadeacathodefroma1"dia.x2"longcopperplumbingpipecoupler,silverbrazed(NOTsolder)toawasher
andanutatoneend,soIcouldscrewitontoathreadedrodhangingdownthevacuumport,therodbeing
brazedtothesteelwirefeedthrough.Thiswholelaserislikeanerectorset:almostnothingispermanentlystuck
togetherwithwadsofaestheticallyunappealingvacuumsealingwax.
IusedSwagelokmeteringvalves.The"S"seriesvalvesaregoodwithasmalllasersystemandavacuumpump
around25to50L/min.Iusedordinarygasesdidn'taskforanyspecialpurity,fromtheweldingshop.Ithink
purityisonlyabigdealforsealedCO2lasers.Flowinggaslasersarelesscritical.Iuseda25L/minvacuum
pumpcapableof104Torrultimatevacuum,butInevergotbelow0.5torronmygauge(about0.5torrwasthe
smallestpressureitcouldresolve).Probablyduetothemeteringvalvesbeingdesignednotforfullshutoffand
theFerncoconnector,whichwasreallyakludgetogetthetubeconnectedtothepump.Ididn'thaveanysay
abouttheoddlargesizeofthevacuumport,about1.5"diameter,toolargeforvacuumhoseandIdidn'twantto
spendforacustommachinedOringfitting.Youneed*meteringvalves*toadjustthepressuresveryprecisely.
Fullshutoffisn'tsoimportant.Theycomecloseenough.Youcantestyourvacuumintegritybyjustleavingthe
meteringvalveswherever,andshutoffthepostregulatorvalves,whicharetherealshutoffvalves,inadditionto
thetankvalves.
Idon'tknowwhattosayaboutpressuregauges.Therearegaugesthatreadin1mmnotchesdownto0torr.This
isjustgoodenoughresolutiontoworkwith.Youwantabout8to10mmHe,1to2mmN2,and0.5to1.5mm
CO2.About0.5to1.0mmofmiscellaneousmixedgasesleakinginwheneverythingisclosedwon'tstopthe
laserfromworking.
Togetbetterresolution,therearetwochoices,aniongaugetube,butthesereadfrom1mmondowntolike
10^7mm,nottherightrangeforwhatwe'redoing.TheotherchoiceisanHgMcLeodgauge,butthisisa
cantankerousinstrument,fragile,andfullofHg.Ohyeah,expensivetoo.
Ifyou'reanEE,youknowazillionwaystomake6to8kVDCsupplyat20to100mA.Acrudelinearsupply
withnoregulationisfine.Figureondroppingabout3000to4000Vacrossthetube,andanother2000to4000
acrossballastresistors.Whenyouapplypowerthedischargewillstrikereliablywithasupplyaround7000to
8000V.6000Vorlesssometimesworks,butdesignfor8kV,Ithink.Thenyoucan'tgowrong.AVariacand
sometapsonaresistorbankwillallowyoutoadjusttubecurrenttogetwhatyouwant.
Carl'sNotesonCO2LaserDesignandConstruction
(From:CarlIjames(ijames@netaxs.com).)
IbuiltaCWCO2laserabout10yearsagothatmadeabout30to40Wenoughforawhitehotspot1cm
diameteronafirebrick.Ifyouhaveaccesstoacollegelibrary,getabookcalled"CO2Lasers"byW.W.Duley.
Itisveryreadableandhegoesoverallthedesigncriterialikeopticalcavitylength/diameter,gasmix,pressure,
tubecurrent,etc.IalsofoundsomearticlesinjournalslikeAppliedOpticsfromtheearly70'sthathadsome
constructionarticlesgothroughChemicalorPhysicsAbstractsfrombackthentofindthem.Onehadadesign
wheretheyusedacondenserasthedischargetube(thisisapieceofglasswarefromachemistrylabthatisabout
40cmlong,1cmID,andhasawaterjacketmostofitslength.Connectionsarestandardgroundglasstapersat
eachend.Theymadeupfittingstogoineachendthathadtheelectrodesandwindows/mirrors.
Itriedusingtheirideawithtwocondensersinseriesbutthemiddlejoint(withnowaterjacket)gottoohot.You
getabout100W/meterfromtheselasers,soevenonecondenserwouldgiveatleast25to35W.SinceIwas
workingonaPhDinchemistryatthetime,Ifinallyjusthadourglassblowermakemeatubewithawaterjacket
about60cmlong,withthoriatedtungstenelectrodessealedintosidearmsateachend,withafemaleground
glasstaperjointateachend.Then,Imachinedsomealuminumendcapswithamaletapertomatchandaflat
endwithanOringgrooveabout3/4"indiameterandthreetappedholesaroundthat.Iboughtaflat,front
silveredmirrorwithaSiO2coatingandagermaniumwindowwithonesideflatandtheotherconcavewitha
focallengthof1meter,withtheflatsideARcoatedandtheconcavesideuncoatedwhichgaveareflectivityof
about40%givenGe'sindexofrefraction(I'mworkingfrommemorysoIcouldbealittleoffhere),for$40and
$350,respectively,fromJanosOptical.ForGewindows,thelimitbeforeyouneedtostartcoolingthewindow
isabout50to100W,sothisworkedfineforme.
Themirrorswere1inchdiameterround,abut1/4"thick.IsetthemirrorsontheOringsandmadeaflatplateto
gooverthemsoIcouldalignitbyvaryinghowfarItightenedthemintotheoring.Notthemostelegant,butit
wassimple,cheap(noextrawindowstobuyormountstomake),andworkedgreat.Eventuallyyouwillget
sputterdepositsontheopticalsurfacesexposedtothedischarge,butIleftafewinchesbetweentheelectrodes
andthemirrorsurfacesanddidn'tseeanyproblemfortheyearIusedthelaser.
JustbuyacylinderofpremixedCO2HeN2,anditwilllastalong,longtime.Ifedthegasinthroughafitting
ononemirrormountandpumpedthroughtheotherwithasmallSargentWelchrotarypump.Operatingpressure
was1to5Torrandtubecurrentwas10to25mA.
Iscroungeda35kVsupplyandusedaseveralKohmballastresistor(forgetthevalue).Thetubewaseasyto
lightaslongasthepressurewasunder2to3torr,butIcouldgetmoreoutputbyturningthepressureupto
about5to10torrafterthedischargelit.Iwasworriedaboutgettingadischargeinthegaslinerunningtothe
cylindersoIusedafritasapressurerestrictioninthefittingonthatmirrormount.Thatwaythelinewasat510
psiwhenthetubewasundervacuum(andyes,Iusedplastictubing:).)Anyway,enoughramblinggetDuley's
book,it'sagreatresource.
Tim'sCommentsonHomeBuiltCO2LaserConstruction
(From:TimWalters(trwalters@mydeja.com).)
FormyCO2laser,theturnedaluminumends/opticsholdersAREtheelectrodes.Justhooktheneonsign
transformertothem.Thecoolantisalsoincontactwiththehighvoltage(notthebestidea,butitworked).I
startedwithplaintapwaterbeingrecirculatedfrom/toa5gallonbucket.Thewaterstartedtobreakdownaftera
while,soIstartedusingethyleneglycol(thestuffinantifreeze)becauseit'snotconductive.
Whatyouhaveis2concentricPyrextubes.Theinnertubeisthelaserboreandtheoutertubeformsthecooling
jacket.Turnsomealuminumpiecesonalathesothattheglasstubescanbeepoxiedtothem(turnsomegrooves
fortheglasstofitinto).Drillandthreadsomeholesinthesideofthealuminumsothatyoucanletgasintothe
innertubeandwaterintothespacebetweenthetubes.Drillaholethroughtheaxisoftheendpiecessotheinner
tube(bore)isopentoair.Placeanoringaroundtheoutsideofeachoftheseholesandtheopticsrestontheo
rings.Analuminumplate(withaholeinitforthebeam)mountsovertheopticon3adjustmentscrews.Dothe
samefortherearmirror,exceptyoudon'tneedtheholeforthebeam.Theplatepressesagainsttheoptic,which
sealsitagainsttheoring.Theoringisthickenoughtoallowsomeplayforadjustment.
Iknowallofthisseemsoverlysimpleand"rigged"together.Thereasonforthisis,isBECAUSEIT'STHIS
SIMPLE!!Allthisreallyis,isaglasstubefilledwith(notvery)lowpressuregasthathashighvoltageonit.A
neonsignisjustaboutascomplicated.Youdon'tneedhighvacuum.Youdon'tneedfancypowersupplies.Go
outandgetyourPyrextubingandsomealuminumrodabout2"to3"indiameter.8"longisplenty.Startfinding
outaboutyourmirrors.Getasubmersiblepump.Findavacuumpump.
Tony'sCautionsAboutCO2LaserTubeConstruction
(From:TonyAdams(tonyadams@amthome.freeserve.co.uk).)
Ibuiltmyfirsttubeusing22mmPyrextubingEpoxied(JBWeld)into22mmcopperpipefittings.Iused2at
eachend,onetosupportthemirrormountandthesecondseparatedbyashortlengthofglassfortheelectrode
andgasinlet/vacuumpump.Therewas24"oftubebetweentheelectrodessurroundedbyaPerspex(Plexiglas)
coolingjacket.TheEpoxydidn'tsoftenorburn,butthetubeeventuallycrackedduetotheexpansionofthe
electrodesastheyheatedup.Igotaboutanhouroflasingoutofit.Don'tuseordinaryaralditetypeEpoxy,as
thiswillsoften.Ifyoujustwanttoseeabeaminahurrythiswillwork,butdon'texpectittolastanddoexpect
torealigntheopticseveryfewminutes.
Steve'sNotesonBoostingCO2LaserPowerandQualityConstruction
Thesecommentswerepromptedbyaquestionastothepossibilityofusingareallylongtubetoincreasepower
fromaflowinggasCO2laser.
(Portionsfrom:SteveRoberts.)
Humafterusinga24watter,greatonglassandwood,butkindofaslouchonthinmetalunlessithadaheavy
layerofrustorpainttogetitstarted.Youmightalsobeabletoreach100wattsormoreusingafoldedresonator.
Ihaveseenafewpicturesof200and400wattunitsthatareconstructedlikethis,andoftentheyhavethetube
electricallysegmentedformultipleexcitation.
OC__HR
||
Tube#1||tube#2
||
\/foldmirrors

Leadglassdoescome8footlengthsinlargerdiameters.However,it'sratherunwieldytohavethemshippedand
mostglassissoldin4footlengths.Pyrexin8footisprobablyaspecialorder.Thereisnoreasonwhyyou
cannotcuttheglassandmakeanintermediatelength.
However,theproblemisnotsomuchthe8or12foottubeasitisa8or12footresonatortomaintainthemirror
alignment.Ihavealigned7.5footargons.Thattaskcantakeasmuchas3to4hourstogetright.Onan8foot
laser,youcaneasilydetectthechangeinpowerifyoumoveit,leanonit,touchit,bumpit,turnascrewdriver
onit,orotherwisestresstheresonator.Andwithoutcarefuldesign,pulsationsincoolingorfromthevacuum
pumpmightshowupaswell.Onan8footer,you'regoingtoneedborestraigtenerstopreventsag.
Thereareotherwaystoscalethelaserpower,i.e.increasingtheborediameter,increasingthecurrent,and
changingtheopticstoproduceamultimodebeam.
Myvoteisit'sbettertokeepitshortandscalethediameterorfoldit.Thatwayyoucangettherequiredstiffness
intheresonatorsupportscheaply.It'sonethingifyoucansetitupsomeplaceandleaveitpermanently.It's
quiteanotherifyourbuildingitinacommonusespacewiththewifeandkids.Afourfootercouldgetaway
withusing1/420screwsforthemirroradjustments,buta8footerisgoingtoneed1/480or3/16100screws.
Onthelonglasersyou'llseethebacklashinthescrewsshowupaspowerfluctuationsandcanseethesprings
relaxandsagonthepowermeter.Shortstifflasersdon'texhibitthisverymuch.
Italkedtomyfriendwhousedtoworkinalaserjobshop.Their3.2kWCO2laserwasonly4feetlongandits
dischargepathwas3onlyfeetorso.Ithadatransversedischarge,theelectrodesranalongtubesides.Ituseda
fastgasflowandrecirculatedthegas.Thetubediameterwaslarge,severalinchesacross.Thatmeansnearly100
wattsshouldbeobtainableina4footglasstube.Thetrick,accordingtohim,isthecoolingofthegas.Thegas
andthetubewallshavetobecold.Theyhad4turbinelikeblowerstorecirculatethegasandrunittochillers.
WhatIhaveseenoncommerciallasersistohaveonecommonelectrodeinthemiddleandanelectrodeateach
endwithtwopowersuppliessharingthecommonelectrode:
||||
HR||......||OC
||||||
''||''
HV1''HV2
GasFeed1HVReturnGasFeed2
VacuumPort
Thisresultsintwicetheexcitationforagivenlength.Withthethisarrangementthesuctionportcanbeinthe
middlewiththegassupplyattheends.ThepowersupplycanbeACorDC.However,whileDCpowerismore
complex,itispreferredfortworeasons:
WithHV1andHV2beingtheanodesandHVReturnbeingthecathode,anysputtering(whichtakesplace
mostlyatthenegativeelectrode)iskeptwellawayfromthemirrorsorBrewsterwindows.
TheuseofDCmayalsoenableslightlymoreoutputpowertobeachievedcomparedtoACexcitation
sincethecurrentcanbeadjustedforoptimalperformanceandiscontinuous.
ApairofDCpowersuppliesorasinglesupplywithseparateballastresistors(todividethecurrent)canbeused
positivestoHV1andHV2,negativetoHVReturn.
However,inpoweringsuchalaserusingneonsigntransformers(ACorDC),caremustbetakenbecausemany
ofthesehavecentertappedsecondarieswiththecentertapconnectedtothecasewhichreallymustbegrounded
forsafety.UsingasinglecentertappedtransformerfeedingHV1andHV2ispossible.Wheremultiple
transformersareinvolved,attemptingtofloatthecase(s)isnotonlydangerousbutmayresultininsulation
breakdown.However,ifyouarereallydetermined,thegutsofan"iron"NSTcanberemovedfromthemetal
caseandtheHVcentertapcanbedisconnectedfromtheACGroundterminal.Thentheentirethingcanbe
mountedinawellinsulatedenclosurewithappropriateHVconnectorsandwarninglabels.Alsomakesureyour
willisinorder.:(:)
PerhapsthebestwaytobuildalaserlikethisistouseConflatflanges.Theseareastandardlaboratoryvacuum
hardwarepart.WhatIhaveinmindisastainlesssteelflangewithaPyrexglasstometalsealoneachend.A
varietyofoptionsareavailablewiththesesuchasblankflanges,tees,bellows,etc.Thehardwareis
interchangeablefromcompanytocompanyandaroundtheworld,comesinavarietyofmetals,anddepending
onthetypeareeitherboltedorclampedtogether.Iprefertheboltedonesversustheclampedonesasthe
clampedonesuseOrings.Anyplumbingpartyoucanimagineismadewithstandardflangesandavailableoff
theshelf.
Soyoucanmakeatubewithnointracavitywindowstozappower.Theglasstometalflangesareonlyavailable
inPyrexorquartz,buttheassociatedglassblowingisnothardifyouhaveadecentoxypropanetorch.It's
basicallyastraightjoinandcaneasilybedoneonabenchbyhandwithsomepracticeonnormalstraighttubing.
Withalittlework,youcouldfittheelectrodesintheflangeandthusmakethemreplaceable.Itcanalsomakeit
sothatthetubeonlyhastwoglassblowingoperationsi.e.,twostraightjoins,andtherestisdonewithblocks
boltedtotheflanges.Theblockscanserveastheopticsholder,gasfillports,electrodesandtubemounts.So
youcouldorderalabcondenserandtwoflangeassembliesandhaveallyourglassworkasCOTS(Commercial
OffTheShelf)products.Ifyouhadadesirefora8foottube,youcouldjustjointwostandardassembliesatthe
flange.
Eachflangeassemblyaddsabout3"ofglasstothelaserandcanbebakedatupto400Conceproperlyglassed
on.Withthat3"betweenthemetalflangeandtheactualjoin,youwouldonlyhavetoflameannealthePyrexat
thejoinwithoutworryingaboutstressingtheglasstometalseal.Pyrexisprettyforgivingifyoukeepitwarm.
Idon'thaveacurrentcatalogtolookupthePyrex,butitisusually2to3timesthepriceoftheneonleadglass
andissoldbythepound.
SomeexamplesfromtheDunniwayStockroomcatalog(notthemostinexpensivenorperhapsthebestforglass
tometalseals,theyalsodon'tstockrawglass):
StainlessSteeltoPyrex1.33"Conflatflangeto7740Pyrex,3/4"ODglasswith1mmwall:$64each.
SSTtoPyrex,23/4"inchConflatflange,11/2"glassOD:$71each.
Coppergasketsfortheflanges:$16per10pack.
4"bellowswithKF16flange:$45each
Ablankoffflange:$16each.
Themetalisalittlepriceybutyou'repayingforqualitymachiningtogetavacuumtightsealwithalmostno
effort.ThisisTinkertoybolttogetherstuffbuthighquality.Afterall,thelabboysuseittoapproachvacuum
levelsofouterspace.
Soyoucouldhaveatubemadelikethis:
BFBELBLKGSTubeGSBLKBELBF
[>><<][{{{][================][}}}][>><<]
Where:
BF=blankflangewithmirrorattached.
BEL=bellows.
BLK=aluminumblockwithgasfillholeandHVconnection.
GS=glasstometalseal.
Thisendsupbeingaqualitycommercialgradethatcanberebuilt.Youcanalsocuttheglasstometalflangesoff
thetubeandreusethemonceortwice.Therestofthepartsarereusableexceptthecoppergasketsifused.
Steve'sNonStandardExperimentswithaCO2LaserHead
Ok,Ihaveaknownalignedflowinggasheadsettinghere.We'reinthemiddleofabadfluepidemicinOhio.
Thingsaregoingwrong,aswe'realsogettinglakeeffectsnow.NormallyOhioniansarepreparedforthemassof
arcticairthatflowsdownfromtheCanadianNorththatthengetssuperchilledpassingoverLakeEriedumping
thesamekindofsnowonnortheasternOhiothatBuffaloNYgets.Betweenthefluandthesnow,sufficeitto
saymytankoflasermixdidn'tgethereandifitdoesgetherethepriceisgonnabewayup.Inaattempttomake
mehappy,theydidhandmearefilltankof80%Argon20%CO2.
SoIfigured,whattheheck,alittleexperimentalphysicsneverhurtanyone.Itookapieceofthermalchart
paper,hungitovertheoutputendofthetube.Juryriggedaneedlevalveup,andjuststuckTygonandrubber
tubingeverywhere.Noclamps,justfrictionfits.Thispumpeddowntowellbelowwhatmy0to40Torr
mechanicalgaugecoulddetect.Mythermocouplegaugehasablowntube,butsufficeittosay,itwasdown
there.
Iknickedalittleholeinapieceofthetubingtoletinalittleairandhookeda15kV,60mAneonsign
transformeracrossit,justrawAC.Thistubeis3/4"diameterwitha40"longarcbetweenaluminumblock
electrodes.Itsgotaremovablecoolingwaterjacket.Igotagoodairglow,andasexpected,didn'tobserveany
lasingonair.Thiswasjusttotestthedischarge.Thetubehascleaninternalmirrors.Ifoundoutthehardway
thataneedlevalveonthepumpendaswellasthefillenddidn'thurt.Thisiswellintothemolecularflowrange,
somypumpwas'toogood'.Withoutchokingthepump,Iwasreallypullingdownthetankfast.Thisisbecause
allmyflowpathswere1"or3/4",reallyoverkill.
NormallyI'dexpecttosee15to20Torronalaserlikethistomaintainadischarge,I'vegotthemechgauge
rightatthepumpinput.Well,togetastableglowin80:20Ar:CO2,itwasdowninthe4to5Torrrange.WhenI
lititup,IkeptlookingatthewoodblockIhadasabeamstop.Nosmoke.Drat.Stuckthermalpaperonit.Nada.
80:20doesn'tliketoigniteorconductmucheither.MorethenonceIwatchedmyTygonandLatexlightupasit
lookedforbetterpaths.ThethermalpaperwasgettingwarmattheOChowever.Ireopenedthelittleleaktoair,
bingo,reallyhotchartrecorderpaper.Iputinablackanodizedplate,itgotwarm.Bingo,powermetertime:2.5
wattsorsospreadoverabigbeam,notgonnaburnanything.OhIdidn'tflowthecoolingwater,justfilledthe
jacketandgaveittimetocooldowneverysooften.IfIflowedit,I'dbetI'dgetmondomorepower.
Themoralofthestory,youneedthelasermix.Otherlessonslearned:Good10turnneedlevalvescan'tbe
stressedenough.Minewere5buckseachatasurplusstore.Theneedlevalveisafinetrim,theregulator
pressurewasthecoursesetting.Youmightneedoneateachend.Iusedacruddyregulatorthatdidn'tworkwell
atthelowend,settingswere1to7psiasIexperimented.ThebestwayIfoundtosetuptheleakwasbubblethe
gasthroughabeakerabout3"deepwithwater.WhenIhadabout3bubblesasecondoutofa1/4"tube,itwas
setaboutrightforstartingthetube.
TygonworksasdidheavyLatex.A4literpersecondpumpwasalmostoverkill.Puttinganadsorberona
thermocoupleorjuryriggeddiodetemperaturesensorisamustunlessyouhaveafancywavelengthconverter
platetovisualizethebeam.Idon't.(seeMackenInstrumentsInc..)LabgradeplumbingwasNOTneededbut
wouldhelp.Ideally,you'dhaveasolenoidvalveonthegasmixtoconserveit.Cheaperhardwarestorehardware
isusablefortherestoftheplumbingprovidedyouhaveagoodlabtypeturnoffvalveafteryourregulatorto
conservegaswhilesettingup.Thegastrappedbetweentheregulatorandthetankvalvewasenoughtogoa
coupleofminutesat2200psi.
Purelasingmixhasapretty"coolwhite"colorlikeafluorescenttubewhenI'veseenitinthepast.Normallythe
brightnessofthetubelightgoesupwithlaserintensity,thenlevelsoffasyouincreasepressure,alittlebefore
lasinglevelsoff.Ifyoukeepcrankinginmoregasafterthat,lasinggoesdownanddischargebrightnesstakesa
dive.8020argon/co2glowsapalegrayishblue,veryfaintly.
Terry'sCommentsonEffectsofCO2LaserTubeSize
(From:TerryGreene(xray@cstel.net).)
I'mnotsurewhatthevoltagerequirementsbasedontubelengthandboresizewillbebutitwon'tbehardto
figureout.Justoverkillthevoltageratingofthepowersupply(e.g.,neonsigntransformer),startwiththeVariac
adjusteddownandadjustitupuntilitlasesandthecurrentisright.Thisistherecommendedprocedureforthe
Ianninilaser.Theimportanceofthevoltageistobreakdownthegastostartthecurrentflow.Thelongerthe
bore(theeffectivegap)thehigherthevoltagerequiredtobreachit.Gaspressureisalsoimportant.Highergas
pressureneedsmorevoltageforbreakdown(PaschensLaw).Oncethegasispassingcurrent,thecurrentdensity
perboreareaistheimportantthing.Requiredcurrentflowshouldbeafunctionofborediameter.A3/4bore
workswellat50mA(atleastthat'stherecommendedcurrentfortheIanninilaser).Itstandstoreasonthat
adjustingthecurrentwiththeareaoftheborewouldkeepthecurrentdensitythesame.Thesenumberswon'tbe
exactbecausetheinsidediameterwon'tbethislargebutforexample:
3/4"bore=aproximately.44squareincharea
1"bore=aproximately.79squareincharea
So,tofindthe'optimal'currentforthe1"bore,wehave:50mA*.79/.44=89.5mA.
Isuspectthatmaximumcurrentdensitywillbelimitedbyyourpumpdisplacementorhowfastitcanmovethe
gasoutoftheboreattherequiredvacuum.Highercurrentdensities,whilemakingmoreopticaloutput,break
downtheCO2intoCOatafasterrate.Beyondacertainpoint,highercurrentwilldropopticaloutputasitkills
thegasandyouendupwithaborefullofdeadgas.Thisproblemis,ofcourse,magnifiedinlongerbores.
Flavio'sCommentsonLongCO2LasersTubes
IhaveresearchedtheissueswithoperatingaCO2lasertubeoverameterlong.
Idonotrecommendhavingaplasmatubeofmorethanabout800mminlengthastheremybeproblemswith
sustainingthedischarge.A15kV,30mAneonsigntransformerwillnotbeenoughinstrikingatubeofthissize
evena15kV,60mAtransformermayhavesometroubles.
AtypicalCO2laseroperatesataround10to20(somemaybealittlehigher)Atthispressure,thereisalotmore
resistanceinthegas,thusmakingitmoredifficulttostrikeandmaintainadischarge.Thehigherthepressure,
thehigherthesevoltageswillbe.UnlikeaHeNelaser,notonlyisitdifficulttostart,butitwillrequireanover
allhighervoltagetosustainthedischarge.
IhaveseenoneoftheCoherentmedicalCO2lasers.Iusesa15kV,60mAtransformeronatubeonly24"in
lengthandadiameterof10mm.
IinitiallywasgoingtomakemyCO2lasertube1meterlongwithaborediameterof20mmpoweredoffofa
15kV,60mAneonsigntransformer.However,intheend,Ifeltthattherewouldbetroublewithstartingatube
ofthatlengthsoIhaveemployedatubelengthofonly800mm.
Formytube,Ichoseaboresizeof20mmIDx24mmOD.Thelargerborewillgeneratemorepower.
Myrecommendationsiseithertodothefollowingbeforeconstructingtheplasmatube:
1.Keepthetubelengthdown.Ihaveoptedfor800mmshouldbemucheasiertosustainadischarge.
2.Ifyouaregoingtoimplementatubelongerthanthis,tryanexperimentbeforedoingthecomplete
fabrication:
Takethetube,andtwocorkbungs,andinsertoneateachendofthetube(makeanairtightseal)and
inserttwowiressothattheycanconnecttoyourpowersupply.Connectoneendtoyourvacuum
pumpandpumpdownthetubetoadecentvacuum(e.g.,1Torr).
Applypowertothetube.
Slowlybackfillthetubewiththelasergasmix,whilewatchingthevacuumgauge.
Atthispoint,whenyoufirststartthefollowofgas,youshouldbeabletoionizethegas.Asgaspressurebuilds,
youwilleventuallyreachathresholdpointtowheretheinputvoltageisnotsufficienttomaintaindischarge
readthevacuumgauge.WhatisthegaspressureinTorr?TypicaloperationofaCO2laseris10to20Torr.If
youareatorabove20Torr,thenyourpowersupplyisadequateforthetubelength.Ifnot,youneedahigher
voltagepowersupplyorashortertube.
IknowthatinacommercialCoherentCO2lasersystem,thehighvoltageisalwaysappliedtothetube
regardlessifthereisgaspresentinthetube.Iguessthisistofacilitatethestartingofthelaser.
John'sCommentsonStartingOutinHomeBuiltCO2LaserConstruction
First,oneoftheverybasicrulesinlifeistotaketohearttheconceptofKISS.Thatis,KeepItSimple,Stupid!
Complexityconfuses,obscuresproblems,impactsreliabilityandtendstocauseonetoneverfinishtheproject.
Oneareawherethisappliesiswithrespecttotubelength.Ithinkyou'reneedlesslycomplicatingyourlifeand
yourdesigntryingifyourinitialgoalisahighpowerlaserrequiringalongplasmatube.Youwillbetryingto
inventcomplexwaystomakeitwork.Notonlywillyouthenbetryingtodebuganewlaserdesign,you'llalso
betryingtodebugacomplexdriver.YoucangetenoughpowertobedangerousANDenoughpowertolearnthe
characteristicsofaCO2laserwithatubeonlyafootorsolong.Youcandriveitwithanordinaryneonsign
transformer,adevicethatisstonecoldreliableandthereforedoesn'thavetobedebugged.Makingyourfirst
laserworkisgoingtobeenoughofachallenge.Andwithaneonsigntransformer,when(notif)youmake
contactwithanenergizedconductor,youmightwishyouweredeadbutyouwon'tBEdeadlikeyouwouldwith
thefractionalamp,25kVdriverthatmightbeneededforthatbiglaser.
ThesecondbasicruleofscienceistosetuptheexperimentandthenchangeonlyONEthingatatime.Then
evaluatetheresultsbeforemakinganotherchange.IfyouchangeXthings,youhaveX!(factorial)degreesof
freedomforthingstogowrong.Veryexperiencedpeoplecanusually(butnotalways)getawaywithchanging2
orthreethingsatoncebutasabeginner,youcan't.Whichleadstothenextrule.
Whenyou'rebeginning,learnfromthosewho'vebeentherebeforeyou.INthiscase,listentotheexpertsonthis
listandstartyourprojectwithabasicdesignthatworks.Onceyougetthelaserworkingandgetafeelforhowit
tunesandhowtolerantitistoparameterchange,thenyoucanbegintoexperiment.
Ifyoudon'tfollowthesewellprovenprocedures,you'regoingtoendupwithapileofstuffthatdoesnotlase
andyouwillbecomefrustratedenoughtoquit.Frustrationinahobbyisnotfun.Followtheadviceofthe
expertsatleastuntilyouhavesomethingthatworks!
Tim'sCommentsonExperimentingwithaCO2Laser
(From:TimWalters(trwalters@mydeja.com).)Thefirstthingtodowhenyou'reexperimentingwithaCO2
laseris:
WEARSAFETYGLASSES!
Itwasaslowflowaxialsystem.Iputa150lpmvacuumpumpononeendandadmittedpremixlasergas
(rentedcylinder&regulator)attheotherend.Imonitoredtubevacuumwithaclosedendmanometer(Imadeit
outofapieceofglasstubingandsomemercury).Adjustyourlasergasflowuntilyougetabout20Torr(20mm
ofmercury)inthetube.WEARSAFETYGLASSES!Hititwiththehighvoltageanddon'tbestandinginfront
ofit!Ithadacopperrearmirrorandazincselenideoutputcoupler.CO2putsoutabout100wattspermeterof
borelength(minewasameterlongandmeasured100watts).Ididn'tuseanyfancybellowsontheends.You
canplaceoringsbetweentheopticsandthemachinedtubeendswith3pointadjustscrews,anditworksjust
fine.100wattsof10.6microninfraredwilldoSERIOUSDAMAGE.WEARSAFETYGLASSES!Youcan
EASILYsetthingsonfiredozensofyardsaway.Likethewallofyourhouse.Orthewallofyourneighbors
house.Oryourclothes..Ifyoufocusthebeam(minewas3/8"indiameterattheoutputcoupler)toapointona
firebrick,itlookslikeaweldingarc.WEARSAFETYGLASSES!
ThewayIaligned/tuneditwas:
WEARSAFETYGLASSES!
1.GetaninitialalignmentwithasmallHeNelaser.
2.Applypower.
3.Putapieceoftissuepaperinthebeampath.
4.Tuneformaximumsmoke.
5.Replacetissuewithwood.
6.Tuneformaximumsmoke.
7.Replacewoodwithfirebrick.
8.Tuneformaximumbrightnessoftheredhotspotonthebrick...
WEARSAFETYGLASSES!
Getthepointonsafetyglasses??10.6micronradiationwillcompletelyruinthesurfaceofyoureyeball
PERMANENTLY!!Trythis:focusthebeamdownontoasmalldishofwater.ThewaterwillboilATTHE
SURFACE.Sowillyoureyeball!
Chris'sCommentsonSealedTube,andSlowandFastFlowCO2Lasers
(From:LaserguruChris(laserguruchris@aol.com).)
WhileitmaybepossibletobuildasealedtubeCO2laserfromscratch,itwouldbeVERYdifficultbecause
specialequipmentandgasmixturesarerequired.CheckoutDavidKnapp'sSealedCO2LaserPage.(Thisisthe
onlyexampleIknowofforanoncommercialsealedtubeCO2laser.Sam)
Ontheotherhandyoucan"build"onemuchlikeyoubuildacomputeroraHeNelaser.Purchasethetubeand
buildorbuyapowersupply.Youhavetwotypesoftubestochoosefrom:RFexcitedorDCexcited.ItistheDC
tubesyouwouldbeinterestedifyouwantedtobuildapowersupply.ThisisbecauseRFpowersuppliesarea
paintotweakintoplayingfairlywithyourheadunlessitispartofanalreadyworkingsystem.And,thecostof
componentscanbequitehighOver$200eachfor150WorbetterGaAsRFpowertransistorsinquantityand
powerRFvacuumtubesthatareevenmorecostly.DCexcitedCO2lasertubesarehappyaslongasyoukeep
themcool,keepthecurrentwithinoperatingrange,anddon'treversethepolarity.Bothofthesekindsofsealed
lasertubesuseaspecialgasmixtureandacatalyticreformertorepairthelasergasdamagedbythedischarge.
Withoutaspecialgasmixtureandcatalyticreformer,asealedtubeofregularCO2gasmixturewouldoperate
formerelyafewsecondsbeforeceasingtolase.Bothofthesetypesoftubes(andpowersupplies!)can
sometimesbefoundateBayforareasonableprice.
Thedifferencebetweenslowandfastflowisnotnecessarillyhowlongthegaslasts,butjustwhatitsoundslike
howfastthegasismovingthroughthetube.Inslowflowlasersthegasismovingthroughthetubeslowlyand
isbeingcooledthroughthetubewall.ThisiscommoninlowerpowerrangeCO2lasersuptoakWmaxorso.
Thesetypesoflasersaregenerallyopenloopsystemsbutthehigherpowertypegenerallyhaveagasrecyclerto
regeneratethegasdamagedbythedischarge.Infastflowlasersthegasisheatedbytheelectricdischargesofast
itmustbeblownoutofthetubequicklybeforeitgetshotenoughtokilllasing.Thegasflowisgenerallyfaster
thenthespeedofsoundinair,beingmovedbyspecialpumpscalledrootsblowers.Thegasisthenactively
cooledbyaheatexchangerandregeneratedbyacatalyticreformer.
AlternativestoConstructingaCO2LaserfromScratch
FortheLazyatHeartAlmostEverythingYouNeedOops,TooLate
WhileconstructingtheentireCO2laserfromscratchshouldbeyourgoal,gainingaccesstoatleastthe
glassworkpartofoneusedorfromscrapcouldatleastgetyouhalfway.Ofcourse,obtainingasealedCO2
lasertubeavailablenewandusedfromavarietyofsourcesisreallynomorefunthangettingacheapHeNe
tube.Allyouthenneedisasuitablepowersupply(notmuchdifferentthanascaledupHeNepowersupply)and
coolingveryboringasfaraslaserconstructionprojectsgo.Seethechapter:Carbon(CO2)DioxideLasersfor
moreinfo.
However,withaflowinggasCO2laserhead,youatleasthavetodealwiththevacuumandgassupplyissuesin
additiontothepowersupplyandcooling.Theglassworkisdoneforyouandeventheopticsarelikelycontained
aspartofthelaserheadassembly.Youcanstillexperimentwithvariousgasmixturesandoperatingpressures,
andpossiblyopticsaswelliftheyareremovable.
ThefollowingpostingsappearedrecentlyontheUSENETnewsgroupsci.optics:
ForSale1:SharplanflowinggasCO2headwithresonatorandoptics,removedfrommedicalservice.
Hasexternalmirrors,Pyrextubewithcoolingjacketandintracavitywindows,tubemounts,overtemp
switchandresonator.Thescientificgraderesonatorhas3/16100threadadjustmentmicrometersfor
mirrorXYadjustmentsonbothends.ZeSeoutputcoupler,somesortofsiliconrearmirror.Somenotes
penciledontheunithavethereccommendedpressureandcurrentrangesforusefrom0to15watts(15to
20Torr)and16to50watts(25Torr).Justaddapump,waterflow,neonsigntransformerandthegasmix,
andyou'relasing.TheunitwasremovedfromservicewhenthePSUblewup.
Thetubehasatleastahalfinchborediameter.Lengthbetweenelectrodesis23inchesandbetween
mirrorsis31inches.TheintracavitywindowsareattachedtothetubewithTorrSealandareverynicely
sealedinadustproofcavitywithOrings.Thetubeisonepiece,thejacketisglassedintothetube.Ifilled
thejacketwithwaterandfoundnoleaks.Theheadhaswallsof3/8thsaluminumandtheresonator
machiningqualityismuchbetterthenwhatIfindonthe$40,000dollarargonionlasersIworkon.Ifyou
aretryingtobuildaCO2,thiswouldsaveyoumuchtimeandeffort.
$425+shippingOBO.
ForSale2:Two(2)flowinggaswatercooledCO2laserheadswithpowersupplies.Theseareextremely
wellmadeindustrialunitsremovedfromservice.AllthestickersareoffsoIcan'ttellthebrandormodel
buttheyshoulddoaminimumof50wattsjudgingfromthesizeofthetubeandprobablymuchmore.
UnitshavestainlesssteelorInVarresonatorrodsabout3/4"indiameterinafourrodconfiguration[::]
builtintoasupportstructuremadeof3/8thsinchthickUchannelabout4"onaside.Thedistancebetween
mirrorsis48incheswithadischargelengthof40inches.
Overalllaserlengthis5foot,7inches.Theheadis6.5inchestalland8incheswidefinishedinanicetwo
tonetanandgreen.Thecaseisheavysheetsteelwithashutteratoneendwith45degreefoldmirrorand
wattmetersensor.IthasaportforaHeNelaseraimingbeam,butthatunitisnotincluded.
Thepowersupplyisaheavyplasticencasedcube8"x8"x6"withconnectorstothehead.Includedisall
theHVcable,andvacuumandcoolinghosestothehead.Basicallyreadytogo,justaddavacuumpump
andtankofgas.
$1,000each+shippingOBO.
HomeBuiltCO2LaserusingCommercialSealedPlasmaTube
Anotherevensimpler(thoughprobablyexpensiveonadollar/wattbasisatleast)alternativeistousea
commercialCO2plasmatube.Smallerversionsofthese(perhaps1to20Woutput)looklikefatheliumneon
lasertubesandpowersupplyrequirementsaresimilar(thoughoperatingandstartvoltagesaregenerallymuch
higherandtherequiredballastresistanceisalsogreater).Apowersupplysimilartotheonesshownforthetruly
homebuiltCO2lasercouldbeconstructedrelativelyeasily(butitwouldhavetobeDC).
SincesealedCO2plasmatubesaren'tnearlyascommonastheirHeNecousins,thetubecostislikelytobe
substantialassupplieroptionsarelimited.Inaddition,maximumpoweroutputisrelativelylowcomparedto
whatcanbebuiltfromscratchorwithacommerciallaserheadusingaflowinggasdesign.However,thecost
savingsofnotrequiringavacuumandgassupplysystemaswellasthegasitselfmustbefactoredintothetotal
expenses.
Largersealedtubesupto500Wormoreareavailablebutfindingoneoftheseinworkingconditionatan
affordablepricewouldbeveryrare.And,theirpowerrequirementsmaybequiteexoticcomparedtowhatthe
smalleronesexpect(thoughnotall).
However,thesesortsoftubesdosometimesturnuponsurplusandauctionsitessoifyoureallywantaCO2
withoutthesupportsystemhassle,thismaybeworthconsidering.Justbesureyougetamoneybackwarranty
thatthetubeworksorinsistonsomemeansoftestingitbeforebuyingrefillingorrepairwouldnotbecheap
foranyofthese.
(From:WayneVerish(WVerish@aol.com).)
IbuiltaCO2laserusingacommercialsealed5wattCO2lasertube.ThepowersupplyconsistsofaVariac
drivinga9kVneonsigntransformerwithfour15kVrectifiers(withoutfiltering).Thestartvoltageis9kVand
thelaserrunsfineat6to7mA.Coolingisviaasmallpondpumpthatcirculates2liters/minute(1literis
acceptable).
(From:Kevin(kdschultz11789@yahoo.com).)
InmyoldlabweusedaGTELineLite950,whichwasoriginallyasealedtube,butmodifiedbymylabtoallow
ustofillthetubeourselves.ThesemodificationsweremadebeforeIgotthere,butmyimpressionwasthatthe
laserswererefilledonatimescaleof12months.WhileIwasthere,wepumpedoutthelasereverymorning
andfilledthetubetoapressureofabout20torr.Thegasmixthatweusedwasbyvolume23%CO2,0.019%
H2,10.2%N2,2.30%XeandtherestHe.Ourlabhadabook"TheCO2laser"byW.Wittmanandpublishedby
SpringerVerlagthathadagooddescriptionoftherolesofeachofthesegases,althoughoureditionhadquitea
fewtypos.
WhyYouShouldAvoidtheTemptationtoBuyaCheapUsedCO2Laser
IfyouwantaCO2lasersolelyforthepurposeofwoodburningorsomethinglikethat,byallmeansfindaused
unit(theygoforperhaps$500to$2,000dependingonsize,age,andcondition)andrepairitifnecessary(if
possible).However,ifyourobjectiveistobuildalaserfromscratch,thisis,well,cheating!:)
I'maformerteacher.Sellingyouaunitisinmyviewdeprivingyouofavaluablelessonortwo.Youcouldbuild
abetterunitforthecostofshippingoneoftheseacrossthecountry.ThetypesofusedmedicalCO2lasersthat
areavailableareheavy.Ifyoucanbeattheseargumentsinprivateemailandhavefailedinaattempttoconstruct
one,I'llthinkaboutitsometimedowntheroad.TheCO2laserisnotbeyondastudent'sreachtoconstruct.
Perhapsthemoreimportantpartoftheexperienceisgettingoutandmeetingpeople.Manycompanieswillhelp
youwiththematerialsbudget,theyeitherbelieveineducationorknowyou'llprobablyendupbeingapotential
customeraftercollege.Somewilllookatyouasapotentialparttimeemployeeintheprocess.Getoutthereand
tryfirst.:)
Besides,yourmoneyisprobablyhardearned,sellingyouaknowndyingunitwouldbeunethical.Iagreethere
mightbepartsforyouasayoungpersonthataremadefrompureunobtainium.WhenyougettothatpointIor
someoneelsewilltrytohelpyouout.
HomeBuiltTransverseExcitedAtmosphericCO2Lasers
WhatAboutaHomeBuiltTEACO2Laser?
Mosthighpower(kWs)CO2lasersareconstructedusingTEA(TransverseExcitedAtmospheric)designs.
RatherthanhavingalongtubewithaelectricaldischargealongitslengthandtheCO2gasmixtureflowing
fromendtoend,aseriesofelectrodesandgasinletsarespacedalongthetube.Inthismanner,higherpressures
canbeusedsincetheelectricaldischargedoesn'tneedtogothefulllengthofthetubeonlyacrossit.And,fresh
gascanflowtoallpartsofthetubeanddoesn'tgetdepletedalongtheway.
Strictlyspeaking,TEAmeansoperationatatmosphericpressure(thoughyoucanstillhaveatransverseexcited
laserwithoutand'A'partasdescribedbelow).However,aboveabout100Torr,itisn'tpracticaltomaintaina
stabledischarge(reference:TheLaserGuideBookbyJeffHechtso,page136).Thus,TEAlasersareoperatedin
pulsedmode.But,ifthepulserepetitionrateishighenough,thenforallpracticalpurposesformost
applications,itiseffectivelyCW.Thehighpeakpowerisoftenusedtoadvantageinmaterialsprocessinglike
cuttinganddrilling.
Inthediagrambelow,thegasfeedandreturnsystemwouldbeconceptuallysimilartothepowersupplywith
individualcapillariesormeteringvalvesactingasballastresistorsforeachnozzle.:)Thetubewallsbetweenthe
anodesandcathodeswouldneedtobenonconductingwiththegasfeednozzles(attachedtotheballastresistors)
beingmadeofmetalanddoingdoubledutyastheanodes.Theentireoppositesideofthetubecouldbemetallic
andserveasthecathode.Sinceitisnotnearthemirrors,sputteringshouldn'tbeamajorproblem.Eithersiror
watercoolingcouldbeused.
Thisappliesdirectlytoalowpressure('TE')CO2laseroperatingbelow100Torr.Forpulsedexcitationathigher
pressures,adifferentsortofpulsedistributionnetworkwouldberequired.
HV+o+++++++++++
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Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\Rb\
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HR||''''''''''''''''''''''||OC
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HVo+++++++++++
ForahomebuiltTEACO2laser,eachelectrodeisgoingtohavetosustainacurrentontheorderofthe30to
100mAfortheaxialflowlaser(AFL)butatsomewhatlowervoltagetomaintainthesamedischargecurrent
density.So,youwillneedsomewayofdistributingpower(andgas)amongperhapsseveraldozenelectrodes
andinlettubes.Thiswillrequireseparatepowersupplyfeedsviaindividualballastresistors.Thegascanbe
similarlyapportionedusingcapillarymeteringlinesorsomethingsimilar.
However,somepercentageofthepowerwillbewastedbecauseunliketheAFLapproach,notallofthetube
boreisbeingusedinlasing.Thedischargewon'tbeasuniformasthewithAFLeither.Thus,forthesamepower
input,theefficiencyofasmallTEAdesignmaybeworsethanforanAFLlaser.Atsomelevelofpoweroutput,
theTEAlaserwillhaveclearadvantages.Idon'tknowwhetherthispointcanberealisticallyreachedfora
homebuiltsystem.
FormoreinformationonTEAlasers,seethesection:TransverseExcitedAtmospheric(TEA)CO2Lasers.
(From:PaulM.Brinegar,II(montyb@pulsar.hsc.edu).)
Ifyou'rethinkingaboutbuildingaTEAlaser,makesureyouarewellversedinhighvoltagecircuits,andthe
dangersthattheycanpose.It'snotfunwatchingahighvoltagethyratron(it'sbeenthreeyears,Ithinkthat's
whattheitemwas)shortoutandthrowglowinghotmetalfragmentsatyourhead.Startsmall.ThesmallTEA
laserIworkedwithwouldoutputabout30millijoulesperpulseandwasaboutafootlongandeightincheshigh,
includingalltheelectronics.
(From:JeffZurkow(jeff@atrox.com).)
AlargeTEA(pulsed)CO2laserisdescribedbySeguin,ManesandTulipinthepaper:"SimpleInexpensive
LaboratoryQualityRogowskiTEALaser",ReviewofScientificInstruments43:8,August1972,pp.11341139.
It'sveryimpressive(6'long),andlooksprettystraightforwardtobuild(exceptforrequiringa50kV,16mA
powersupply).
It'samonster,roughlytenfeetlong.TheRogowskielectrodesweremachined(usingacustommademilling
cutter)fromaluminumbar4"x3/4"x6'(in2footsections).They'rehousedinapieceof5.6"(14cmODx13
cmID)acrylicpipe.Preionizationisprovidedbytwolengthsoffinetungstenwire,mountedonstandoffsfrom
thesidesofthepipeandrunningthelengthoftheelectrodes.
Thewholethingismountedonapieceofaluminumchannel,3.2"x10"x10feet,withshortopticalbencheslet
intotheendsandextendingoutafootortwo.Thechannelhousesanoilfilledacrylictank,6feetlong(10x20
x180cm),containingthemaincapacitors.Firingreliesonatriggeredsparkgap,drivenbyanautomotive
ignitioncoil,whichinturnisdrivenbyaUJT/SCRcircuit.There'ssometalkofgermaniumoutputcouplersand
NaCllensesIguessZnSeopticsweren'treadiliyavailablein1972.
Theauthorsreportanestimatedpulseenergyofgreaterthan15Jina100nspulsewithapeakpowerofabout
100MW.Theystate:"Accuratemeasurementofpulseenergywasdifficultsincethelaserenergyproduceda
plasmainthethermopileused.".:)
Inrereadingthepaper,Inoticethattheyreporthavingbuiltseverallasersofsimilardesign,includingasmaller,
20cmunit.Theysuggestthatthedesignisuncritical,andcanbescaleddown(orup!)forconvenience.
Interestinglyenough,thefinalparagraphreads:"Researcherswishingtofabricateanequallysimpleand
inexpensivestandardCO2laserforadditionalorcomplementaryinvestigationsarereferredtothepublicationin
ScientificAmericanonalowcostCO2laser.".
DiscussionofHomeBuiltTEACO2Laser
(From:RobinStoddart(stoddart@interlog.com).)
Iwasjusthavingabrainthunderstorm,andIcameupwithanidea.Iwasthinkingthatinsteadofhavingthe
electrodesattheends,whynothaveaTEAconfiguration,butjusthavecontinuouswaveoutput.Thetubewould
bealongboxtwosidesbeingplatesofsomesortofglassorceramic,andtheothertwosidesbeinglongmetal
plates(electrodes).Onecouldputholesintotheelectrodesalongtheopticalaxis,andgethighflowcoolgas,
andverypure..IguesstheremightbeaproblemofsomesortofJacob'sladdereffect,butwhoknows?
TEAstandsfor"TransverselyExcitedAtmospheric"pressure.Thefactthattheyarepulsedisaresultofthe
dischargecharacteristicsofthegasatatmosphere.Again,keepinmindthatathighrepratesitwillcutjustlike
CWsoitmightaswellbeCW.ThelowpressuresystemyouweredebatingwouldallowtransverseCW
operation,butitwouldn'tproduceneartheaveragepoweroutputasitwouldpulsedatatmosphere.
TEAisusuallydonewiththegasflowingat90degreestotheelectrodes.ArealTEA,bydefinitionofcourse,
operatesatatmosphericpressure.Ihavenoreasontodoubtthatyoucouldbuildandmakethesystemyou
describefunctional,butthedesignwillchangetheinputrequirements.
Voltagerequirementsaredictatedbygasmix,pressureandlengthofdischarge.Thedischargelengthwill
bequiteshortcomparedtoanaxialflowwhichwillreducethevoltagerequiredconsiderably.
Rememberthattheactivemediumwillrequireagivencurrentdensityalongthelengthofthebore.With
anaxialflowthesameelectronstravelthelengthoftheborewhichkeepsthenumberofelectrons
(current)requireddowntoachievethetargetcurrentdensity.Atransverselyexitedarrangementwill
naturallyrequireaLOTinputmorecurrenttoproducethesamecurrentdensitydownthelengthofthe
bore.Typicaltradeoffinelectronics.Togetthesamepowerwithlowervoltageyoumusthavehigher
current.
Thebrightsideofthearrangementisthatifyou'vegotavacuumpumpbigenoughtohandleit,theboreis
clearedofgasmuchmorequicklyyoushouldbeabletocranktheamperageandgetmoreoutput.BUT,ifyou
aregoingtogotothismuchtroublewhynotforgetthevacuumpump,runitatatmospherewitha50kVsupply
(highgaspressurerequiresmuchhighervoltageasperPaschensLaw)andmakesomeSERIOUSoutput.
AndBTW,theholygrailSynradlaserseverybodywantsareslabsidedpulsedDCandRFdriven,verymuch
likeyourTEAdesignonlysealedoff.
(From:Bob.)
Ok,fromwhatIknow,allCO2TEAlasersoperatejustasanexcimerlaserdoes.InfactIhaveseenabunchof
excimersadvertisedasbeingabletotakeCO2.Theelectrodesaretwoparallelplatesspacedabout2cmapart,3
cmwide,and50cmlong.Themaximumvoltageacrossthegapisabout35kV.It'spulsedandrunsatabouta
maximumof80Hz.Fromthis,almost30WareextractedattheUVexcimerlines,I'mnotsureexactlywhat
thatconvertstowithCO2,butintuitivelyIwouldimaginewearetalkingaboutajouleperpulseorso.Thegas
transportdesigniscomplex,butthisisonlytopreservetheexpensiveexcimergasmix(NeandXeamong
others.)andsomeofitwouldn'tbeneededwithcheapCO2mix.Thereisbasicallyalargeboxthatactsasa
vacuumpressurevesselinsideofwhichistheelectrodeassembly,andthereisasquirrelcagefanthatblowsthe
gasthroughthedischargeregion,andfinallyoversomewatercooledheatsinks.Youcouldsimplyexhaustthe
gastoavoidthecomplicatedmechanicalfeedthroughsealsinthesquirrelcage(themotorislocatedoutsidethe
chamber).allthisinformationwasgleanedfromlookingovera2000seriesQuestekexcimer.
ApulsedbeamactuallyworksbetterformostapplicationsofCO2lasers.Whiletheymighthavethesame
averagepowerasaCWbeam,sincetheyarepulsed,thepeakpowerismuchhigherthantheCWbeam.The
reasonyoudon'tseealotofTEA'swithsuchasimplegasflowdesign(i.e.muffinfans)isthatmostare
modeledafterexcimerlasers.Chlorineand/orfluorinegasisnotsomethingyouwantnearmostobjects,
especiallyforextendedperiodsoftime.Thatisthereasonforallthefancysetupinmostexcimers.
And,BTW,itisn'tquiteaccuratetosaynovacuumisneeded.Youwouldstillhavetoinitiallyevacuatethe
chamberbeforefillingitwiththelasergasmix.Plexiglasconstructionofthelaserchamberiscertainlyaviable
option.Themainelectrodesmustbeverysmoothandpreciselyspacedtopreventarcinginaparticularspotand
shouldbeshapedaccordingly.Aluminumfoilwouldnotlikelybethebestcandidateforthisapplicationand
electrodesmachinedfromaluminumstockwouldbepreferred.Thelaserchambershouldbebuilttowithstand
somepressureratherthantomaintainavacuum,aswithmostothertypesoflasers.Operatingthelaserata
higherthanatmosphericpressurewillyieldhigheroutputpulses.Themaindifficultiesintheoperationofthis
laseraretheswitchingoftheveryhighvoltagepulses(~40,000volts)suppliedbythecapacitorsandthepre
ionizingofthelaserchannelgasesjustpriortothemainpulsetomaintainanevendischargethroughoutthe
chamber.Searchfor"TEACO2"inapatentdatabaseandcheckoutsomecommercialdesigns.
PowerforthatReallyBIGLaser
OldXrayunitsareadjustablefrom50to125kVat300to1000mA.LargeTEAsrequire(fromthelimitedtech
datathatI'vebeenabletoacquire)around50kV.Sincetheyoperateinapulsedmodethecurrentavailablewill
simplydictatethereprateasthatwilldeterminehowlongittakestochargethewaveshapingnetwork.Almost
everythingyouwillneedtosupplyaTEAisalreadyintheunit.OnlythingIcanthinkofthat'snotinthere
wouldbethecapsforthewaveshaper.I'vegottwooldcommerciallyuselessunitssittinghere.Justhadafriend
inAtlantasendhalfadozentothedump.Mypointisthatoldxrayunitscanbehadforfreeifyouknowwhere
tolook.Theonlyproblemistheyarelargeandheavy.Thecontrolwilltypicallyweigh150to200poundsand
thetransformerwillweigh300to500pounds.Youcanmovethemwithnoproblemwitharefrigerationhand
truck,butitwillhavetobeshippedbytruck.Thiscangetabitexpensive.
WARNING:EventhesmallestofthesearemorethanjustveryslightlyDEADLY.Ifrununloaded,theoutput
voltagecandoubleononeofthesethings.Theycankillyoustonedeadfromsixinchesawayundertheright
circumstances.Notonlydoyounothavetotouchit,youdon'thavetobeallthatclosetoit.BeREALcareful
withthisstuffifyoupickoneup.:)
AndIfThat'sNotBIGEnough
Well,maybethisoneisn'texactlyTEAbutit'sthethoughtthatcountsandIcouldn'tthinkofabetterplacetoput
it!:)
(From:xxxman01(brianmarkuson@hotmail.com).)
Thisiswhathappenswhenyouhavetomuchtimeonyourhands.ButIsubmitthisforpeerreviewandthe
question:"Willitwork?"ifso:"WillIbeabletogetmorethanoneshotoutofit?".
FindaPVCpipe20feetlongand12inchesindiameter.Cuttheendstotallyparalleltoeachother.Gluea
polishedcopperdiskononeendandadiskwitha3inchholeontheother.Makesurethesedisksarealigned
withalaserpointerorsomething.Meltsomesaltsowhenitcoolsitlookslikea4inchdishaboutaninchthick
andglueitontothehole.Attachyourboltstyleelectrodesintothecavity.Sothewholethinglookslikearegular
laserbutbigger.PumpouttheairandbackfillwithCO2lasergasat100to400Torr.Hoistthisthingontopof
tree.Youhaveoneelectrodeatgroundandtheotherhasmagnetwire.Theendofthismagnetwiregoestoan
Estesrocketorsomething.Whenastormcomesaroundandthelightningisclose,youknowwhattodo!Iread
thatalightningstrikecontainsoverabillionjoulesofenergy!!justmultiplythatbythestandardCO2
conversionefficiencyof20%andyougotyourselfalaserthatcanmakeStartrekcaptainsdrool.
(From:Sam.)
Itmightsortofworkonce.However,asidefromanymagnetwirethinenoughtobedangledbehindahobby
rocketbeingabletocarryamillionAmpsformorethanamicrosecond,thereisonlysomuchlasingenergythat
canbeextractedfromafinitevolumeofgasbeforetheentirethingexplodes.Thewirewon'tbeaproblemfor
thatoneshotthoughsincethecoppervaporwillcarrythecurrentjustfine.:)
TheTEACO2LaserThatMightHaveBeen
Idon'treallyknowwhetherthe"RubeGoldberg"or"Frankenstein"laserdescribedbeloweveractuallyworked.
ItsoundslikeitcouldhaveoperatedasasortofTransverseExcitedAtmospheric(TEA)CO2laserforthebrief
instantofitsexistence.However,I'mwillingtobelieveitstrangethingsarepossible!TheCO2laserisquite
forgiving:GetareasonablemixofCO2andothergasesinanexcitedstatebetweenmirrorsandlasingactionis
likely!Toobaditselfdestructedupon"FirstLight".:(
(From:OceanHouse(offset@cciyuccavalley.com).)
Ifirstlearnedthatitwaspossibletobuildalaserwithmyveryownhands,thethoughtofwhichseemedtoopen
upnewthingsformetoexplore.LaserswerealwayssomethingthatIhadonlyseenonTVandinmovies,and
alwaysdepictedasadeviceof"RocketScience",andassociatedwithhundredsofthousandsofdollarsexpense.
Untiloneday,afamilyfriendofwhomIhadknownsinceIwasasmallchildstartedtalkingtomeaboutlasers.
Heexplainedtomethebasicsofhowagaslaserworkedandtoldmeaboutallofthefailedattemptsthathehad
withonlyoneshortlivedsuccess,usingalaserheadthathehadconstructedusingcrudemirrorsfromcameras,
lotsofEpoxy,asteeltube,2sparkplugs,agasportwithFreonvalve,variousplasticparts,siliconerubberslabs
madebytaking2sheetsofglassandenginesealgluedtogethertoformasheet,aBBgunCO2cartridge,a100
ampDCarcwelder,4kVelectronicdrivenneontransformer,asingle300ampdiodefoundforpennysina
scrapyard,andanintakemanifoldconnectiontohisdogetruckforgascharging.Ofcourse,evenbeingbrand
newtothetheoryoflasers,Icouldseemanyreadilyapparentflawsinthedesign,butthatdidn'tmatterashehad
achievedabrief"FirstLight"thatcausedthemetalfilmoneofthemirrorstovaporizeandlasethemselvesina
brilliantwhiteflashwithallthepoweroriginatingfromsimplesparkplugelectrodes,toburnasignificanthole
inthewall!Andallhehadtospendwas10buckseverythingheneededwaslayingaround.Heofferedtogiveit
tomeandIgladlyaccepted.
ExaminingitatfirstglanceIalmostwantedtosaytohimyouhavetobekiddingme,itlookedlikearusted
hunkofjunkwithscrewsstickingoutofEpoxyandacoursescreenfromaspicebottleusedasasealingsupport
behindthebackmirrorcoveredinEpoxy.ThemirrorswherecrudelyaimedandeverythingIlearnedfrom
lookingatitsconstructioncomparedtothetheoryhehadexplainedtomewasshoweditwasseverelylackingin
theengineringdepartment,butstillbarelywithinthetolerancesofthetheorytoallowsuchalasingevent.Even
withasignificantamountofairpresent,itstilllaseduntilbreakdown.Theonlywaythaticanexplainthisisthat
theelectricaldischargecausedtheO2andNtoformNO2gaswhichcombinedwiththetracewatertoform
HNO3(nitricacid)leavingonlytheCO2andtheothernoblegasesandsomefreeNatomstolasevery
inefficiently,butcompensatedbyhavingthehighcurrentlowvoltageDCinterduced,formingsortofamultigas
laser.HewasstartingitbyrunningtheHVtogroundandwithagatediodeinseries,tappingittothefirstseries
sparkplug.ThisworkedbecausetheHVrunningwhilehewaspreparingthearcwelderperformedthe
breakdownofthenitrogenandoxygenandbythetimehehadstrucktheDCtothecircuit.Itworkedforasplit
seconddistoryingtheelectrodesandthefrontmirroronlytoleaveitsmarkonthewallinfrontofit!
MiscellaneousCO2LaserandRelatedTidBits
Water(H2O)andHydrogenCyanide(HCN)Lasers
ThesewouldappeartobesimilarinconstructiontotheflowinggasCO2laseralthougheverything(exceptthe
poweroutput)ismuchLARGER!The200to400GHzrangeoffrequenciesmentionedbelowiscorrespondto
wavelengthsof1.5to.75millimeters.
(From:A.Nowatzyk(agn@acm.org).)
AfriendofminebuiltandoperatedaH2OandaHCNlaseratthephysicsdepartmentoftheUniversityof
Hamburg,Germany.Idon'trememberthewavelength,butthesedevicesranintheveryfarIRrange,somewhere
inthe200to400GHzrange,farawayfromCO2lasers.BoththeH2OandHCNlasersusedaPyrexdischarge
tubewithabout2"diameterandabout10feetlength,withawaterjacketforcooling.Theyranatabout5kV
withseveralampsdischargecurrentandproducedafewmW.Internalsolidcoppermirrorsformedaplano
convexresonatorwithasmallcentralholeastheoutputcouplerononeside.Theresonatorusedthermally
isolatedInvarrodstomaintainastabledistancebetweenthemirrors.Thecavitylengthrequiredadjustmentto
findtherightlongitudinalmode,whichalsoallowedforsomefrequencytuning.Theselaserswereofthe
continuousflowtype:vacuumpumpononesideandaisothermalwaterreservoirfollowedbyaneedlevalveon
theothersideofthedischargecolumn.
Theseareverylarge,powerhungrydevicesofinterestonlytoresearcherswhoneedasourceEMradiationatad
abovemillimeterwaves.
HowAboutaHomeBuiltGasDynamicCO2Laser"Hey,allyouneedtodoisfireupthat
oldAtlasrocketenginesittinginyourgaragewithsomeusedCO2lasermirrorsina
resonatorconfigurationbeyonditsexhaustpipeandVoila!Instanthighpowerlaser.
Hopeyourhomeinsuranceispaidup.:)
OK,soperhapsthefullblownversionisn'trealistic.Iwonderifsomethinglessambitious
couldbedoneusingpropaneheaterorsomething?
BacktoSam'sLaserFAQTableofContents.
ForwardtoHomeBuiltNitrogen(N2)Laser.
Sam'sLaserFAQ,Copyright19942017,SamuelM.Goldwasser,AllRightsReserved.
ImaybecontactedviatheSci.Electronics.RepairFAQEmailLinksPage.

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