N₂レーザー用ギャップスイッチにおける電界放出とその出力特性への影響

抄録

Contribution of field emission in spark gap switch to N₂ laser output was studied. The field emission current-spikes appeared remarkably in pressurized spark gap switch with decreasing separation of the gap between electrodes. This field emission current steepened the build-up of discharge current by pre-ionizing the atmosphere in the spark gap chamber. Due to this effect, N₂ laser power increased with decreasing separation of the spark gap between electrodes and the laser pulse width decreased at the same time. As a result, a one nanosecond pulse with peak power of 120kW was generated for the first time for low pressure-operating, compact N₂ laser. Furthermore, an optical method for observing the temporal behavior of the gap switch in the early stage of the build-up of discharge was also tested.