Method and gas laser oscillator to determine the disappearance of the auxiliary discharge in the gas laser oscillator

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically determine whether an auxiliary discharge disappears in a gas laser oscillator using an auxiliary discharge electrode before a main discharge is generated.;SOLUTION: The gas laser oscillator includes a laser power source 10, main discharge electrodes 5a and 5b for generating the main discharge for exciting the discharge of a laser gas 20, and an auxiliary discharge electrode 6 for generating the auxiliary discharge in the laser gas 20 in a state wherein the output of the laser power source 10 is lower than an output for generating the main discharge. A discharge tube voltage when the output of the laser power source 10 is raised from a state wherein the auxiliary discharge is generated and the main discharge is not generated to the predetermined low output is stored as a normal voltage value, and a discharge tube voltage when the output of the laser power source 10 is raised from a state wherein the auxiliary discharge is not generated to the predetermined low output is detected, and the detected voltage is compared with the stored normal voltage value to determine whether the auxiliary discharge disappears before the main discharge is generated.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT