SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to demonstrate the viability of an innovative, compact and very cost effective rectangular discharge geometry for CO2 lasers with output powers in the 25 to 150 watt range. The proposed discharge geometry requires only five intravacuum elements and employs low frequency, transverse RF excitation. Therefore the reduced parts and fabrication cost enjoyed by this device approach has the potential to expand the size of the CO2 laser market via increasing device performance without a corresponding price increase. QSource believes this proposal concerns an innovation that falls within the `National Critical Technologies` definition as described in Section 1.3 of the Solicitation. The specific Phase I experimental goals will be to demonstrate a laser output of 36 W with a discharge efficiency of 15% using existing proof-of-principle hardware. This level of device performance has been identified by our potential Phase III partner as that required for a future medical laser product.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will fabricate and demonstrate a prototype air cooled, sealed-off, 33-cm gain length carbon dioxide laser, having a 40-watt average output power and a peak output of 1 kilowatt. To achieve this output, the laser will use an innovative excitation geometry that generates a rectangular cross section transverse RF discharge between a pair of narrow, low area, closely spaced ceramic side walls, that transfer heat by collisions from the discharge and guide the intra-cavity mode in the small transverse dimension. The widely spaced, low capacitance electrode permits efficient RF discharge pumping with 27 or 13 MHz excitation. This moderates standing wave effects with longitudinal discharge uniformity but without the use of intra- or extra-vacuum inductive elements. This unique excitation geometry forces the gas discharge into a shape that naturally suppresses the tendency of the discharge to transition into the undesirable gamma or high current mode of operation. Potential commercial applications are expected in emerging medical-dental procedures using a simple, low intra-vacuum part count, low cost laser device approach.