What are nitrogen lasers used for?

What are nitrogen lasers used for?

For many years, nitrogen lasers were used to pump dye lasers and as sources for many other applications requiring UV radiation. It is well suited to UV laser-induced fluorescence applications in clinical, pharmaceutical, environmental, and process-control work.

What is the role of nitrogen in carbon dioxide laser?

The functioning of CO2 Laser The nitrogen molecules which exist in the gas mixture gain energy after stimulating through an electric current. In other words, you can say that the nitrogen molecules get excited. Thus, we use nitrogen in this process as it can hold this state of excitement for a longer time.

How do nitrogen lasers work?

Population inversion in nitrogen laser is achieved by electric discharge pumping. This electric field accelerates electrons within the gas. These electron collides with the gas atom or gain medium and excite their atom to higher energy levels or excited energy levels.

Which type of laser is known as TEA laser?

A TEA laser is a gas laser energized by a high voltage electrical discharge in a gas mixture generally at or above atmospheric pressure. The most common types are carbon dioxide lasers and excimer lasers, both used extensively in industry and research; less common are nitrogen lasers.

Why is the nitrogen laser a pulsed operation?

Repetition rates can range as high as a few kHz, provided adequate gas flow and cooling of the structure are provided. Cold nitrogen is a better medium than hot nitrogen, and this appears to be part of the reason that the pulse energy and power drop as the repetition rate increases to more than a few pulses per second.

Why do commercial CO2 lasers have high quality mirrors at the ends of the their optical cavity?

Mirrors at each end form a resonant cavity. Because an electrical discharge quickly breaks down CO2, generally in a few minutes, hydrogen or water vapor is added to react with the carbon monoxide and oxygen to reform the CO2.

Who invented excimer laser?

James Wynne
James Wynne is co-inventor of a process using a short pulse ultraviolet laser to etch tissue in minute increments and in a highly controlled fashion. The technique, discovered with his colleagues at IBM, allows removal of material to a precisely determined depth without thermal damage to surrounding tissue.

What is nitnitrogen TEA laser?

Nitrogen TEA lasers use plain “open” air at atmospheric pressure as their lasing medium, as air is 78\% nitrogen. While TEA lasers require no vacuum pump to operate, they require a much faster electrical discharge to achieve effective pulses when compared to lower pressure designs.

Like all lasers, nitrogen lasers typically consist of three basic parts: an energy source (or pump), a laser medium (also known as a gain medium), and an optical resonator. As in most gas lasers, the energy source is an electrical discharge provided by a power supply. The gain medium is some concentration of N 2 molecules.

Which industrial gas is used in laser cutting?

Nitrogen is the most popular industrial gas used throughout the industry and plays a crucial role in laser-cutting of metals. Nitrogen has two applications in laser-cutting processes:

What are the benefits of nitrogen as an assist gas?

The main benefit of using nitrogen as an assist gas is to prevent material oxidation. This results in a higher-quality finish and helps reduce preparation time for secondary operations like welding and painting. Oxidation occurs when oxygen mixes with ambient moisture to create corrosion.