Dielectrics for corona preionisation of a TEA laser

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Abstract
A small TEA CO2 laser was built to investigate the relative effectiveness of a corona discharge as a preioniser. Macor, pyrex glass, pertinax, epoxy and acrylic plates were used as dielectric material, and their influence on the performance of the laser discharge was investigated. It is shown that the dielectric determines the amount of energy that can be deposited in the gas prior to arc formation, and the laser output energy. Macor was found to be superior to all other dielectrics in this regard.