Electron Density Measurements in UV-Preionized XeCl and CO2 Laser Gas Mixtures

Abstract
A Langmuir probe technique has been used to measure electron densities and temperatures in UV-preionized XeCl excimer and CO2 laser gas mixtures in a laser tube. For this experiment, only pin electrodes (preionization sparks) were operated with no discharge between the main electrodes. The measured electron densities were about 108 cm-3 in both the excimer and CO2 laser gases, compared with 1010 cm-3 in pure He gas. The electron density was found to increase due to the proximity of the main electrodes. The coefficients of absorption for excimer and CO2 laser gas were obtained from the characteristics of the electron densities vs the distance from the UV source. Based on the absorption coefficient for XeCl, 0.9 cm-1 atm-1, we propose pin-electrode arrangements for spatially uniform preionization.

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