High-power gas-discharge CO2 lasers and their commercial applications

The physical principles underlying the operation of high-power continuous-wave CO2 lasers are reviewed and the performance charcteristics of the existing high-power CO2 laser systems are examined. Attention is then given to the engineering and physical aspects of the design of high-power gas-discharge CO2 lasers, including such problems as mixture pumping, gas discharge generation, output power stabilization, and the fabrication of optics elements. Attention is also given to the current concepts of the interaction of laser radiation with materials and commercial uses of laser technology (e.g., surface treatment, welding, and cutting).