Abstract: A laser oscillating apparatus has an elongate housing, a pair of discharge electrodes arranged along the longitudinal direction in the interior of the laser housing, and first and second planar folding mirrors arranged at either end in the longitudinal direction of the lasing cavity formed by the discharge electrodes, with the reflecting surfaces of the folding mirror facing the lasing cavity. The folding mirrors are placed with their reflecting surfaces inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to one another. Also in the laser housing are a primary mirror and an output mirror, each of which is arranged with a predetermined spacing in the neighborhood of one of the folding mirrors. At least the primary mirror and the output mirror are arranged so that their attitude is adjustable from the outside of the laser housing.

Abstract: Light generated in the optical resonator of a gas laser is polarized by disposing an array of fine, parallel, highly light reflective wires in the path of the light beam propagating in the resonator. The wires are cooled by conduction of heat to a heat sink or by causing gas to flow through the array. In one embodiment, the wire array is arranged to be rotated to enable the plane of polarization to be turned to any desired orientation. The difference in absorption by the wire array between two orthogonal components of the flux in the resonator need be only in the order of 1% to cause nearly complete linear polarization of the light emerging from the resonator. The parallel wires, preferably, are spaced so that they are situated at the peaks of the lower order modes in the resonator. In lieu of using fine wires, very fine parallel lines or grooves whose width and spacing are such as to provide a low efficiency diffraction grating may be provided in the surface of an optical element of the resonator.

Abstract: A pin-shaped discharge electrode is provided which prevents corrosion and promotes stable glow discharge. In order to reduce the occurrence of a large field near the bottom of the electrode, the electrode is embedded in a cavity of an insulating base plate.

Abstract: A laser oscillating apparatus has a compact, simple structure by utilizing the laser housing itself as an optical bench. Means for thermal expansion and contraction in the longitudinal direction of the laser housing are supported in the laser housing as a united body. The blower which circulates the lasing gases is constructed of a plurality of fans mounted for separate thermal expansion and contraction, enabling the use of high speed fans. Means are provided between the blower and the lasing region for cooling and smoothing the gas flow. The cap of the laser apparatus is arranged at the strength center of the housing to ensure a gas-tight interior.

Abstract: A laser oscillating apparatus includes a laser housing, means for generating a prescribed gas flow within the housing, a discharge electrodes assembly for carrying out predetermined discharge within the gas flow, and an optical oscillating apparatus for resonating the ray of radiation generated in the discharge. The discharge electrodes assembly includes an insulated substrate, a plurality of pin-shaped electrodes planted on the substrate a ballast capacitor arranged on the rear side of the substrate and connected to the pin-shaped electrodes end and a cooling tube arranged adjacent to the capacitor and the insulated substrate. At least the ballast capacitor and the cooling tube are molded on the rear side of the substrate.

Abstract: A comb-shaped polarizing device for use in a laser is compact, inexpensive and easily adjusted. The device includes an annular member having a number of comb-shaped teeth projecting opposite similarly shaped teeth from a rectangular aperture. The comb-shaped teeth are arranged in a plane transversing a laser beam which is under oscillation. Cooling water passages are formed in the annular member. In one embodiment the annular member is provided at its periphery with gear teeth which mate with a motor for selection of the direction of polarization of the laser beam.

Abstract: An optical resonator for a laser oscillating apparatus has an arrangement of folding mirrors facing one another across the lasing gas medium that radiates the laser beam. The arrangement includes a pair of reflecting surfaces that are approximately orthogonal to one another and effectively face the lasing gas medium as a whole. Also, the laser beam that is incident from the lasing gas medium is caused to be reflected successively from both reflecting surfaces to be emitted in the direction of the lasing gas medium.

Abstract: A discharge electrode for a gas discharge device has pin-shaped electrodes which are effectively cooled in the gas flow and which promote a stable glow-discharge. The pin-shaped electrodes are made from a wire member which is curled at its end. An extension portion of the electrodes extends a predetermined length from the curled end, and is bent in an approximately L-shape to form a post position. The pin-shaped electrode is disposed in the gas flow so that the extension portion is orthogonal to the gas flow.

Abstract: A gas laser of the type in which gas is impelled transversely through a region where lasing of the flowing gas occurs, employs a crossfield blower to propel the gas around a closed loop. The crossfield blower has an elongate impeller that is substantially the same length as the lasing region. The impeller generates at least one vortex in the gas flow. A part of that vortex is situated outside the path of the main gas flow to the lasing region. To remove heat from the gas without appreciably interfering with the main gas flow to the lasing region, cooling means are situated in that part of the vortex that is outside the path of the main gas flow to the lasing region.

Abstract: A laser of the flowing gas type employs an optical resonator having mirrors at each end of the lasing region which are supported, without a separate optical bench, by a hollow cylindrical gas-tight housing. Enclosed in the housing are a pump for circulating the gas, electrodes for causing lasing of the flowing gas, and heat exchangers for cooling the gas. Those enclosed structures are subject to thermal expansion and contraction and are hung between a pair of plates. One of those plates is affixed to one end of the housing while the other plate is free to move within the housing so that thermal expansion and contraction of the enclosed structures does not place an appreciable stress on the housing. A heat shield is disposed between the hung structures and the inside wall of the housing to provide a barrier to the transmission of heat to the housing and the housing is liquid cooled to stabilize its temperature. The mirrors of the optical resonator are mounted on rings attached to each end of the housing.

Abstract: Apparatus for simultaneously soldering all the leads of a multi-lead SMP device to the pads of a substrate utilizes a gas laser having a cylindrical resonant cavity terminated at one end by a mirror that reflects energy back into the laser cavity. A plurality of beamlets corresponding to the number of leads of the SMP device are coupled out of the laser through holes in the mirror. All the beamlets have substantially the same amount of radiant energy. Each beamlet enters the near end of a different one of a corresponding number of elongate flexible optical wave guides extending away from the mirror toward an imaging lens. The far end of each optical wave guide is arranged so that its position can be moved. That enables the far ends of the wave guides to be arranged in different patterns to match the various patterns of leads of different SMP devices. The beamlets emerging from the far ends of the optical wave guides are focussed by the imaging lens on the joints to be soldered.

Abstract: A flowing gas laser of the kind normally operating in the glow discharge mode and having a glow discharge region through which the gas flows while the glow discharge occurs, employs one or an array of flow smoothing screens disposed in series in the gas flow path in a manner that enables the input power loading to be increased without causing arcing in the electric discharge of the lasing gas. The screens are disposed upstream of the glow discharge region and cause smoothing of small scale turbulence in the gas flow. The screen closest to the discharge region is spaced from the beginning of that region by a distance not less than ten times the distance between adjacent holes of the screen. Successive screens in the series array are spaced at intervals sufficient to enable the requisite flow smoothing by each screen to occur before the flow encounters the next screen of the array.