Abstract: An extruded aluminum gas laser tube assembly (10) has a pair of extruded, elongated, electrically insulated, aluminum electrodes (23,24) adapted to couple to an external RF supply and supported in the laser tube in predetermined spaced-apart relationship relative to each other and to the laser tube (11). The electrode supporting structure is eight pairs of matching, longitudinal, machined grooves (12,21), four pairs at each end of the tube (11) and electrodes (23,24) in each of which pairs is received a cylindrical, insulated, anodized aluminum spacer pin (22) which slidably supports the electrodes in the tube and allows longitudinal expansion of the electrodes relative to the tube substantially without bending.

Abstract: A sealed gas laser tube (10) has a pair of electrically insulated electrodes (53, 54) supported in the tube (11) adapted to couple to an external RF supply (30).

Abstract: A pair of elongated, parallel electrodes (91,92) are insulatively mounted within a tubular housing (111) filled with a laser gas mixture between an arrangement of reflective optical elements (120,150) sealingly mounted at each end of the housing. The electrodes form a rectangular gas discharge area (40) the minimum spacing (a) between which is the diameter of the fundamental free-space mode of the stable, laser resonator (17) formed in the gap when the electrodes are rf excited (13). A multi-pass optical configuration (30,50) uses the full width (b) of the active medium to produce a high power, compact laser (10,200). Deformable support rings (97) are compressed to push the electrodes apart against small cylindrical spacers (99) abutting the inner walls of the housing to maintain the electrodes' spatial relationship. The rf feeds (103) sealingly (112) connected to the electrodes through the housing without disturbing the uniform distribution of forces on the electrodes.