Types of Gas Laser
Gas lasers using many gases have been built and used for many purposes.
The Helium–neon or HeNe laser can be made to oscillate at over 160 different wavelengths by adjusting the cavity Q to peak at the desired wavelength. This can be done by adjusting the spectral response of the mirrors or by using a dispersive element (Littrow prism) in the cavity. Units operating at 633 nm are very common in schools and laboratories because of their low cost and near perfect beam qualities.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2 lasers can emit hundreds of kilowatts at 9.6 µm and 10.6 µm, and are often used in industry for cutting and welding. The efficiency of a CO2 laser is over 10%.
Carbon Monoxide or "CO" lasers have the potential for very large outputs, but the use of this type of laser is limited by the extreme toxicity of Carbon Monoxide gas. Human operators must be protected from this deadly gas and it is extremely corrosive to many materials included seals, gaskets, etc. Thus extreme care must be used when constructing and using CO lasers.
Argon-ion lasers emit light in the range 351–528.7 nm. Depending on the optics and the laser tube a different number of lines is usable but the most commonly used lines are 458 nm, 488 nm and 514.5 nm.
A nitrogen transverse electrical discharge in gas at atmospheric pressure (TEA) laser is an inexpensive gas laser producing UV light at 337.1 nm.
Copper laser (copper vapor, and copper bromide vapor), with two spectral lines of green (510.6 nm) and yellow (578.2 nm), is the most powerful laser with the highest efficiency in the visible spectrum.
Metal ion lasers are gas lasers that typically generate ultraviolet wavelengths. Helium-Silver (HeAg) 224 nm Neon-Copper (NeCu) 248 nm and Helium-Cadmium (HeCd) 325 nm are three examples. These lasers have particularly narrow oscillation linewidths of less than 3 GHz (0.5 picometers), making them candidates for use in fluorescence suppressed Raman spectroscopy.
- Nitrogen laser
- Ion laser
- Gas dynamic laser
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