Highly stable compact CO2 laser with rf excitation

A report is given of the construction of a CO₂ laser with a cermet discharge tube, having a highly stable frequency and output power and utilizing transverse rf excitation. Compared with similar lasers operating with a dc discharge, it has a low operating voltage (400 V), a low noise level (3 × 10^–5 Hz^–1/2), and is of compact dimensions. A detailed investigation was made of the factors determining the instability of its power and frequency.