Co2 Lasers

Carbon dioxide or Co2 lasers are some of the most common forms of laser. They were the first to be invented, by the Bell laboratories. Bell Laboratories was founded by Alexander Graham Bell and was issued a patent for the laser in the early 1960s. It also has a relatively high conversion ratio from input to output, almost up to 20 percent at times. There are several variables that play a role in the final output of these early lasers. First there are five key components to the laser, the gain medium, laser pumping energy (a mandatory continuous input for a non-pulse laser), high reflector, output coupler, and the resultant laser beam.

The differentiation between these components leads to varying intensities of beams as well as their relative power. For example on the high end of the laser, you could use industrial level diamonds to filter the laser into the gain medium which retains form for a long time. The specific mixture of the gain medium is relative to the other materials used, but generally you can expect the carbon dioxide levels to be between 10 and 20 percent. The output coupler is generally partially transparent so that the beam can be omitted eventually, but the light bounces back and forth within the gain medium until the wavelength is such that it can pierce the output coupler.