Cascade CO₂lasers with electric discharge excitation

Abstract

Using a laminated ceramic piezoelectric actuator for a very slow (4.5 mm/s) precisely controlled make/break operation, the contact voltage V c , the contact current I c , and the amounts of residue of the melt and discharged surface and discharge for breaking hinge relays with Ag-contacting electrodes were measured. To control mechanical conditions, we used a movable electrode with a finely shaped convex surface (radius of curvature: 0.5 mm) and a flat fixed electrode. Every make/break operation causes surface irregularity. Therefore, the operation was performed only once. In order to measure the area of the contacted surface after metal melting and arc ignition, V c and I c was adjusted to be 25 V and 1.2 A, respectively. Even when V c and I c were larger than the minimum arc voltage and minimum arc current, respectively, electric discharge was spontaneously suppressed below 130 ms. The residues of discharge were multiple scars with radii in the range of 100 mm, which had a black and/ or white rectangular convex or concave shape. #