Acousto-optically Q-switched CO

1. A CO 2 laser comprising:

a housing containing a gaseous gain medium including CO 2 ;

a pair of spaced apart electrodes for exciting the gaseous gain medium to generate a laser beam;

a plurality of waveguide channels located between the electrodes;

a laser resonator including a high reflector and an output coupler and at least one fold mirror, said output coupler providing at least 50 percent output coupling;

a pulsed RF power supply connected to the electrodes for exciting the gain-medium; and

an acousto-optic (AO) cell located in said laser resonator and including an AO material substantially transparent at a fundamental wavelength characteristic of CO 2 and wherein the cell is used to switch the resonator between a high and low loss state to generate Q-switched pulses.

2. The laser of claim 1 , wherein said AO material is germanium.

3. The laser of claim 1 , further including a ceramic material positioned between the electrodes, said ceramic material forming at least two of the walls of the waveguide channels.

4. The laser of claim 3 , wherein said ceramic material includes U-shaped slots defining the waveguide channels.

5. The laser of claim 1 , wherein the output coupler provides at least 75 percent output coupling.

6. A CO 2 waveguide laser comprising:

a housing containing a gaseous gain medium including CO 2 ;

a pair of spaced apart electrodes for exciting the gain medium;

a laser resonator including a high reflector and an output coupler, said output coupler providing at least 50 percent output coupling, said resonator further including at least two fold mirrors to create a folded resonator geometry having at least five passes through the gain medium;

an RF power source supplying energy to the electrodes; and

an acousto-optic (AO) cell located in said laser resonator and including an AO material substantially transparent at a fundamental wavelength characteristic of CO 2 and wherein the cell is used to switch the resonator between a high and a low loss state to generate Q-switched pulses.

7. A CO 2 laser as recited in claim 6 , wherein said AO material is germanium.

8. The laser of claim 6 , wherein the power supply generates pulses of RF energy.

9. The laser of claim 6 , wherein the output coupler provides at least 75 percent output coupling.

10. A carbon dioxide waveguide laser comprising:

a housing containing carbon dioxide gas;

a pair of spaced apart electrodes for exciting the laser gas to generate a laser beam;

a ceramic material positioned between the electrodes and defining the side walls of at least five waveguide channels;

a laser resonator including a high reflector and an output coupler and a plurality of fold mirrors for directing laser beam along the waveguide channels and wherein the output coupler provides at least 50 percent output coupling; and

an acousto-optic (AO) cell located in said laser resonator and including an AO material substantially transparent at a fundamental wavelength characteristic of CO 2 and wherein the cell is used to switch the resonator between a high and low loss state to generate Q-switched pulses.

11. The laser of claim 10 , wherein said AO material is germanium.

12. The laser of claim 10 , further including a pulsed RF power supply connected to the electrodes for supplying energy to the electrodes.

13. The laser of claim 10 , wherein the output coupler provides at least 75 percent output coupling.

14. The laser of claim 1 , wherein the resonator is configured to cause the laser to generate a fundamental wavelength of 9.25 microns.

15. The laser of claim 6 , wherein the resonator is configured to cause the laser to generate a fundamental wavelength of 9.25 microns.

16. The laser of claim 10 , wherein the resonator is configured to cause the laser to generate a fundamental wavelength of 9.25 microns.