Patent ID: 7263116
Filing Date: 2007-08-28
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
1. A laser comprising: an enclosure containing a lasing gas; first and second elongated, generally rectangular electrodes located in said enclosure, said electrodes having planar surface portions arranged spaced apart and face to face; a solid dielectric material located between said electrodes in the form of one or more slabs extending along the length of said electrodes, said solid dielectric material having a total thickness less than the spacing between said electrodes, thereby leaving an elongated gap, said gap being between one of a gap between a said electrode and a dielectric slab, and a gap between two dielectric slabs, said gap being filled with said lasing gas; a pair of mirrors configured and arranged to define a laser resonant cavity extending through said elongated gap, said gap having a height and a width; means for exciting said lasing gas in said gap, thereby causing laser radiation to circulate in said resonant cavity; and wherein the height of said gap is selected such that said gap forms a waveguide for said laser radiation in the height direction, and the width of said gap is selected such that said laser radiation is allowed to propagate in free space in the width direction of said gap in a manner controlled by said configuration and arrangement of said mirrors.