Patent ID: 6999490

Claim:
A waveguide gas laser comprising: an enclosure filled with a lasing gas; a waveguide structure within said enclosure, said waveguide structure including a rectangular ceramic block having first and second opposite surfaces and having a plurality of waveguide channels in said second surface arranged at an angle to each other in a zigzag arrangement and filled with the lasing gas of the enclosure; first and second discharge-sustaining electrodes arranged parallel to each other on opposite sides of said ceramic block with said first and second electrodes facing said first and second surfaces respectively of said ceramic block for applying an electric field across said waveguide channels, said first and second electrodes spaced apart by a first distance; at least one igniter arrangement associated with a selected one of said waveguide channels for igniting a discharge in said lasing gas in said waveguide channels, said igniter arrangement including a lateral extension extending from a wall of said selected waveguide channel laterally into said second surface of said ceramic block, said lateral extension being in gaseous communication with said selected waveguide channel and also filled with the lasing gas of the enclosure; and said igniter arrangement including an igniter electrode electrically connected to said first electrode and extending into a blind hole in said second surface of said ceramic block, said blind hole in overlapping alignment with said lateral extension of said selected waveguide channel and being spaced apart from said second electrode, said igniter electrode and said second electrode for applying an electric field across said lateral extension of said selected waveguide channel, said igniter electrode and said second electrode being spaced apart by a second distance, said second distance being less than said first distance so that when the electrodes are energized, the electrical field across the lateral extension is greater than in the waveguide channel thereby facilitating the ignition of the discharge.