We report experimental results on gain medium area scaling of laser output power for large-area, transverse rf discharge excited carbon dioxide lasers. Power extraction to 20 kW/m2 has been achieved, indicating the significant potential of this technique.

A transverse radio frequency discharge excited, carbon dioxide slab laser has been operated cw with a hybrid waveguide / confocal unstable resonator to produce an output power of 1.06 kW at 12% efficiency. The active volume of 770×95×2 mm3 consists of a single discharge section with one cable feed.

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A technique for selecting a single high-order lateral mode of a rf excited slab waveguide laser is described. An in-cavity grid which matches the periodicity of the desired mode, together with slab waveguide dimensions which create coherent imaging by the Talbot effect, have produced a stable output power of 155 W in a high spectral purity, single-resonator mode.

Continuous coupling of square-bore CO2 waveguide lasers by geometrical overlap in the diagonal direction has been used for phase locking of a five-channel array. A radio-frequency discharge excited device has produced 125 W in phase-locked operation, with power per channel equal to independent single channels. The dependence of phase-locking range on the coupling geometry, and dimensional tolerances has been demonstrated. The array radiates approximately 65% of its power in the axial lobe.