A continuous HF chemical laser: Production of fluorine atoms by a microwave discharge

We have used a slow-wave structure to dissociate SF6 and obtain the fluorine atoms for a cw hydrogen fluoride chemical laser. The laser output power has been observed to increase linearly with the absorbed microwave power. The effect of rare gases in the mixture is discussed. It is shown that the laser power increases linearly with their ionization potentials. Those features indicate that electron collisions are essential for the generation of fluorine atoms. In this respect, contributions involving metastable atoms are negligible. No simple relation is observed between the intensity of the fluorine spectral lines in the discharge and the laser power.