Optically pumped submillimeter wave laser with Michelson interferometric output coupling

We report the performance of an optically pumped submillimeter wave laser incorporating a Michelson interferometric output coupler consisting of three mirrors and a metal mesh beam splitter. 10.33-μm radiation from a pulsed CO
2
TEA laser was used to pump NH
3
for generating submillimeter wave radiation at 281 μm. Optimum output was achieved by coupling out 59 percent of the radiation per pass using a 250-lines-per-inch mesh at a phase angle of 49°. The submillimeter laser operated in the TEM
00
mode and was tunable over its free spectral range of about 350 MHz. Translation of the coupling mirror allowed optimization of laser output.