Evaluation of Conducted Electromagnetic Interference Behavior of Copper Vapor Laser

High power and high repetition rate electrically excited copper vapor laser (CVL) is a strong source of radiated and conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI). The thermal energy required to raise the temperature (∼1600°C) to generate copper vapor and the required voltage pulse for population inversion is provided by the pulse generating unit (PGU). The PGU generates a voltage pulse of the order of ∼13 kV with a rise time of less than 100 ns and a current pulse in the range of ∼500 A with a similar rise time. The high voltage and current generated by PGU along with the high voltage pulse discharge in the laser tube serves as a prominent source of EMI and affects the performance of nearby electronic devices. This article presents a comprehensive study of conducted EMI from a high-power and high voltage discharge inside the CVL system and its impact on laser performance. The conducted noise from the laser is a function of laser impedance and is proportional to the magnitude of load mismatch. A simple and robust technique is presented to reduce the conducted noise from CVL. The correlation between the laser electrode pin configurations and the conducted noise is also presented.