A New CW CO 2 Laser with Precise Output and Minimal Fluctuation by Adopting a High-frequency LCC Resonant Converter

The current study proposes the design of a hybrid series-parallel resonant converter (SPRC) and a three-stage Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier for precisely adjusting the power generated by a continuous wave (CW) CO_2 laser. The design of a hybrid SPRC, called LCC resonant converter, is described, and the fundamental approximation of a high-voltage and high-frequency (HVHF) transformer with a resonant tank is discussed. The results of the current study show that the voltage drop and ripple of a three-stage Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier depend on frequency. The power generated by a CW CO_2 laser can be precisely adjusted by a variable-frequency controller using a DSP (TMS320F2812) microprocessor. The proposed LCC converter could be used to obtain a maximum laser output power of 23 W. Moreover, it could precisely adjust the laser output power within 4.3 to 23 W at an operating frequency range of 187.5 to 370 kHz. The maximum efficiency of the CO_2 laser system is approximately 16.5%, and the minimum ripple of output voltage is about 1.62%. KCI Citation Count: 2