An Absolute Method of Measuring Energy Outputs from CO2 Lasers

In the energy meter described here the CO2 laser radiation is almost completely absorbed by an Al2O3 surface on an aluminum plate. The high absorption of the surface (≥95%) eliminates the need for calibration and the laser energy is computed by measuring the temperature rise of a plate with known thermal capacity. Experimentally we find that the calorimeter noise level corresponds to an energy density of about 2 mJ/cm2. Calculations indicate that the instrument is capable of measuring the energy of a single pulse that is 1 nsec wide, provided the pulse contains an average energy density of 10 mJ/cm2. We have estimated the radiation and convection losses and found them to be negligible. The calorimeter is good for radiation between 8.5 and 11 μ; however, with modifications the bandwidth could easily be increased.