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Carbon-dioxide laser
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<p>The carbon-dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest <a href="/facts/Gas_laser/1eIYl75j">gas lasers</a> to be developed. It was invented by <a href="/facts/C._Kumar_N._Patel/whTbE9g9">Kumar Patel</a> of <a href="/facts/Bell_Labs/fKP5Gk0H">Bell Labs</a> in 1964 and is still one of the most useful types of laser. <a href="/facts/Carbon_dioxide/xGzpppEp">Carbon-dioxide</a> lasers are the highest-power <a href="/facts/Continuous-wave_laser/jk6PTvvT">continuous-wave lasers</a> that are currently available. They are also quite efficient: the ratio of output power to <a href="/facts/Laser_pumping/nDlFU5QA">pump</a> power can be as large as 20%. The CO2 laser produces a beam of <a href="/facts/Infrared_light/44XdJNcc">infrared light</a> with the principal <a href="/facts/Wavelength/kcJU0ymz">wavelength</a> bands centering on 9.6 and 10.6 <a href="/facts/Micrometre/7eDFxD2L">micrometers</a> (μm). </p>