History of chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) development in the USA

This is an overview of the development of Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL) technology in the United States. Key technical developments will be reviewed, beginning in 1960 and culminating in 1977 with the first COIL lasing demonstration at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory (now the Phillips Laboratory). The discussion will then turn to subsonic laser development, supersonic lasing demonstration and efficiency improvements, and finishing with a brief discussion of some spin off COIL technologies. Particular emphasis will be placed on how the O2 (1(Delta) ) generator and O2-I2 mixing nozzle technologies evolved.