Corrosion resistant electrodes are formed of brass that has been doped with phosphorus. The electrodes are formed of brass that contains about 100 ppm to about 1,000 ppm of phosphorus, and the brass has no visible microporosity at a magnification of 400×. The brass may be cartridge brass that contains about 30 weight percent of zinc and the balance copper. Corrosion resistant electrodes also may be formed by subjecting brass to severe plastic deformation to increase the resistance of the brass to plasma corrosion. The corrosion resistant electrodes can be used in laser systems to generate laser light.