Patent · US Expired

Diode pumped laser and doubling to obtain blue light

US4809291A · kind A · utility

72Cited by
12References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 15, 1986
Grant dateFeb 28, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 15, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S2303/00
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A source of coherent blue light comprises a diode laser for pumping a Nd.sup.3+ doped member of lasant material disposed within an optical resonator for exciting the .sup.4 F.sub.3/2 -.sup.4 I.sub.9/2 laser transition of a wavelength within the range of 0.870 to 0.960 .mu.m. The laser radiation within the optical resonator is doubled by means of a doubler crystal of a non-linear, electro-optic material to produce blue light which is then extracted from the optical resonator as an output beam. A thermo-electric cooler is coupled in heat-exchanging relation with the Nd.sup.3+ doped laser material to improve the efficiency and the doubler crystal is temperature controlled for phase matching to the laser radiation within the range of 0.870 to 0.960 .mu.m. The diode pump laser is preferably either a GaAlAs or GaAs diode laser producing pumping radiation of a wavelength of approximately 0.810 .mu.m. In the case of Nd:YAG end pumped laser material, the laser material is preferably doped to have a high an absorption coefficient as possible and its length is chosen to be within the range of 0.5 to 3 mm. In one embodiment, the lasant material and the non-linear, electro-optic material are di…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.