Piezo-electrically tuned optical resonator and laser using same
US4829532A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 25, 1988 |
| Grant date | May 9, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 25, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/0627
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical resonator, preferably of a solid state laser, is tuned by one or more sheets of piezo-electric material bonded to one or more tuning facets of an optically transparent solid state member portion of the resonator. A tuning voltage applied across the piezo-electric sheet tends to change the area of the bonded interface of the sheet to generate a set of tuning forces predominantly in the plane of the surface of the tuning facet. These tuning forces are transmitted through the tuning facet into the solid state portion of the optical resonator to produce a change in its refractive index and dimensional change which tunes the frequency of the optical resonator and the laser using same, if any. In a preferred embodiment, the piezo-electrically tuned optical resonator is an optically pumped ring resonator made of a lasant material such as Nd:YAG for tuning the output frequency of the ring laser.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.