Apparatus for protecting a laser

US4951288A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Messerschmitt Bolkow Blohm GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Udo Barton · Munich, DE
• Gerhard Ruf · Eichstätt, DE
• Fritz Wondrazek · Brackenheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 28, 1989
• Grant date: Aug 21, 1990
• Expiry date: Aug 28, 2009

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/106
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Sensitive components of a laser such as a resonator mirror, a decoupling mirror or the like, are protected against an initial laser beam surge caused by the ignition of a laser with an arc discharge lamp, by a beam interrupting switch having two switch sections each carrying a filter or shutter switchable into a laser beam path in response to an arc discharge lamp ignition pulse. For a beam interruption the filters or shutters are located directly in front of and directly behind of a lasing element as viewed in the beam path direction. The switch sections are operated by a shifting mechanism responsive to the ignition pulse to bring the switch sections into the beam path and to a control signal to bring the switch sections out of the beam path or into a beam releasing position.