Patent · US Expired

Room-temperature, laser diode-pumped, q-switched, 2 micron, thulium-doped, solid state laser

US4965803A · kind A · utility

40Cited by
5References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 30, 1990
Grant dateOct 23, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 30, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S3/16
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A room-temperature, laser-pumped, Q-switched, thulium-doped, solid state laser for producing pulses of laser emission at substantially 2 microns is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the laser comprises: a laser cavity defined by first and second reflective elements opposing each other on a common axis to form a reflective path therebetween; a laser crystal disposed in the laser cavity, the laser crystal having a host material doped with an amount of thulium activator ions sufficient to produce a laser emission at substantially 2 microns from the .sup.3 F.sub.4 to .sup.3 H.sub.6 laser transition in the thulium activator ions when the laser crystal is enabled and is pumped by a CW pump beam at a preselected wavelength; a pump laser for pumping the laser crystal with the CW pump beam at the preselected wavelength; and a Q-switch disposed in the laser cavity between the laser crystal and the second reflective element for periodically enabling the laser crystal to produce a pulsed laesr emission at substantially 2 microns when the laser crystal is also pumped by the CW pump beam.

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