Patent · US Expired

Micro gas laser with laser array

US5436926A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
7References
21Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 9, 1993
Grant dateJul 25, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 9, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S3/08059
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A micro gas laser that provides a very high power to size or weight ratio by including a laser array featuring common optics and common discharge structures. The gas laser includes a laser housing enclosing a supply of laser gas and elongated first and second electrodes. The electrodes are parallel to each other and form a rectangular discharge section between them. Two elongated bore separators extend between the first and second electrodes to divide the discharge section into the three elongated resonator cavities. The bore separators are thin ceramic wafers that electrically isolate the resonator cavities from each other, but retain sufficient thermal conductivity to provide efficient diffusion cooling. The gas laser includes means to apply an electric field between the electrodes sufficient to create a laser beam in each of the three resonator cavities. In a preferred embodiment, the gas laser includes optical repositioning means located outside the resonator cavities to reconfigure the laser beam into a more closely space, triangular arrangement. The gas laser may further include a focusing element positioned to receive and focus the triangular arrangement of laser beam to a s…

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