Laser rod assembly for side pumped lasers
US5572541A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 13, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 5, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 13, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S2301/02
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A composite, glass or crystalline laser rod having a doped, light-absorbing core portion surrounded by a transparent cladding portion that is either undoped or doped with a nonabsorbing material is side-pumped with a plurality of laser diodes dispersed angularly around the laser rod. A reflective coating or sleeve substantially surrounds the laser rod, except for entrance slits for the pump light, to confine unabsorbed pump light in the crystalline laser rod by reflecting and re-reflecting the pump light in the rod to increase the likelihood of absorption by the core portion. The reflective coating is substantially reflective of all the pump light, but it can be transparent to laser radiation emission by the rod. An absorptive coating that absorbs radiation of the wavelength of the laser radiation emission of the rod can be positioned around the outside of the reflective coating to absorb lateral laser emission of the rod. A clamp assembly with a rod holding axial bore and radially extending slots t,hat provide clamping flexibility and channel pump light transversely into the laser rod.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.