Technique for locking an external cavity large-area laser diode to a passive optical cavity
US5572542A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 13, 1995 |
| Grant date | Nov 5, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 13, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/2036
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A large-area semiconductor laser diode in an extended laser cavity is locked by a passive optical coupling to a passive resonator for frequency and amplitude stable buildup of an intracavity field in the passive resonator. The large-area laser diode may be a broad-area diode, a phased array, or a tapered amplifier. The extended laser cavity may be a linear cavity, or a ring cavity in either a double-pass or a single-pass configuration. Spatial beam cleanup and passive locking are simultaneously achieved. The concentrated power in the passive resonator is useful for accomplishing second harmonic generation, frequency summing and the like at high levels of efficiency and at low noise levels resulting from the frequency and amplitude stability within the passive resonator.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.