Optically pumped laser with multi-facet gain medium
US6081542A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 12, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 27, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 12, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/0941
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A solid state laser system that includes a resonant cavity, a gain medium disposed the resonant cavity and a plurality of optical pump sources. The resonant cavity is defined by an output coupler, a high reflector, and a plurality of retro-reflecting optical elements. The gain medium has at least a first pair of facets that oppose each other and a second pair of facets that oppose each other, so as to form a shape such as a cube or hexagon. The plurality of optical pump sources each produce an optical pump output that is incident upon one of the facets for exciting the gain medium to generate an intracavity light beam that oscillates in the resonant cavity. The resonant cavity and gain medium are oriented so that, during a single trip through the resonant cavity, the beam makes a plurality of passes through the gain medium. During one pass, the beam passes directly through the gain medium by entering and exiting the gain medium through the first pair of facets. During another pass, the beam passes non-directly through the gain medium by entering the gain medium through one of the facets, totally internally reflecting off a non-opposing facet to the one facet, and exiting the gain m…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.