Tunable diode laser with fast digital line selection
US6282213A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 14, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 28, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 14, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/143
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An improved tunable diode laser is capable of fast digital line selection over a broad wavelength spectrum, and uses no moving parts. A focusing element, such as a mirror or a lens, used in combination with a micromirror array serves as the retroreflector in a typical Littman-Metcalf laser cavity. This configuration provides arbitrary, simultaneous, and/or sequential line selection capability over a very broad wavelength range. The use of an individually-controllable micromirror array eliminates the high precision mechanical motion of a grating element and improves the overall durability and ruggedness of the device. The present invention can be integrated into any diode laser and has significant application in spectroscopy.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.