Efficiency high power laser device
US6404797B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 30, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 11, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 30, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S2301/166
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In an apparatus and method for generating high power laser radiation, the geometry of the resonant laser cavity defines a fundamental spatial or transverse cavity mode. A gain medium is disposed within the resonant cavity and an energy source energizes the gain medium within a first volume. This causes spontaneous and stimulated energy emission to propagate in the gain medium in a direction transverse to the fundamental cavity mode. The transverse emission in turn optically pumps a second volume of the gain medium about the first volume. When the intensity of the transverse emission is sufficiently high, inversion and gain are produced in the second volume. By optimizing the geometry of the cavity such that the fundamental cavity mode is coupled to both the first and the second volumes encompassing the first pumped volume, the transversely-directed energy of the first volume which would otherwise be wasted is instead captured by the fundamental beam, improving the overall power efficiently of the laser. When configured in an appropriate cavity, the high-power laser of the present invention is especially amenable to frequency conversion of the output beam, as it provides beam intens…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.