Semiconductor or solid-state laser having an external fiber cavity
US6625182B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 20, 2000 |
| Grant date | Sep 23, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 20, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S2301/166
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A semiconductor laser having an external cavity including a single-mode optical fiber. A Bragg grating is written onto the fiber which defines the end of the optical cavity, selects the lasing wavelength, and discriminates against the lasing of higher-order transverse modes in the multi-mode gain region. In one embodiment, the semiconductor laser includes an optically active vertical-cavity semiconductor stack similar to a vertical-cavity surface emitting laser. The stack is optically pumped either from the front or the back over a relatively large area such a multi-mode beam is output. Optics couple the multi-mode beam to the single-mode input of the fiber. A partially transmissive mirror of reflectivity between 25 and 40% may be placed on the output surface of the semiconductor stack to form a coupled-cavity laser. A plurality of laser diodes can be angularly positioned around the area of the semiconductor stack being pumped to increase the total pump power. In a second embodiment, the semiconductor laser includes a broad-area diode laser/amplifier. Anamorphic optics couple the asymmetric output of the optical diode to the single-mode fiber. In a third embodiment, a laser diode p…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.