Tuning a laser

US6763044B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. · US

Inventors

• Emmerich Mueller · Aidlingen, DE
• Ralf Haeussler · Schrobenhausen, DE
• Wolf Steffens · Herrenberg, DE
• Ulrich Kallmann · Lörrach, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 2002
• Grant date: Jul 13, 2004
• Expiry date: May 31, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/143
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of tuning a laser, comprising the steps of: providing a laser beam to an external cavity, the laser beam traveling through material along a path between a cavity end element and a tuning element, the path having an optical path length, selecting at least one mode of the laser by introducing a dispersion element in the path of the laser, rotating the tuning element about a pivot axis theoretically defined by the intersection of the surface planes of the cavity end element, the dispersion element and the tuning element to tune the laser, changing the optical path length of the path in order to at least partly compensate a shift between the real position of the pivot axis and the theoretically defined position.