Stabilisation of the repetition rate of a passively Q-switched laser by means of coupled resonators

US8625644B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Föderung der Wissenschaften e.V. · US
• Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat Jena · DE

Inventors

• Andreas Tunnermann · Weimar, DE
• Dirk Nodop · Jena, DE
• Alexander Steinmetz · Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE
• Jens Limpert · Jena, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 17, 2010
• Grant date: Jan 7, 2014
• Expiry date: Sep 17, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/09415
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a Q-switched laser comprised of a pump light source (1), an optical resonator accommodating a laser medium (6), and a passive Q-switch (5). It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved Q-switched laser which is of a simple and compact setup while having the least possible jitter of the repetition time. To achieve this target, the invention proposes that by means of a beam splitter (8) part of the light coupled out of the optical resonator is passed on to an optical delay line (9) and coupled back into the optical resonator upon having passed through the optical delay line (9).