Tunable diode laser system, apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A tunable laser system, comprising:
- wavelength filtering means for substantially allowing wavelengths of incoming light emitted from an active media which are separated from one another by a specified optical frequency difference to emerge therefrom as filtered light, and for substantially barring all other said wavelengths of said incoming light from emerging therefrom;
wavelength separation means for separating said filtered light emerging from said wavelength filtering means, into wavelength-separated light comprising a plurality of separate component wavelengths of said filtered light;
optical focusing means for focusing said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots, wherein each one of said single-wavelength focal spots is focused, but is displaced from, all others of said single-wavelength focal spots, within a common focal plane of said optical focusing means; and
locally-controllable reflectivity array means comprising a plurality of individually-controllable localized reflective elements residing substantially within said common focal plane of said optical focusing means, each of said localized reflective elements corresponding to and reflecting one of said plurality of said single-wavelength focal spots in a manner determined by a setting of said localized reflective element.
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Abstract
Disclosed herein, in all embodiments of the invention, is a tunable laser system comprising wavelength separation means for separating incoming light into wavelength-separated light; optical focusing means for focusing the wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots; and locally-controllable reflectivity array means comprising a plurality of individually-controllable localized reflective elements each corresponding to and reflecting one of the plurality of single-wavelength focal spots. A frequency matching embodiment further comprises wavelength filtering means for substantially allowing wavelengths the incoming light which are separated from one another by a specified optical frequency difference to emerge as filtered light, while substantially barring all other wavelengths. The light separated the wavelength separation means comprises this filtered light. A CW embodiment further comprises focal spot elongation means for elongating the wavelength-separated light into a plurality of elongated, single-wavelength focal spots; and the locally-controllable reflectivity array means comprises a plurality of sets of a plurality of individually-controllable localized reflective elements; each set corresponding to and reflecting one of the elongated, single-wavelength focal spots.
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Citations
92 Claims
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1. A tunable laser system, comprising:
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wavelength filtering means for substantially allowing wavelengths of incoming light emitted from an active media which are separated from one another by a specified optical frequency difference to emerge therefrom as filtered light, and for substantially barring all other said wavelengths of said incoming light from emerging therefrom;
wavelength separation means for separating said filtered light emerging from said wavelength filtering means, into wavelength-separated light comprising a plurality of separate component wavelengths of said filtered light;
optical focusing means for focusing said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots, wherein each one of said single-wavelength focal spots is focused, but is displaced from, all others of said single-wavelength focal spots, within a common focal plane of said optical focusing means; and
locally-controllable reflectivity array means comprising a plurality of individually-controllable localized reflective elements residing substantially within said common focal plane of said optical focusing means, each of said localized reflective elements corresponding to and reflecting one of said plurality of said single-wavelength focal spots in a manner determined by a setting of said localized reflective element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63)
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18. A tunable laser system, comprising:
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wavelength separation means for separating incoming light emitted from an active media, into wavelength-separated light comprising a plurality of separate component wavelengths of said incoming light;
optical focusing means for focusing said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots, wherein each one of said single-wavelength focal spots is focused, but is displaced from, all others of said single-wavelength focal spots, within a common focal plane of said optical focusing means;
focal spot elongation means for elongating each of said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of elongated, single-wavelength focal spots; and
locally-controllable reflectivity array means comprising a plurality of sets of a plurality of individually-controllable localized reflective elements residing substantially within said common focal plane of said optical focusing means;
each of said sets of said plurality of localized reflective elements corresponding to and reflecting one of said elongated, single-wavelength focal spots;
each of said elongated, single-wavelength focal spots impinging on the plurality of localized reflective elements comprising its corresponding set of localized reflective elements; and
each said localized reflective element within each of said sets reflecting a portion of its associated elongated, single-wavelength focal spots in a manner determined by a setting of said localized reflective element. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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37. A tunable laser system, comprising:
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wavelength separation means for separating incoming light emitted from an active media, into wavelength-separated light comprising a plurality of separate component wavelengths of said incoming light;
optical focusing means for focusing said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots, wherein each one of said single-wavelength focal spots is focused, but is displaced from, all others of said single-wavelength focal spots, within a common focal plane of said optical focusing means; and
a micromirror array comprising a plurality of individually-controllable micromirrors residing substantially within said common focal plane of said optical focusing means, each of said micromirrors corresponding to and reflecting one of said plurality of said single-wavelength focal spots of said separated light in a manner determined by a setting of said micromirror.
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47. A method for tuning a laser, comprising the steps of:
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substantially allowing wavelengths of incoming light emitted from an active media which are separated from one another by a specified optical frequency difference to emerge as filtered light from wavelength filtering means, and substantially barring all other said wavelengths of said incoming light from emerging from said wavelength filtering means;
separating said filtered light emerging from said wavelength filtering means, into wavelength-separated light comprising a plurality of separate component wavelengths of said filtered light, using wavelength separation means;
focusing said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots, wherein each one of said single-wavelength focal spots is focused, but is displaced from, all others of said single-wavelength focal spots, within a common focal plane of optical focusing means, using said optical focusing means; and
reflecting each of said plurality of said single-wavelength focal spots in a manner determined by a setting of an individually-controllable localized reflective element corresponding thereto, using locally-controllable reflectivity array means comprising a plurality of said localized reflective elements residing substantially within said common focal plane of said optical focusing means. - View Dependent Claims (62)
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64. A method of tuning a laser, comprising:
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separating incoming light emitted from an active media, into wavelength-separated light comprising a plurality of separate component wavelengths of said incoming light, using wavelength separation means;
focusing said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots, wherein each one of said single-wavelength focal spots is focused, but is displaced from, all others of said single-wavelength focal spots, within a common focal plane of said optical focusing means, using optical focusing means;
elongating each of said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of elongated, single-wavelength focal spots, using focal spot elongation means;
impinging each of said elongated, single-wavelength focal spots on one of a plurality of sets of a plurality of individually-controllable localized reflective elements corresponding thereto; and
reflecting each of said elongated, single-wavelength focal spots from its corresponding set of localized reflective elements, each said localized reflective element within each of said sets reflecting a portion of its associated elongated, single-wavelength focal spot in a manner determined by a setting of said localized reflective element, using locally-controllable reflectivity array means comprising said plurality of said sets of said plurality of localized reflective elements residing substantially within said common focal plane of said optical focusing means. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. A method for tuning a laser, comprising the steps of:
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separating incoming light emitted from an active media, into wavelength-separated light comprising a plurality of separate component wavelengths of said incoming light, using wavelength separation means;
focusing said separate component wavelengths of said wavelength-separated light into a plurality of single-wavelength focal spots, wherein each one of said single-wavelength focal spots is focused, but is displaced from, all others of said single-wavelength focal spots, within a common focal plane of said optical focusing means, using optical focusing means; and
reflecting one of said plurality of said single-wavelength focal spots of said separated light in a manner determined by a setting of said micromirror corresponding thereto, using a micromirror array comprising a plurality of individually-controllable micromirrors residing substantially within said common focal plane of said optical focusing means. - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92)
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Specification