SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING DETECTED INTENSITY NON UNIFORMITY IN A LASER BEAM

• US 20080309926A1
• Filed: 03/05/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fluidigm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fluidigm Corporation
• Inventors: Tracy, David H., Weber, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US12/043,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20080309926A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/121
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4257 applied to monitoring the characteristics of a beam, e.g. laser beam, headlamp beam monitoring arrangements for lasers in general H01S3/0014
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4261 Scan through beam in order to obtain a cross-sectional profile of the beam
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0933 Systems for active beam shaping by rapid movement of an element

Abstract

A method of increasing the spatial uniformity of the detected intensity of a beam of light from a laser in a system including the laser and a light detector. In one embodiment the method includes the steps of generating a beam of light with the laser; and moving the beam of light and the light detector relative to each other, such that the detector averages the spatial intensity of the beam of light over time. In another embodiment the invention relates to a system for increasing the detected spatial uniformity of the intensity of a beam of light. In one embodiment the system comprises a light detector; a laser source for generating the beam of light; and a means for moving the beam of light and the detector relative to one another such that the detector averages the intensity of the light beam over time.

Claims

1. A method of increasing the detected spatial uniformity of the intensity of a beam of light from a laser in a system including the laser and a light detector, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a beam of light with the laser; and

moving the beam of light and the light detector relative to each other, such that the detector averages the spatial intensity of the beam of light over time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of moving the beam comprises the step of passing the beam of light into a retroreflector and moving a reflective wall of said retroreflector.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the retroreflector is a corner cube reflector.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of moving the beam comprises physically moving the light source relative to the detector.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said detector is exposed to only a portion of the beam at any one time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the beam of light with a laser comprises generating the beam of light with a diode laser.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said moving step comprises rotating said retroreflector about a mechanical axis.

7. A system for increasing the detected spatial uniformity of the intensity of a beam of light comprising:

a light detector;

a laser source for generating said beam of light; and

a means for moving the beam of light and the detector relative to each other such that the detector averages the intensity of the light beam over time.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the means for moving comprises a retroreflector having a moving reflective wall into which is passed the beam of light.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the means for moving comprises a rotating transparent polygon through which is passed the beam of light.

10. A system for increasing the detected spatial uniformity of the intensity of a beam of light comprising:

a light detector;

a laser source for generating said beam of light; and

a translator moving the beam of light and the detector relative to each other such that the detector averages the intensity of the light beam over time.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said laser source is a laser diode.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the translator comprises a retroreflector having a moving reflective wall into which is passed the beam of light.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the translator comprises a rotating transparent polygon through which is passed the beam of light.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the translator comprises a translator physically moving the light source relative to the detector.

15. An apparatus for moving a beam of light in a direction perpendicular to its direction of propagation, the translator comprising:

a first reflective surface;

a second reflective surface oriented orthogonal to the first reflective surface; and

a translator moving said first and second reflective surfaces relative to each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said translator is a piezoelectric transducer driven by a waveform generator.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said translator is a speaker cone driven by a waveform generator.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said speaker cone is a subwoofer.