LASER DEVICE

• US 20130163624A1
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK, Osaka University
• Original Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK, Osaka University
• Inventors: Kawashima, Toshiyuki, Miyanaga, Noriaki, Fujita, Masayuki, Kurita, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US13/820,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20130163624A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/56 Frequency comb synthesizer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/08 Generation of pulses with special temporal shape or frequency spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/005 Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping shaping laser beam for working metal or other materials B23K26/06; optical elements, systems or apparatus in general G02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0064 Anti-reflection devices, e.g. optical isolaters absorbing layers for marking or protecting purposes in laser working B23K26/50; magneto-optical non-reciprocal devices G02F1/093, G02F1/0955
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0606 with polygonal cross-section, e.g. slab, prism H01S3/0604 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/06754 Fibre amplifiers H01S3/06708 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1106 Mode locking
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1307 Stabilisation of the phase
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/2308 Amplifier arrangements, e.g. MOPA
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/2391 emitting at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06821 Stabilising other output parameters than intensity or frequency, e.g. phase, polarisation or far-fields
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/12 the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers comprising a photonic bandgap structure H01S5/11; surface-emitting lasers H01S5/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4012 Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 emitting more than one wavelength

Abstract

A laser device including a plurality of oscillating means for oscillating a plurality of laser lights being continuous lights and having frequencies different from each other, respectively, multiplexing means for multiplexing, after amplifying or without amplifying, the respective laser lights oscillated from the respective oscillating means at a predetermined position to generate a multiplexed light, and phase control means for controlling the phase of each of the laser lights so that a peak in output of the multiplexed light repeatedly appears at predetermined time intervals at the predetermined position (so that the same pulse temporal waveform repeatedly appears at predetermined time intervals).

Claims

1. A laser device comprising:

a plurality of oscillating means for oscillating a plurality of laser lights being continuous lights and having frequencies different from each other, respectively;

multiplexing means for multiplexing the respective laser lights oscillated from the respective oscillating means at a predetermined position to generate a multiplexed light; and

phase control means for controlling the phase of each of the laser lights so that a peak in output of the multiplexed light repeatedly appears at predetermined time intervals at the predetermined position.

2. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the respective oscillating means oscillate the laser lights having frequencies different from each other with substantially constant frequency differences, respectively.

3. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the oscillating means is a semiconductor laser.

4. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein each of the oscillating means is connected with an optical fiber through which each of the laser lights propagates, and

the phase control means controls the phase of each of the laser lights by controlling the temperature of each of the optical fibers.

5. A laser device comprising:

oscillating means for oscillating a laser pulse train consisting of a plurality of continuous laser lights having frequencies different from each other;

demultiplexing means for demultiplexing the laser pulse train oscillated from the oscillating means into the plurality of continuous laser lights having frequencies different from each other;

amplifying means for amplifying each of the continuous laser lights demultiplexed by the demultiplexing means;

multiplexing means for multiplexing the respective continuous laser lights amplified by the amplifying means at a predetermined position to generate a multiplexed light; and

phase control means for controlling the phase of each of the continuous laser lights so that a peak in output of the multiplexed light repeatedly appears at predetermined time intervals at the predetermined position.

6. The laser device according to claim 5, wherein the oscillating means oscillates the laser pulse train consisting of the continuous laser lights having frequencies different from each other with substantially constant frequency differences.

7. The laser device according to claim 6, further comprising frequency difference adjusting means for adjusting a frequency difference between the continuous laser lights composing the laser pulse train oscillated from the oscillating means.

8. The laser device according to claim 5, wherein the oscillating means is a mode-locked oscillator or a semiconductor laser for a high-speed current modulation.

9. The laser device according to claim 5, wherein the amplifying means is a fiber array containing a plurality of optical fibers or a slab type solid-state laser amplifier, which propagates while amplifying each of the continuous laser lights demultiplexed by the demultiplexing means, and

the phase control means measures a spectral phase of the multiplexed light as well as controls the phase of each of the continuous laser lights based on a result of the measurement.