Method of making a gas laser

• US 4,854,987 A
• Filed: 12/14/1987
• Issued: 08/08/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Adsett, Anthony P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weston, Caleb
• Application Number:
  US07/132,610
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 156/89, 156/293, 156/294, 372/34, 372/55, 372/64, 372/65, 372/103, 372/107
• US Class Current: 156/89.16
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/03 of gas laser discharge tubes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0315 Waveguide lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/086 One or more reflectors having variable properties or positions for initial adjustment of the resonator varying a parameter of the laser output during operation H01S3/10; stabilisation of the laser output H01S3/13

Abstract

A gas laser apparatus includes a ceramic wave guide having a bore extending therethrough and a pair of slots formed in the exterior thereof with electrodes formed in the slots. An optical assembly is mounted on each end of the waveguide and includes a mirror which is attached to a metal ring in the optical assembly where they harden a fused glass frit material. A plurality of invar metal rods connects the optical assemblies and has adjustment screws on each end of each rod for tilting a portion of the optical assembly on a metal flexure member to align the mirrors. The tubes and rods in the optical assemblies holding each mirror have temperature compensating materials and sizes to maintain the mirror in alignment, and separation over wide ambient and operating temperatures.

A process of making a gas laser includes the steps of selecting an optical mirror blank, making a metal mirror blank support ring having an opening therethrough for mounting the selected mirror blank therein, applying a glass paste material between the mirror blank and the mirror support ring, heating the mirror blank and the mirror blank support ring and glass paste material to a temperature in excess of 400 degrees centigrade to seal the mirror blank to the metal mirror blank support ring with a glass frit seal, and then attaching the support ring to a laser optical assembly on each end of a laser assembly.

Claims

1. A process of making a gas laser apparatus comprising the steps of:

selecting an optical mirror blank;

making a metal mirror blank support ring having an opening therethrough for mounting the selected mirror blank thereon and having a heat expansion rate generally matching the heat expansion rate of said optical mirror blank;

applying a glass frit material between the mirror blank and the mirror blank support ring, said glass frit having a heat expansion rate generally matching the heat expansion rate of said optical mirror blank and metal mirror blank support ring;

heating the mirror blank and the metal mirror blank support ring and glass paste material thereon to a temperature in excess of 400 degrees centigrade in a nitrogen atmosphere to seal said mirror blank to said metal mirror blank support ring with a glass frit seal;

attaching said mirror blank support ring having the mirror blank attached thereto to a temperature expansion sleeve of a gas laser assembly to thereby form a laser with a high temperature glass to metal seal for the mirrors in a gas laser; and

vacuum baking the laser assembly at approximately 300 degrees centrigrade for at least twenty-four hours to remove moisture and impurities therefrom.

2. A process of making a gas laser apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including the step of selecting a waveguide material and, optical assembly support rods for a temperature expansion of approximately the same expansion as the temperature expansion sleeve whereby opposite expansion of the temperature expansion sleeve with offset the ceramic waveguide and optical assembly support rods temperature expansion.

3. A process of making a gas laser apparatus in accordance with claim 2 including the steps of selecting a metal mirror blank supporting ring of carpenter'"'"'s metal and an optical mirror blank of zinc selenide and a silica seal glass paste for heating to a temperature of approximately 440 degrees centigrade and the welding the metal mirror blank supporting ring to a kovar temperature expansion sleeve.