Laser system and method employing a nonimaging concentrator
First Claim
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1. A laser system, comprising:
- a large-area pumping source and a lasant; and
a nonimaging concentrator positioned in proximity to said pumping source and between said pumping source and said lasant along an optic axis and including a dielectric material having an internally reflective boundary surface of selected shape extending between an input surface and a smaller output surface, said nonimaging concentrator having a refractive index selected for collecting light generated by said pumping source and cooperating with said selected shape of said boundary surface to concentrate said collected light to form a concentrated light beam transmitted from said output surface and propagated along said optic axis into said lasant.
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Abstract
A laser system uses a high-power diode laser in cooperation with a nonimaging concentrator to end pump a relatively thin, solid-state, highly doped lasant. The laser system generates a very high density of excited ions in the lasant mode volume to produce high peak power pulses having comparable magnitudes over a wide range of pulse repetition frequencies.
33 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A laser system, comprising:
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a large-area pumping source and a lasant; and a nonimaging concentrator positioned in proximity to said pumping source and between said pumping source and said lasant along an optic axis and including a dielectric material having an internally reflective boundary surface of selected shape extending between an input surface and a smaller output surface, said nonimaging concentrator having a refractive index selected for collecting light generated by said pumping source and cooperating with said selected shape of said boundary surface to concentrate said collected light to form a concentrated light beam transmitted from said output surface and propagated along said optic axis into said lasant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for generating laser emission, comprising:
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directing from a pumping source, optical pumping energy through a nonimaging concentrator toward a lasant, the nonimaging concentrator being positioned in proximity to said pumping source and between said pumping source and said lasant along an optic axis and including a dielectric material having an internally reflective boundary surface of selected shape contiguous to and extending between an input surface and a smaller output surface; employing said nonimaging concentrator to collect and concentrate light generated by said pumping source, said nonimaging concentrator having a refractive index selected for collecting said light generated by said pumping source and cooperating with said selected shape of said boundary surface to concentrate said collected light to form a concentrated light beam; propagating said concentrated light beam from said output surface, along said optic axis, and into said lasant; and generating laser emission from said lasant. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification