Laser generating apparatus having an arrangement for converging and diverging excitation light

• US 5,373,527 A
• Filed: 08/16/1993
• Issued: 12/13/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company Limited
• Inventors: Ueda, Kenichi, Matsuzaka, Fumio, Taniu, Yoshito, Nishimi, Akihiro, Wazumi, Koichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Bovernick, Rodney B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sanghavi, Hemang
• Application Number:
  US08/106,701
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 372/39, 372/69, 372/70, 372/71, 372/72, 372/9, 372/75, 372/66
• US Class Current: 372/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/20 Lasers with a special output beam profile or cross-section, e.g. non-Gaussian
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/025 of solid state lasers, e.g. housings or mountings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0612 Non-homogeneous structure H01S3/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/094007 Cladding pumping, i.e. pump light propagating in a clad surrounding the active core
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/094038 End pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/094053 Fibre coupled pump, e.g. delivering pump light using a fibre or a fibre bundle
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/094084 with pump light recycling, i.e. with reinjection of the unused pump light, e.g. by reflectors or circulators

Abstract

A laser generating apparatus provided with the following is disclosed. That is to say, a rod shaped laser medium for receiving excitation light irradiation and emitting laser light having a prespecified wavelength, a reflecting tube having a central axis and possessing a rotating surface and two end surfaces, wherein an inner surface is made a reflecting surface, and the rod shaped laser medium is stored therewithin, and a virtual light source formation mechanism for forming an excitation virtual light source which can be construed as a point light source or a line light source, in the vicinity of the central axis. By means of this, a virtual light source having an energy distribution concentrated in the central part is formed, and it is possible to increase excitation efficiency.

Claims

1. A laser generating apparatus comprising:

a rod shaped laser medium for receiving excitation light and emitting laser light having a wavelength;

a reflecting tube having a central axis and inwardly conforming to a surface of revolution at which it is reflective and having at least one end surface, said rod shaped laser medium being contained at said central axis therewithin; and

means for generating laser excitation light from outside said reflective tube and for converging the excitation light on an optical axis of said rod shaped laser medium to form a first laser excitation light region within said rod shaped laser medium, wherein the excitation light diverges from said first laser excitation light region toward a portion of the reflecting surface of said reflecting tube and is reflected convergently back from said portion of the reflective surface to form a second laser excitation light region displaced from said first laser excitation light region along said optical axis and within said rod shaped laser medium, the diverging and the reflecting convergently continuing and providing a plurality of said second laser excitation light regions along said optical axis and all within said rod shaped laser medium, thereby defining a plurality of excitation virtual light sources along said optical axis of said rod shaped laser medium to yield output generated laser light.

2. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said surface of revolution is a cylindrical surface.

3. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said generating means introduces the excitation light at a position peripheral to said at least one end surface of said reflecting tube, which has an aperture in said at least one end surface admitting said excitation light into said reflecting tube in a direction intersecting said central axis.

4. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said surface of revolution is a truncated conical surface.

5. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said generating means introduces the excitation light at a position peripheral to said at least one end surface, which is an end surface of a large diameter side of said reflecting tube, which has an aperture in said at least one end surface admitting said excitation light into said reflecting tube.

6. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with one of claim 3 and 5, wherein said light source is a ring-form light source disposed in a plane perpendicular to said central axis.

7. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said generating means is provided with a parallel beam generating means, and a reflecting mirror for collimating parallel beams, disposed at a position facing said parallel beam generating means.

8. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said reflecting mirror is a concave mirror.

9. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said reflecting mirror is a truncated conical mirror.

10. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said reflecting mirror is formed at the outer periphery of said end surface.

11. A laser generating apparatus comprising:

a laser medium for receiving excitation light and emitting laser light;

a reflecting structure having a central region and a reflective inner surface at least partly surrounding said central region, said laser medium being contained at said central region; and

means for introducing laser light as the excitation light from outside said reflecting structure and for converging the excitation light into a first cross-section of said laser medium of first lateral dimensions in said laser medium, said excitation light having a second cross section coincident with said first cross section and of second lateral dimensions respectively smaller than said first lateral dimensions,

said laser medium having a third cross section displaced from said first cross section, and said reflecting structure being shaped to provide a fourth cross section of nonabsorbed excitation light within the limits of said third cross section.

12. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein said laser medium has a resonation axis, said reflecting structure having a central axis through said laser medium, and said introducing means introduces the excitation light at a position peripheral to a portion of the reflective inner surface of said reflecting structure nearest to an extremity of the laser medium on the resonation axis, said portion of said reflective surface having an aperture admitting said excitation light into said reflecting structure in a direction intersecting said central axis.

13. A laser generating apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein said introducing means includes a parallel beam generating means having collimating means for generating parallel beams and a reflecting mirror for focusing parallel beams at a position facing said parallel beam generating means.