Efficient frequency-converted laser
First Claim
1. A method of intracavity frequency conversion in a laser comprising the steps of:
- a) pumping a gain medium situated within an optical cavity to provide a laser emission along an optical axis defined by the optical cavity;
b) frequency converting the laser emission within the optical cavity to generate a first converted beam propagating in a first direction along the optical axis and a second converted beam propagating in a second, opposite direction along the optical axis; and
c) reflecting said second converted beam at a predefined nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis to provide a reflected converted beam.
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Abstract
An intracavity frequency-converted laser having an intracavity reflector situated to reflect converted radiation at a nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis. The laser includes an optical cavity that defines an optical axis, a gain medium for providing a fundamental laser emission, a pump source for pumping the gain medium, and a nonlinear material for frequency converting the fundamental laser emission to provide first and second converted beams that propagate in opposite directions within the optical cavity. An angled reflector that reflects optical radiation at the converted wavelength, but is transmissive at the fundamental wavelength is situated within the optical cavity to reflect one of the converted beams along a path angled with respect to the optical axis. Advantageously, reflecting the converted radiation before it propagates through the gain medium avoids absorption losses. Furthermore, interference between the reflected beam and other converted beam is avoided due to the angle of reflection. In one embodiment, the gain medium comprises an Nd3+ doped material, the laser is designed to lase on the 4 F3/2 →4 I9/2 transition at about 870-960 nm, and a nonlinear crystal is situated to frequency-double the emission of the gain medium to produce blue light at about 435-480 nm.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. A method of intracavity frequency conversion in a laser comprising the steps of:
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a) pumping a gain medium situated within an optical cavity to provide a laser emission along an optical axis defined by the optical cavity; b) frequency converting the laser emission within the optical cavity to generate a first converted beam propagating in a first direction along the optical axis and a second converted beam propagating in a second, opposite direction along the optical axis; and c) reflecting said second converted beam at a predefined nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis to provide a reflected converted beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of intracavity frequency conversion in a solid-state laser comprising the steps of:
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a) optically pumping a solid-state gain medium situated within an optical cavity to provide a fundamental laser emission along an optical axis defined by the optical cavity; b) frequency converting the fundamental laser emission in a nonlinear crystal within the optical cavity to generate a first converted beam propagating in a first direction along the optical axis and a second converted beam propagating in a second, opposite direction along the optical axis; and c) reflecting said second converted beam from an angled reflector situated within said optical cavity to provide a reflected converted beam propagating at a predefined nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of intracavity frequency conversion to produce blue light in a laser having an optical cavity that defines an optical axis, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) optically pumping an anisotropic neodymium-doped gain crystal in an longitudinal direction; b) generating a polarized fundamental laser emission in said gain crystal corresponding to the 4 F3/2 →
4 I9/2 laser transition, said gain crystal defining an ordinary axis and an extraordinary axis situated within said optical cavity in an orthogonal relationship to the optical axis so that the polarized fundamental laser emission propagates along the optical axis with a predetermined polarization aligned parallel with one of said ordinary and extraordinary axes;c) frequency doubling said polarized fundamental laser emission within said optical cavity in a nonlinear crystal to generate a first converted beam propagating in a first direction along the optical axis and a second converted beam propagating in a second, opposite direction along the optical axis; and d) reflecting said second converted beam from an angled reflector situated within said optical cavity to provide a reflected converted beam propagating at a predefined nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A frequency-converted laser comprising:
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an optical cavity that defines an optical axis; a gain medium situated within said optical cavity; a pump source for pumping said gain medium to excite a laser emission within the optical cavity; a nonlinear material situated within the optical cavity for converting said laser emission to a converted wavelength; and an angled reflector situated within the optical cavity for reflecting optical radiation at the converted wavelength along a path at a nonzero angle with respects to the optical axis. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A solid-state frequency-converted laser comprising:
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an optical cavity that defines an optical axis; a solid-state gain medium situated within said optical cavity; a pump source for optically pumping said gain medium to excite a fundamental laser emission at a fundamental wavelength within the optical cavity; a nonlinear crystal situated within the optical cavity for converting the fundamental laser emission to a converted wavelength; and an angled reflector situated within the optical cavity for reflecting optical radiation at the converted wavelength along a path at a nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A frequency-doubled laser comprising:
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an optical cavity, said optical cavity defining an optical axis; a gain medium including an anisotropic neodymium-doped crystal for generating a substantially polarized fundamental laser emission corresponding to the 4 F3/2 →
4 I9/2 laser transition, said crystal defining an ordinary axis and an extraordinary axis situated within said optical cavity in an orthogonal relationship to the optical axis so that the polarized fundamental laser emission propagates along the optical axis with a predetermined polarization aligned parallel to one of said ordinary axis and extraordinary axis;an optical pump source situated to longitudinally pump said gain medium with optical radiation; a nonlinear crystal situated within said optical cavity to frequency double the polarized fundamental emission to generate blue light; and an angled reflector situated within the optical cavity for reflecting optical radiation at said blue light along a path at a nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A frequency-converted laser comprising:
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means for providing an optical cavity that defines an optical axis; a gain medium situated within said optical cavity; pump means for pumping said gain medium to provide a laser emission along the optical axis; frequency-conversion means for frequency converting the laser emission within the optical cavity means to generate a first converted beam propagating in a first direction along the optical axis and a second converted beam propagating in a second, opposite direction along the optical axis; and reflector means for reflecting said second converted beam at a predefined nonzero angle with respect to the optical axis to provide a reflected converted beam. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification