Laser oscillating apparatus and method of driving laser beam source
First Claim
1. A laser oscillating apparatus comprising:
- an optical resonator comprising at least a laser crystal and an output mirror;
a laser beam source for pumping said optical resonator, said laser beam source having associated therewith a fluorescence lifetime τ
FL ; and
pulse driving means for driving said laser beam source, said pulse driving means producing a series of pulses with a period T, each of said pulses having a pulse width of τ
;
wherein the fluorescence lifetime τ
FL, the period T, and the pulse width τ
are related such that τ
FL >
T-τ
.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a laser oscillating apparatus using a semiconductor laser or the like and a method of driving a laser beam source. The present invention relates particularly to a laser oscillating apparatus or the like having a nonlinear optical medium for generating a second harmonic and capable of by-pulse driving a laser beam source with high efficiency. In the laser oscillating apparatus, a optical resonator is composed of at least a laser crystal and an output mirror. The nonlinear optical medium for generating the second harmonic is inserted into the optical resonator. The laser beam source can effect pumping on the optical resonator so that the period T of a drive pulse produced from a pulse driving means satisfies a relation in τFL >T-τ with respect to τFL (fluorescence lifetime). Further, a first pulse can drive the laser beam source with the degree of not leading to the emission of a laser beam and a second pulse can drive the laser beam source so that the laser beam source produces the laser beam.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A laser oscillating apparatus comprising:
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an optical resonator comprising at least a laser crystal and an output mirror; a laser beam source for pumping said optical resonator, said laser beam source having associated therewith a fluorescence lifetime τ
FL ; andpulse driving means for driving said laser beam source, said pulse driving means producing a series of pulses with a period T, each of said pulses having a pulse width of τ
;wherein the fluorescence lifetime τ
FL, the period T, and the pulse width τ
are related such that τ
FL >
T-τ
. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A laser oscillating apparatus comprising:
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an optical resonator comprising at least a laser crystal and an output mirror; a nonlinear optical medium inserted into said optical resonator, for generating a second harmonic; a laser beam source for pumping said optical resonator, said laser beam source having associated therewith a fluorescence lifetime τ
FL ; andpulse driving means for driving said laser beam source, said pulse driving means producing a series of pulses with a period T, each of said pulses having a pulse width of τ
;wherein the fluorescence lifetime τ
FL, the period T, and the pulse width τ
are related such that τ
FL >
T-τ
. - View Dependent Claims (4)
-
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5. A method of driving a laser beam source to activate the laser beam source for pumping an optical resonator composed of at least a laser crystal and an output mirror, said laser beam source having associated therewith a fluorescence lifetime τ
-
FL, said method comprising driving said laser beam source with a series of pulses having a period T, each of said pulses having a pulse width of τ
;
wherein the fluorescence lifetime τ
FL, the period T, and the pulse width τ
are related such that τ
FL >
T-τ
. - View Dependent Claims (6)
-
FL, said method comprising driving said laser beam source with a series of pulses having a period T, each of said pulses having a pulse width of τ
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7. A method of driving a laser beam source to activate the laser beam source for pumping an optical resonator including a nonlinear optical medium for generating a second harmonic and composed of at least a laser crystal and an output mirror, said laser beam source having associated therewith a fluorescence lifetime τ
-
FL, said method comprising driving said laser beam source with a series of pulses having a period T, each of said pulses having a pulse width of τ
;
wherein the fluorescence lifetime τ
FL, the period T, and the pulse width τ
are related such that τ
FL >
T-τ
. - View Dependent Claims (8)
-
FL, said method comprising driving said laser beam source with a series of pulses having a period T, each of said pulses having a pulse width of τ
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9. A laser oscillating apparatus comprising:
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an optical resonator comprising at least a laser crystal and an output mirror; a laser beam source for pumping said optical resonator, said laser beam source having associated therewith a fluorescence lifetime τ
FL ; andmeans for driving said laser beam source with a periodic series of pulses having a period T, each period of said periodic series of pulses comprising two or more pulses as a pulse set, said pulse set having a pulse set width τ
, said pulse set not producing the emission of a laser beam from said laser beam source until the last pulse of said pulse set;wherein the fluorescence lifetime τ
FL, the period T, and the pulse set width τ
are related such that τ
FL >
T-τ
. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method of driving a laser beam source to activate the laser beam source for pumping an optical resonator composed of at least a laser crystal and an output mirror, said laser beam source having associated therewith a fluorescence lifetime τ
-
FL, said method comprising driving said laser beam source with a periodic series of pulses having a period T, each period of said periodic series of pulses comprising two or more pulses as a pulse set, said pulse set having a pulse set width τ
, said pulse set not producing the emission of a laser beam from said laser beam source until the last pulse of said pulse set;
wherein the fluorescence lifetime τ
FL, the period T, and the pulse width τ
are related such that τ
FL >
T-τ
. - View Dependent Claims (12)
-
FL, said method comprising driving said laser beam source with a periodic series of pulses having a period T, each period of said periodic series of pulses comprising two or more pulses as a pulse set, said pulse set having a pulse set width τ
Specification