Mode-coupled laser

• US 6,819,690 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Franz Xaver Kartner, Universitat Karlsuhe, Uwe Morgner
• Original Assignee: Franz Xavier Kartner, Universitã¤T Karlsruhe (Th), Uwe Morgner
• Inventors: Morgner, Uwe, Kärtner, Franz Xaver, Schibli, Thomas Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hoanganh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Al-Nazer, Leith A
• Application Number:
  US10/149,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 372/9, 372/10, 372/18-20, 372/29.02, 372/29.021, 372/29.022, 372/30, 372/31
• US Class Current: 372/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1109 Active mode locking
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1118 Semiconductor saturable absorbers, e.g. semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors [SESAMs]; Solid-state saturable absorbers, e.g. carbon nanotube [CNT] based
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1127 using pulse transmission mode [PTM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/13 Stabilisation of laser output parameters, e.g. frequency or amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1312 by controlling the optical pumping

Abstract

A laser with a decoupling device for emitting a laser output depending on at least one influenceable parameter and a mode-coupling device for coupling a plurality of the laserable modes of the resonator. A detector is provided for detecting a value related to the emitted laser output and a parameter varying means for varying the at least one parameter in response to the detected value.

Claims

1. A passively mode-coupled, continuously operated laser, comprising:

a passive mode coupling means;

a device for high-speed active Q-switching instability control and mode coupling of the laser;

wherein for continuous passive mode coupled laser operation in a continuous pumping power supply range, said device includes a detection means for detecting a value related to the laser output and means for varying at least one parameter influencing the laser output in dependence on said detected value.

2. The laser of claim 1 including a resonator and a decoupling means for emitting the laser output depending on at least one influenceable parameter, said decoupling means coupling a plurality of modes of the resonator, wherein for mode-coupled continuous laser operation the detection means detects a value related to the laser output and said parameter bearing means vary said at least one parameter in dependence on the value related to the laser output.

3. The laser as defined by claim 2, characterized in that the parameter varying means is designed to vary the parameter such that the laser output evens out stably, averaged over at least one resonator roundtrip time.

4. The laser of claim 1 including a laser medium having lifetimes of at least 1 μ

s.

5. The laser of claim 1 including a laser medium having lifetimes of at least 10 μ

s.

6. The laser of claim 1 including a laser medium having lifetimes above 50 μ

s.

7. The laser as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the parameter varying means is designed to even out the output over time in the range of one resonator roundtrip time.

8. The laser as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the parameter varying means is designed to even out the output averaged over a resonator roundtrip time to better than 10%.

9. The laser as defined by claim 1, including a means for integrating and/or averaging high-speed variations of the value related to the laser output and the parameter varying means is designed to vary the parameter in response to the averaged and/or integrated value.

10. The laser as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the parameter varying means is designed to vary the parameter in response to the deviation of the detected value from a target value.

11. The laser as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the parameter varying means is designed to vary the parameter with proportional, differential and/or integral behavior relative to the deviation of the detected value from a target value.

12. The laser as defined by claim 1, including an element that absorbs and/or reflects in dependence of the output.

13. The laser as defined by claim 1, including an at least partially saturable absorber as an absorbing and/or reflecting element.

14. The laser as defined by claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is the supplied pumping power.

15. The laser as defined by claim 1, including a resonator-internal frequency doubler.

16. The laser as defined by claim 1, including a loss modulator whose loss can be modulated as a variable parameter mechanically, acoustically and/or electrooptically.

17. The laser as defined by claim 1, including at least one light-sensitive element as a detection means for detecting the laser output.

18. The laser as defined by claim 1 which has spiking behavior if the at least one parameter is not varied in response to the detected value.

19. A passively mode-coupled, continuously operated laser, comprising:

decoupling means for emitting a laser output dependent on at least one influenceable parameter;

means for resonance cavity dumping;

detection means for detecting a value related to the emitted laser output; and

parameter varying means for varying the at least one parameter in response to the detected value.

20. In a passively mode-coupled, continuously operated laser having a resonator and a means for passively coupling a plurality of the modes of the resonator, a method for stabilizing the laser comprising:

detecting a value related to the laser output, and

controlling the laser output by varying at least one parameter in response to the detected value such that the laser output that is emitted as evenly mode-coupled pulses evens out.

21. In a passively mode-coupled, continuously operated laser having a resonator and a means for passively coupling a plurality of the modes of the resonator, a method for stabilizing the laser comprising:

detecting a value related to the laser output, and

controlling the laser output by varying at least one parameter in response to the detected value by initiating mode-coupling by pulse-like variation at least of the at least one parameter.