Coherent light source and control method thereof, and display unit and laser display using them

• US 7,356,056 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Toshifumi, Yamamoto, Kazuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey; Minsun Oh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang; Yuanda
• Application Number:
  US10/555,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20060209913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 372/29.02, 372/29.021, 372/29.023, 372/30
• US Class Current: 372/29.02
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0078 for frequency filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0092 for nonlinear frequency conversion, e.g. second harmonic generation [SHG] or sum- or difference-frequency generation outside the laser cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06226 Modulation at ultra-high frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06253 Pulse modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06256 with DBR-structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0683 by monitoring the optical output parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 scanning a light beam on the display screen scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161

Abstract

In a display device that displays a video by scanning coherent light across a screen, modulation at high speeds and gradation are necessary for a coherent light source.

An oscillation wavelength of a semiconductor laser outputting the fundamental wave is changed at high speeds through the plasma effect induced by applying a pulse current to the coherent light source. A change of the wavelength causes the output of a higher harmonic generated in a light wavelength conversion element to change, and gradation is produced using such a change.

Claims

1. A coherent light source comprising:

a semiconductor laser provided with an active region and a distributed Bragg reflection region;

a light wavelength conversion element that is made of non-linear optical crystal and converts a wavelength of a laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser;

a photo detector that measures a higher harmonic output from the light wavelength conversion element;

current injection means for applying currents independently to the active region and the distributed Bragg reflection region;

current control means for controlling the current injection means on the basis of the higher harmonic output measured in the photo detector to fix an oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser to an inclined portion within a phase matching wavelength spectrum of the light wavelength conversion element;

pulse current injection means for applying a pulse current to at least one region selected from the active region and the distributed Bragg reflection region; and

pulse current control means for controlling the pulse current injection means on the basis of the higher harmonic output measured in the photo detector to change the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser to a desired value at the inclined portion within the phase matching wavelength spectrum of the light wavelength conversion element and to change the higher harmonic output.

2. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

the current control means stops the higher harmonic output by controlling the current injection means to stop applying a current to the active region.

3. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

the pulse current control means stops the higher harmonic output by controlling the pulse current injection means to apply pulse currents to the active region and the distributed Bragg reflection region.

4. The coherent light source according to claim 3, wherein:

the pulse current applied by the pulse current injection means has a pulse height sufficient for the pulse current to cause a wavelength of the higher harmonic to fluctuate to be outside the phase matching wavelength spectrum of the light wavelength conversion element.

5. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

when the higher harmonic output is stopped, a current applied to the distributed Bragg reflection region is adjusted.

6. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

when a high output state of the higher harmonic continues, the current control means controls the current injection means to adjust a current applied to at least one region selected from the active region and the distributed Bragg reflection region, so that a wavelength of the higher harmonic is maintained to be constant.

7. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

the semiconductor laser is further provided with a phase region;

the current injection means applies a current also to the phase region;

the current control means controls the current injection means on the basis of the higher harmonic output measured in the photo detector to change currents applied to the distributed Bragg reflection region and the phase region at a specific ratio, so that the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser is fixed to the inclined portion within the phase matching wavelength spectrum of the light wavelength conversion element; and

the pulse current injection means applies a pulse current to at least one region selected from the active region, the distributed Bragg reflection region, and the phase region.

8. The coherent light source according to claim 7, wherein:

the current control means stops the higher harmonic output by controlling the current injection means to stop applying a current to the active region.

9. The coherent light source according to claim 7, wherein:

the pulse current control means stops the higher harmonic output by controlling the pulse current injection means to apply pulse currents to more than one region selected from the active region, the distributed Bragg reflection region, and the phase region.

10. The coherent light source according to claim 9, wherein:

the pulse current applied by the pulse current injection means has a pulse height sufficient for the pulse current to cause a wavelength of the higher harmonic to fluctuate to be outside the phase matching wavelength spectrum of the light wavelength conversion element.

11. The coherent light source according to claim 7, wherein:

when the higher harmonic output is stopped, a current applied to the distributed Bragg reflection region or the phase region is adjusted.

12. The coherent light source according to claim 7, wherein:

when a high output state of the higher harmonic continues, the current control means controls the current injection means to adjust a current applied to at least one region selected from the active region, the distributed Bragg reflection region, and the phase region, so that a wavelength of the higher harmonic is maintained to be constant.

13. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

the inclined portion within the phase matching wavelength spectrum is a portion where the higher harmonic output is in a range from 5% to 95%, both inclusive, of a peak output in the phase matching wavelength spectrum.

14. The coherent light source according to claim 13, wherein:

the inclined portion within the phase matching wavelength spectrum is a portion on a shorter wavelength side in reference to a peak wavelength in the phase matching wavelength spectrum.

15. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

the current control means controls the current injection means to fix a current applied to the distributed Bragg reflection region to a point immediately after an occurrence of mode hopping of the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser.

16. The coherent light source according to claim 1, wherein:

a pulse current applied by the pulse current injection means is a rectangular pulse.

17. A display device that projects a laser beam having undergone intensity modulation according to an input video signal, the display device comprising:

a laser light source that emits a red laser beam;

the coherent light source according to claim 1 that emits a blue laser beam;

the coherent light source according to claim 1 that emits a green laser beam;

multiplexing means for multiplexing the red, blue, and green laser beams to a single laser beam;

first scanning means for scanning the multiplexed, single laser beam from the multiplexing means in a specific first direction; and

second scanning means for scanning the laser beam scanned in the first direction in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

18. The display device according to claim 17, wherein:

the first scanning means and the second scanning means are a polygon mirror comprising a rotary polygon mirror and a galvanometer mirror that are combined selectively.

19. A laser display comprising:

the display device according to claim 17; and

a screen on which a laser beam is projected from the display device, wherein;

the input video signal is absent in an end portion of the screen, the current control means controls the current injection means to stop applying a current to the active region, and when an output from the semiconductor laser is stopped, the current control means adjusts a current applied to the distributed Bragg reflection region.

20. A control method of a coherent light source, said method comprising:

converting, with a light wavelength conversion element that is made of non-linear optical crystal, a wavelength of a laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser provided with an active region and a distributed Bragg reflection region;

measuring, with a photo detector, a higher harmonic output from the light wavelength conversion element;

applying currents independently to the active region and the distributed Bragg reflection region;

controlling the currents on the basis of the higher harmonic output measured in the photo detector to fix an oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser to an inclined portion within a phase matching wavelength spectrum of the light wavelength conversion element;

applying a pulse current to at least one region selected from the active region and the distributed Bragg reflection region; and

controlling the applying of the pulse current on the basis of the higher harmonic output measured in the photo detector to change the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser to a desired value at the inclined portion within the phase matching wavelength spectrum of the light wavelength conversion element and to change the higher harmonic output.