Wavelength conversion laser light source, and laser light source device and two-dimensional image display device adopting the same

• US 8,254,421 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Furuya, Hiroyuki, Mizushima, Tetsuro, Kusukame, Koichi, Nakayama, Kenji, Yamamoto, Kazuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Van Roy, Tod T
• Application Number:
  US12/354,444
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 372/21, 372/22, 372/34, 359/328
• US Class Current: 372/34
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0147 based on thermo-optic effects G02F1/132 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0327 Operation of the cell; Circuit arrangements G02F1/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3542 Multipass arrangements, i.e. arrangements to make light pass multiple times through the same element, e.g. using an enhancement cavity
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3558 Poled materials, e.g. with periodic poling; Fabrication of domain inverted structures, e.g. for quasi-phase-matching [QPM]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/37 for second-harmonic generation G02F1/3532 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/58 Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/20 LiNbO3, LiTaO3
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0092 Nonlinear frequency conversion, e.g. second harmonic generation [SHG] or sum- or difference-frequency generation outside the laser cavity nonlinear frequency conversion per se G02F1/35
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0675 Resonators including a grating structure, e.g. distributed Bragg reflectors [DBR] or distributed feedback [DFB] fibre lasers

Abstract

A wavelength conversion laser light source includes a fundamental wave laser light source; a wavelength conversion element for converting a fundamental wave emitted from the fundamental wave laser light source into a harmonic wave; and an element temperature holding section for holding the wavelength conversion element at a temperature as set, wherein the element temperature holding section includes a magnetic metal formed on at least a part of the surface of the wavelength conversion element via an insulating material, and a magnetic flux application section for heating the magnetic metal with an application of a magnetic flux to the magnetic metal.

Claims

1. A wavelength conversion laser light source comprising:

a fundamental wave laser light source;

a wavelength conversion element for converting a fundamental wave laser beam emitted from the fundamental wave laser light source into a harmonic wave; and

an element temperature holding section for holding the wavelength conversion element at a temperature as set,

two reflective surfaces for reflecting therefrom the fundamental wave laser beam; and

condensing optics for condensing the fundamental wave laser beam to be injected between said two reflective surfaces,

wherein the element temperature holding section includes a magnetic metal formed on at least a part of the surface of the wavelength conversion element via an insulating material, and a magnetic flux application section for heating the magnetic metal with an application of a magnetic flux to the magnetic metal,

wherein at least one of said two reflective surfaces has a curvature for reflecting the fundamental wave laser beam to be re-injected into the wavelength conversion element between said two reflective surfaces repeatedly while forming multi paths of the fundamental wave laser beam injected into the wavelength conversion element at different incident angles, and

wherein said condensing optics are arranged to disperse beam waists of the fundamental wave laser beam in the wavelength conversion element, which reciprocate between said two reflective surfaces.

2. The wavelength conversion laser light source according to claim 1, wherein:

said condensing optics condense the fundamental wave laser beam so that a beam waist of the fundamental wave laser beam is formed in the wavelength conversion element before being first reflected from either one of said two reflective surfaces.

3. The wavelength conversion laser light source according to claim 1, wherein:

the wavelength conversion element has a periodically poled structure; and

given that an optical axis linking respective centers of said two reflective surfaces is a principal ray axis, then said periodically poled structure is inclined with respect to the principal ray axis.

4. The wavelength conversion laser light source according to claim 1, wherein:

the wavelength conversion element has a periodically poled structure, and the following relationship holds;

cos θ

≦

λ

/(λ

+Δ

λ

/2)

wherein θ

indicates a maximum angle of the fundamental wave laser beam with respect to a poling period when the fundamental wave laser beam passes through the wavelength conversion element, λ

indicates a center wavelength of the fundamental wave laser beam, and Δ

λ

indicates a spectrum full width at half maximum of the fundamental wave laser beam.

5. The wavelength conversion laser light source according to claim 1,

wherein the following relationship holds:

f1+f2<

D<

f1+f2+L,

wherein D indicates a distance between the two reflective surfaces, f1 and f2 respective indicate focal lengths of the two reflective surfaces, and L indicates a length of the wavelength conversion element.

6. The wavelength conversion laser light source according to claim 1, wherein:

said magnetic flux application section includes a pump coil that is excited with a high frequency current, and a control section for controlling a high frequency current to be supplied to the pump coil;

the wavelength conversion element is divided into a plurality of regions from one end to the other end in a widthwise direction;

a plurality of pump coils are provided so that each of said plurality of regions of the wavelength conversion element can be heated independently from one another; and

a control section for controlling a high frequency current to be supplied to the pump coil includes a plurality of high frequency power supplies for respectively supplying high frequency currents having frequencies to the plurality of pump coils respectively corresponding to said plurality of regions independently from one another.

7. The wavelength conversion laser light source according to claim 6, further comprising:

a band filter for cutting other bandwidth than the frequency of the high frequency current generated by each of said high frequency power supplies, said band filter being provided between each of said high frequency power supplies and said excitation coil.