Method and apparatus for high-power, pulsed ring fiber oscillator
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a master-oscillator ring laser that has an optical signal ring path and generates a ring signal laser beam that propagates along the optical signal ring path in the ring laser, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength, wherein the ring laser includes a first optical fiber that forms a first portion of the optical signal ring path, and wherein the first optical fiber includes an optically-pumped rare-earth-doped large-mode-area (LMA) gain-fiber section and fiber-end optics at a first end of the first optical fiber and fiber-end optics at a second end of the first optical fiber, the first and second fiber-end optics configured to form a second portion of the optical signal ring path between the first end and the second end of the first optical fiber such that the ring signal laser beam propagates across free-space parts of the second portion of the optical signal ring path;
a first pump port configured to guide pump light into the first optical fiber;
a Q-switch in the second portion of the optical signal ring path, wherein the Q-switch operates independent of cavity length during normal operation of the Q-switch;
extraction optics configured to obtain an intermediate signal beam from the ring signal laser beam in the second portion of the optical signal ring path;
a rare-earth-doped optical-fiber power amplifier that is optically coupled to receive the intermediate signal beam and that has a power-gain-fiber section configured to generate an amplified second output beam; and
a second pump port configured to guide pump light into the optical-fiber power amplifier.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A ring laser includes a large-core rare-earth-doped fiber ring-connected with a free-space path having an electro-optic switch, output coupler, and intracavity band-pass filter to enforce lasing operation in narrow wavelength range. In some cavity-dumped modes, the laser is configured in a similar manner, except that an output coupler is omitted since the optical power is extracted from the laser cavity by the electro-optic switch itself. The same laser can be configured to operate in Q-switched and/or cavity-dumping modes as well as in hybrid modes (e.g., partial Q-switch, followed by cavity dumping, or even CW). In some embodiments, the laser can be used as, or inject laser light into, a regenerative solid-state amplifier, or a Raman laser, or can be also used to generate visible, ultra-violet, mid-infrared, and far-infrared (THz) radiation via nonlinear wavelength conversion processes. The various embodiments can use a power oscillator or seed-plus-amplifier MOPA configuration.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a master-oscillator ring laser that has an optical signal ring path and generates a ring signal laser beam that propagates along the optical signal ring path in the ring laser, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength, wherein the ring laser includes a first optical fiber that forms a first portion of the optical signal ring path, and wherein the first optical fiber includes an optically-pumped rare-earth-doped large-mode-area (LMA) gain-fiber section and fiber-end optics at a first end of the first optical fiber and fiber-end optics at a second end of the first optical fiber, the first and second fiber-end optics configured to form a second portion of the optical signal ring path between the first end and the second end of the first optical fiber such that the ring signal laser beam propagates across free-space parts of the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a first pump port configured to guide pump light into the first optical fiber; a Q-switch in the second portion of the optical signal ring path, wherein the Q-switch operates independent of cavity length during normal operation of the Q-switch; extraction optics configured to obtain an intermediate signal beam from the ring signal laser beam in the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a rare-earth-doped optical-fiber power amplifier that is optically coupled to receive the intermediate signal beam and that has a power-gain-fiber section configured to generate an amplified second output beam; and a second pump port configured to guide pump light into the optical-fiber power amplifier. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus comprising:
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a master-oscillator ring laser that has an optical signal ring path and generates a ring signal laser beam that propagates along the optical signal ring path in the ring laser, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength, wherein the ring laser includes a first optical fiber that forms a first portion of the optical signal ring path, and wherein the first optical fiber includes an optically-pumped rare-earth-doped large-mode-area (LMA) gain-fiber section and fiber-end optics at a first end of the first optical fiber and fiber-end optics at a second end of the first optical fiber, the first and second fiber-end optics configured to form a second portion of the optical signal ring path between the first end and the second end of the first optical fiber such that the ring signal laser beam propagates across free-space parts of the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a first pump port configured to guide pump light into the first optical fiber; a Q-switch in the second portion of the optical signal ring path, wherein the Q-switch operates independent of cavity length during normal operation of the Q-switch; extraction optics configured to obtain an intermediate signal beam from the ring signal laser beam in the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a rare-earth-doped optical-fiber power amplifier that is optically coupled to receive the intermediate signal beam and that has a power-gain-fiber section configured to generate an amplified second output beam; and a second pump port configured to guide pump light into the optical-fiber power amplifier, wherein the first optical fiber includes; a first passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that connects a first end of the LMA gain-fiber section of the first optical fiber to the fiber-end optics at the first end of the first optical fiber, and a second passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that connects a second end of the LMA gain-fiber section of the first optical fiber to the fiber-end optics at the second end of the first optical fiber.
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7. An apparatus comprising:
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a master-oscillator ring laser that has an optical signal ring path and generates a ring signal laser beam that propagates along the optical signal ring path in the ring laser, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength, wherein the ring laser includes a first optical fiber that forms a first portion of the optical signal ring path, and wherein the first optical fiber includes an optically-pumped rare-earth-doped large-mode-area (LMA) gain-fiber section and fiber-end optics at a first end of the first optical fiber and fiber-end optics at a second end of the first optical fiber, the first and second fiber-end optics configured to form a second portion of the optical signal ring path between the first end and the second end of the first optical fiber such that the ring signal laser beam propagates across free-space parts of the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a first pump port configured to guide pump light into the first optical fiber; a Q-switch in the second portion of the optical signal ring path; extraction optics configured to obtain an intermediate signal beam from the ring signal laser beam in the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a rare-earth-doped optical-fiber power amplifier that is optically coupled to receive the intermediate signal beam and that has a power-gain-fiber section configured to generate an amplified second output beam; and a second pump port configured to guide pump light into the optical-fiber power amplifier, wherein the first optical fiber includes; a first passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that connects a first end of the LMA gain-fiber section of the first optical fiber to the fiber-end optics at the first end of the first optical fiber, a second passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that connects a second end of the LMA gain-fiber section of the first optical fiber to the fiber-end optics at the second end of the first optical fiber, a third passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that couples the intermediate signal beam into a first end of the power-gain-fiber section, and a fourth passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that couples the amplified output beam out of a second end of the power-gain-fiber section, the apparatus further comprising; a first cooling mandrel, wherein the gain-fiber section of the first optical fiber is wrapped around the first cooling mandrel; and a second cooling mandrel, wherein the power-gain-fiber section is wrapped around the second cooling mandrel.
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8. An apparatus comprising:
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a master-oscillator ring laser that has an optical signal ring path and generates a ring signal laser beam that propagates along the optical signal ring path in the ring laser, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength, wherein the ring laser includes a first optical fiber that forms a first portion of the optical signal ring path, and wherein the first optical fiber includes an optically-pumped rare-earth-doped large-mode-area (LMA) gain-fiber section and fiber-end optics at a first end of the first optical fiber and fiber-end optics at a second end of the first optical fiber, the first and second fiber-end optics configured to form a second portion of the optical signal ring path between the first end and the second end of the first optical fiber such that the ring signal laser beam propagates across free-space parts of the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a first pump port configured to guide pump light into the first optical fiber; a Q-switch in the second portion of the optical signal ring path, wherein the Q-switch operates independent of cavity length during normal operation of the Q-switch; extraction optics configured to obtain an intermediate signal beam from the ring signal laser beam in the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a rare-earth-doped optical-fiber power amplifier that is optically coupled to receive the intermediate signal beam and that has a power-gain-fiber section configured to generate an amplified second output beam; and a second pump port configured to guide pump light into the optical-fiber power amplifier, wherein the optical-fiber power amplifier includes a first passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that couples the intermediate signal beam into a first end of the power-gain-fiber section, and a second passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that couples the amplified output beam out of a second end of the power-gain-fiber section.
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9. An apparatus comprising:
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a master-oscillator ring laser that has an optical signal ring path and generates a ring signal laser beam that propagates along the optical signal ring path in the ring laser, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength, wherein the ring laser includes a first optical fiber that forms a first portion of the optical signal ring path, and wherein the first optical fiber includes an optically-pumped rare-earth-doped large-mode-area (LMA) gain-fiber section and fiber-end optics at a first end of the first optical fiber and fiber-end optics at a second end of the first optical fiber, the first and second fiber-end optics configured to form a second portion of the optical signal ring path between the first end and the second end of the first optical fiber such that the ring signal laser beam propagates across free-space parts of the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a first pump port configured to guide pump light into the first optical fiber; a Q-switch in the second portion of the optical signal ring path; extraction optics configured to obtain an intermediate signal beam from the ring signal laser beam in the second portion of the optical signal ring path; a rare-earth-doped optical-fiber power amplifier that is optically coupled to receive the intermediate signal beam and that has a power-gain-fiber section configured to generate an amplified second output beam; and a second pump port configured to guide pump light into the optical-fiber power amplifier, wherein the optical-fiber power amplifier includes; a first passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that couples the intermediate signal beam into a first end of the power-gain-fiber section, and a second passive polarization-maintaining delivery fiber that couples the amplified output beam out of a second end of the power-gain-fiber section, the apparatus further comprising a first cooling mandrel, wherein the power-gain-fiber section is wrapped around the first cooling mandrel.
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10. A method comprising:
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providing a rare-earth doped large-mode-area (LMA) first fiber gain medium and a rare-earth-doped second fiber gain medium; configuring a ring optical signal path that extends through the first fiber gain medium; generating a ring signal laser beam in the ring optical signal path by optically pumping the first fiber gain medium and propagating the ring signal laser beam across free-space parts of the ring optical signal path, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength; Q-switching the ring signal laser beam between the free-space parts in the ring optical signal path but outside of the first fiber gain medium, wherein the Q-switching is performed independent of cavity length during normal operation of the Q-switching; extracting an intermediate optical signal beam from the ring signal laser beam between the free-space parts in the ring optical signal path outside of the first fiber gain medium; optically pumping the second fiber gain medium; and amplifying the intermediate signal beam in the second fiber gain medium to form an amplified second output beam. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus comprising:
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a rare-earth doped large-mode-area (LMA) first fiber gain medium and a rare-earth-doped second fiber gain medium; means for configuring a ring optical signal path that extends through the first fiber gain medium, and for generating a ring signal laser beam in the ring optical signal path, wherein the means for generating includes means for optically pumping the first fiber gain medium and means for propagating the ring signal laser beam across free-space parts of the ring optical signal path, wherein the ring signal laser beam has a first wavelength; means for Q-switching the ring signal laser beam between the free-space parts in the ring optical signal path but outside of the first fiber gain medium, wherein the means for Q-switching operates independent of cavity length during normal operation of the means for Q-switching; means for extracting an intermediate optical signal beam from the ring signal laser beam between the free-space parts in the ring optical signal path outside of the first fiber gain medium; means for optically pumping the second fiber gain medium; and means for amplifying the intermediate signal beam in the second fiber gain medium to form an amplified second output beam. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification