Infrared laser

• US 9,014,221 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navy The USA As Represented By The Secretary of The
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Kub, Francis J., Currie, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Armando
• Application Number:
  US13/676,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20130121353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 372/10, 372/11, 372/18, 372/70, 372/81
• US Class Current: 372/11
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/06 Construction or shape of active medium
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/081 comprising three or more reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0813 Configuration of resonator
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0815 having 3 reflectors, e.g. V-shaped resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/083 Ring lasers fibre ring lasers H01S3/06791
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0906 Electrical, electrochemical, or electron-beam pumping of a dye laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/091 using optical pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/10 Controlling the intensity, frequency, phase, polarisation or direction of the emitted radiation, e.g. switching, gating, modulating or demodulating
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1106 Mode locking
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1112 Passive mode locking
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1115 using intracavity saturable absorbers
• 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 3/113 using intracavity saturable absorbers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/028 Coatings ; Treatment of the laser facets, e.g. etching, passivation layers or reflecting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0601 comprising an absorbing region H01S5/0604, H01S5/0607, H01S5/0615 and H01S5/065 take precedence; bistable laser devices in general G02F3/026
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/10 Construction or shape of the optical resonator , e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region H01S5/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1032 Coupling to elements comprising an optical axis that is not aligned with the optical axis of the active region
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/14 External cavity lasers H01S5/18 takes precedence; mode locking H01S5/065
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1838 Reflector bonded by wafer fusion or by an intermediate compound
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3401 : having no PN junction, e.g. unipolar lasers, intersubband lasers, quantum cascade lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/50 : Amplifier structures not provided for in groups H01S5/02 - H01S5/30

Abstract

Laser devices are presented in which a graphene saturable absorber and an optical amplifier are disposed in a resonant optical cavity with an optical or electrical pump providing energy to the optical amplifier.

Claims

1. A linear cavity laser device, comprising:

a first partially reflective mirror with a first side including a first reflective surface;

a second partially reflective mirror with a second reflective surface at least partially facing the first reflective surface of the first partially reflective mirror, the first and second partially reflective mirrors defining an injection locked optical cavity in which electromagnetic energy is amplified by stimulated emission of coherent radiation that is partially transmitted through the second partially reflective mirror;

an optical gain medium disposed at least partially between the first and second reflective surfaces;

an electrical or optical pump providing energy to the optical gain medium;

a graphene saturable absorber disposed at least partially between the optical gain medium and the first reflective surface; and

a laser disposed on a second side of the first partially reflective mirror and operative to direct light at least partially toward the first partially reflective mirror.

2. The linear cavity laser device of claim 1, further comprising at least one optical component disposed between the optical gain medium and the second mirror.

3. The linear cavity laser device of claim 2, wherein the at least one optical component is a gas cell.

4. The laser device of claim 1, wherein the laser device is a mode-locked laser or a Q-switched laser configured to emit stimulated coherent radiation through the second mirror with center wavelengths of from about 1,800 nm to about 25,000 nm.

5. The laser device of claim 1, wherein the laser device is a mode-locked laser or a Q-switched laser configured to emit stimulated coherent radiation through the second mirror with center wavelengths of from about 280 nm to about 1,800 nm.