Compact, thermally stable multi-laser engine
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A compact, thermally stable multi-laser system, comprising:
- a plurality of lasers outputting a plurality of respective laser beams;
a plurality of beam adjusters configured to align said laser beams output from said plurality of lasers thereby outputting a plurality of adjusted laser beams;
a beam positioning system configured to alter a position of the plurality of adjusted laser beams relative to one another, thereby outputting a plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams;
a thermally stable enclosure enclosing the plurality of lasers and the beam positioning system, the thermally stable enclosure substantially comprising a material having a thermal conductivity of at least 5 W/(m K), the thermally stable enclosure configured to maintain alignment of said laser beams output from the lasers over a range of ambient temperatures, wherein the plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams are output as parallel laser beams to a target object located outside the enclosure; and
a temperature controller configured to control the temperature of the thermally stable enclosure.
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Abstract
Various embodiments of a multi-laser system are disclosed. In some embodiments, the multi-laser system includes a plurality of lasers, a plurality of laser beams, a beam positioning system, a thermally stable enclosure, and a temperature controller. The thermally stable enclosure is substantially made of a material with high thermal conductivity such as at least 5 W/(m K). The thermally stable enclosure can help maintain alignment of the laser beams to a target object over a range of ambient temperatures.
140 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A compact, thermally stable multi-laser system, comprising:
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a plurality of lasers outputting a plurality of respective laser beams; a plurality of beam adjusters configured to align said laser beams output from said plurality of lasers thereby outputting a plurality of adjusted laser beams; a beam positioning system configured to alter a position of the plurality of adjusted laser beams relative to one another, thereby outputting a plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams; a thermally stable enclosure enclosing the plurality of lasers and the beam positioning system, the thermally stable enclosure substantially comprising a material having a thermal conductivity of at least 5 W/(m K), the thermally stable enclosure configured to maintain alignment of said laser beams output from the lasers over a range of ambient temperatures, wherein the plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams are output as parallel laser beams to a target object located outside the enclosure; and a temperature controller configured to control the temperature of the thermally stable enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 57)
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45. A method of adjusting a plurality of laser beams, the method comprising:
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using a plurality of beam adjusters to redirect the plurality of laser beams by changing beam angles of the plurality of laser beams thereby outputting a plurality of adjusted laser beams; using a plurality of plane parallel plates to change the lateral position of the plurality of adjusted laser beams, thereby outputting a plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams; and using a beam positioning system to alter a position of the plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams closer together, thereby outputting parallel laser beams. - View Dependent Claims (46, 53, 54, 55)
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47. A compact, thermally stable laser system, comprising:
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a laser outputting a laser beam; a beam adjuster configured to alter a position of the laser beam, wherein the beam adjuster comprises a rotatable Risley prism pair configured to change the angle of said laser beam output from said laser, thereby outputting an adjusted laser beam; a thermally stable enclosure enclosing the laser and the beam adjuster, the thermally stable enclosure substantially comprising a material having a thermal conductivity of at least 5 W/(m K), the thermally stable enclosure configured to maintain alignment of the adjusted laser beam to a target object located outside the enclosure over a range of ambient temperatures; and a temperature controller configured to control the temperature of the thermally stable enclosure.
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56. A compact, thermally stable multi-laser system, comprising:
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a plurality of lasers outputting a plurality of respective laser beams; a plurality of beam adjusters configured to align said laser beams output from said plurality of lasers thereby outputting a plurality of adjusted laser beams; a beam positioning system configured to alter a position of the plurality of adjusted laser beams relative to one another, thereby outputting a plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams; a thermally stable enclosure enclosing the plurality of lasers and the beam positioning system, the thermally stable enclosure substantially comprising a material having a thermal conductivity of at least 5 W/(m K), the thermally stable enclosure configured to maintain alignment of said laser beams output from the lasers over a range of ambient temperatures, wherein the plurality of positioned and adjusted laser beams are output as separate laser beams to a target object located outside the enclosure; and a temperature controller configured to control the temperature of the thermally stable enclosure.
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Specification