Luminescent light source for laser pumping and laser system containing same

• US 5,313,485 A
• Filed: 10/26/1992
• Issued: 05/17/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Reed, Scott, Walko, Robert J., Hamil, Roy A., Brinker, C. Jeffrey, Ashley, Carol S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bovernick, Rodney B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McNutt, Robert
• Application Number:
  US07/966,473
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 372/69, 372/70, 372/80, 362/84, 252/646, 252/647
• US Class Current: 372/69
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0915 by incoherent light

Abstract

The invention relates to a pumping lamp for use with lasers comprising a porous substrate loaded with a component capable of emitting light upon interaction of the component with exciting radiation and a source of exciting radiation. Preferably, the pumping lamp comprises a source of exciting radiation, such as an electron beam, and an aerogel or xerogel substrate loaded with a component capable of interacting with the exciting radiation, e.g., a phosphor, to produce light, e.g., visible light, of a suitable band width and of a sufficient intensity to generate a laser beam from a laser material.

Claims

1. In a laser apparatus for use in generating a laser beam, said apparatus comprising a lasing material and pumping means, the improvement wherein said pumping means comprises a porous substrate loaded with a component capable of emitting light upon interaction of the component with exciting radiation.

2. The pumping mans of claim 1 wherein said porous substrate is a transparent xerogel or aerogel, said component is a luminescent material, and said exciting radiation is an electron beam.

3. A laser apparatus comprising:

a laser material;

a porous substrate loaded with a component capable of emitting light upon interaction of said component with exciting radiation; and

a source of exciting radiation,

wherein, upon interaction with exciting radiation, the loaded porous substrate can emit light within the absorption band width of said laser material and of a sufficient intensity to generate a laser beam.

4. A laser according to claim 3 further comprising resonator means.

5. A laser according to claim 4, wherein said porous substrate is transparent with respect to said exciting radiation and said light and said component is a luminescent material.

6. A laser according to claim 5, wherein said substrate is a xerogel or aerogel.

7. A laser according to claim 6, wherein said substrate is an aerogel.

8. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said component is a phosphor.

9. A laser according to claim 8, wherein the particle size of said phosphor is 0.001-20 μ

m.

10. A laser according to claim 8, wherein said phosphor particle size is 2-20 μ

m.

11. A laser according to claim 9, wherein the particle size of said phosphor is wit the range of 0.01-0.4 μ

m.

12. A laser according to claim 8, wherein the loading of said phosphor is 0.005-1.0 g/cc of the composition.

13. A laser according to claim 8, wherein said phosphor is zinc sulfide doped with silver.

14. A laser according to claim 8 wherein said phosphor is zinc sulfide doped with thulium.

15. A laser according to claim 8, wherein said component comprises phosphor whiskers incorporated into said aerogel substrate.

16. A laser according to claim 8, wherein said composition further comprises silica fibers incorporated into the phosphor/aerogel composite.

17. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said aerogel is a silica aerogel.

18. A laser according to claim 7, wherein the density of said aerogel is 0.01-1.5 g/cm³.

21. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said aerogel substrate has a porosity of at least about 85 vol %.

22. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said aerogel substrate has a surface area of at least about 500 m² /g.

23. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said aerogel substrate transmits at least about 50% of the light generated by said component.

24. A laser according to claim 7, wherein the duration of the pump pulse of light emitted is smaller than the fluorescence lifetime of said laser material.

26. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said exciting radiation is an electron beam with an energy of 100-10⁶ electron volts.

27. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said exciting radiation is 3 ev-9 ev ultraviolet light.

29. A laser according to claim 7, wherein said exciting radiation is 0.1 ev-1.5 ev infrared light.

19. A laser according to claim wherein said component is a photoluminescent material.

20. A laser according to claim 19, wherein said photoluminescent material is a uranium compound loaded into said aerogel substrate.

25. A laser according to claim wherein said aerogel substrate has a density of 0.075-0.30 g/cm³ and a surface area of 600-1200 m² /g.

28. A laser according to claim, wherein said exciting radiation is 1.5 ev-3 ev visible light.

30. A method of forming a laser beam comprising pumping a laser material with a flash lamp wherein said flash lamp is a porous substrate loaded with a component capable of emitting light, upon interaction of said component with an exciting radiation, wherein the emitted light is within the absorption band width of the laser material and of a sufficient intensity to generate a laser beam, and

wherein said flash lamp is activated by exposing said component to exciting radiation from a source thereof.

31. A method of optically pumping a lasing material comprising subjecting the laser material to light emitted from a component, said component being loaded in a porous substrate, wherein said component emits light by exposure to a source of exciting radiation.