External cavity laser type light source

• US 6,568,105 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1998
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ando Electric Co., Ltd. (Yokogawa Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Asami, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Jr., Leon
• Application Number:
  US09/176,301
• Time in Patent Office: 1,678 Days
• Field of Search: 372/32, 372/20, 372/102, 372/99, 372/92
• US Class Current: 372/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08009 using a diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08036 using intracavity dispersive, polarising or birefringent elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08059 Constructional details of the reflector, e.g. shape mirrors in general G02B5/08; mountings for mirrors G02B7/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0812 using a diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0826 using a diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/101 Lasers provided with means to change the location from which, or the direction in which, laser radiation is emitted
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/141 using a wavelength selective device, e.g. a grating or etalon H01S5/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/143 Littman-Metcalf configuration, e.g. laser - grating - mirror

Abstract

An external cavity laser type light source including a light emitting element, a wavelength selection element for selecting a wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting element and for returning light to the light emitting element, and an optical branch element arranged between the light emitting element and the wavelength selection element. In the external cavity laser type light source, selected light sent from the wavelength selection element is branched by the optical branch element, and one branched component is taken out as output light.

Claims

1. An external cavity laser light source comprising:

a light emitting element for emitting a first light beam having a first wavelength distribution;

a wavelength selection element for selecting a wavelength of the first light beam and for returning a second light beam having a second wavelength distribution different from the first wavelength distribution to said light emitting element, said wavelength selection element including a band-pass filter and a mirror, in which the first light beam is introduced into the band-pass filter, output to the mirror, reflected by the mirror, again introduced into the band-pass filter, and outputted as the second light beam;

an optical branch element arranged between said light emitting element and said wavelength selection element,

wherein the optical branch element branches the second light beam in a direction to be taken out as an output light beam; and

the output light beam contains no component of the first light beam directly emitted from the light emitting element.

2. The external cavity laser light source according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting element includes a semiconductor laser element.

3. The external cavity laser light source according to claim 1, wherein said wavelength selection element includes a diffraction grating.

4. The external cavity laser light source according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating mechanism for rotating said wavelength selection element by a predetermined angle.

5. The external cavity-laser light source according to claim 1, further comprising a slide stage for moving said wavelength selection element by a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of said light emitting element.

6. The external cavity laser light source according to claim 1, wherein said optical branch element includes an unporalized light beam splitter.

7. The external cavity laser light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical branch element has a reflection surface facing between the wavelength selection element and the output direction, the reflection surface to reflect the selected light sent directly from the wavelength selection element to be output as the output light beam.

8. An external cavity laser light source comprising:

a light emitting element for emitting a first light beam having a first wavelength distribution;

a diffraction grating for selecting a wavelength of the first light beam and for returning a second light beam having a second wavelength distribution different from the first wavelength distribution to said light emitting element; and

a multiple-surface reflecting mirror having a first reflecting surface for reflecting the first light beam wavelength selected by the diffraction grating and again introducing the first light beam onto the diffraction grating, and a second reflecting surface different in surface angle from the first reflecting surface, the second reflecting surface for reflecting the first light beam to be taken out as an output light beam.

9. The external cavity laser light source according to claim 8, wherein said light emitting element includes a semiconductor laser element.

10. An external cavity laser light source comprising:

a light emitting element for emitting a first light beam having a first wavelength distribution;

a wavelength selection element for selecting a wavelength of the first light beam and for returning a second light beam having a second wavelength distribution different from the first wavelength distribution to said light emitting element, the wavelength selection element including a diffraction grating for diffracting the first light beam for selection of a wavelength thereof and a mirror for reflecting the first light beam diffracted by said diffraction grating to resend the first light beam to said diffraction grating, whereby the first light beam is diffracted by the diffraction grating twice and outputted as the second light beam; and

an optical branch element arranged between said light emitting element and said wavelength selection element,

wherein the optical branch element branches the second light beam in an output direction to be taken out as an output light beam, and

the output light beam contains no component of the first light beam directly emitted from the light emitting element.

11. The external cavity laser light source as claimed in claim 10, wherein the optical branch element has a reflection surface facing between the wavelength selection element and the output direction, the reflection surface to reflect the selected light sent directly from the wavelength selection element to be output as the output light beam.