Passive Q-switching of diode-pumped laser
AssigneeJerusalem College of Technology
InventorsSalman Noach, Daniel Sebbag
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Abstract
A laser system, comprised of: a laser cavity; a gain medium a pump, a saturable absorber (SA); a first mirror and a second mirror; wherein a ratio of an area of the beam area within the SA to an area of the laser beam within the gain medium is greater than 1, and wherein the beam generates a gain medium radius spot on the gain medium and a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber such that a ratio between a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber and the gain medium radius spot on the gain medium is within a range of 1.7-7 is disclosed. A method for using the laser system e.g., for producing a pulsed energy is further disclosed.
Claims17
A laser system, comprising:
- a lasercavity;
- a gain medium disposed within the laser cavity;
- a pump configured to optically pump the lasing medium;
- a saturable absorber (SA);
- a first mirror disposed at a proximal first end of the laser cavity;
- and
- a second mirror disposed at a proximal second end of the laser cavity;
- wherein:
- the first mirror, the second mirror, and the saturable absorber are disposed along a horizontal axis with the laser cavity;
- the saturable-absorber is disposed between the second mirror and the laser cavity, the system is configured to provide a laser beam along a horizontal axis, such that a ratio of an area of the beam area within the saturable-absorber to an area of the laser beam within the gain medium to is greater than 1;
- the beam generates a gain medium radius spot on the gain medium and a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber, and
- a ratio between a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber and the gain medium radius spot on the gain medium is within a range of 1.7-7.
A passive Q-switch diode-pumped laser system, comprising:
- a gain medium;
- and
- a saturable absorber;
- wherein the gain medium and the saturable absorber are disposed along a horizontal axis,
- wherein the system is configured to provide a laser beam along the horizontal axis, such that a ratio of an area of the beam area within the saturable-absorber to an area of the laser beam within the gain medium is greater than 1,
- wherein the beam generates a gain medium radius spot on the gain medium and a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber, and
- wherein a ratio between a saturable adsorber radius spot on the saturable absorber and the gain medium radius spot on the gain medium and a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber is within a range of 1.7-7.
A method for producing a pulsed laser beam, the method comprising:
- (i) providing a system comprising:
- a laser cavity;
- a gain medium disposed within the laser cavity;
- a pump source;
- a saturable absorber (SA);
- a first mirror disposed at a proximal first end of the laser cavity;
- and
- a second mirror disposed at a proximal second end of the laser cavity;
- (ii) supplying electrical power to the pump source so as to energize the gain medium, thereby:
- producing a laser beam crossing through the gain medium and the SA;
- generating a gain medium radius spot on the gain medium;
- generating an SA radius spot on the SA;
- transmitting the laser beam through the second mirror, thereby outputting a pulsed laser beam;
- wherein:
- (a) a ratio of an area of the laser beam within the SA to an area of the laser beam within the gain medium is greater than 1, and
- (b) a ratio of the gain medium radius spot to the SA radius spot to the gain medium radius spot is within a range of 1.7-7.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.