US 11,476,630 B1Granted

Thin film brewster coupling device

OwnerRobert Neil Campbellinventor

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Abstract

A thin film Brewster coupling device configured for low loss transmission of an imposed polarized parallel to plane of incidence 8.5 micron to 11.5 micron wavelength laser beam and simultaneous high reflectivity of a polarized perpendicular to plane of incidence 2 micron to 4 micron wavelength laser beam. The device comprising an optical media substrate and at least one dielectric stack optically coupled to the optical media substrate where the dielectric stack comprises a dielectric layer and an overlayer, the dielectric layer and the overlayer each comprising a thickness of nominally a quarter wavelength of the 2 micron to 4 micron wavelength laser beam, and oriented at near the Brewster Angle to the incident 8.5 micron to 11.5 micron wavelength laser beam. The substrate and dielectric mediums of necessary characteristics to result in low LIDT, high strength, chemical inertness and high thermal conductivity.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A thin film Brewster coupling device for coincident path coupling and decoupling of an approximately 2 μm to approximately 4 μm wavelength ‘s’ polarized pump beam with an approximately 8.5 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength gas laser ‘p’ polarized imposed beam in a laser beam gain medium cavity having a gain medium gas, the device comprising:

an optical media substrate comprising a front surface, and
at least one dielectric stack optically coupled to the optical media substrate front surface;
the dielectric stack comprising
a dielectric layer, and
an overlayer;
wherein the optical media substrate:
exhibits an index of refraction of at least 2 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range,
exhibits an extinction coefficient near 0 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 2.5 μm and the approximately 6 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelengths range,
exhibits a thermal conductivity approximately 1,000 W/m-K or greater,
exhibits a Youngs modulus of approximately 1,000 GPa or greater,
exhibits a significant band gap energy,
is chemically inert to the gain medium gas;
and
wherein the dielectric layer:
comprises an optical thickness of approximately a quarter wavelength of the ‘s’ polarized pump beam,
exhibits an index of refraction of less than approximately 1.7 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range,
exhibits an extinction coefficient less than approximately 0.01 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range;
and
wherein the overlayer
comprises an optical thickness of approximately a quarter wavelength of the ‘s’ polarized pump beam,
exhibits an index of refraction of at least 2 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range,
exhibits an extinction coefficient near 0 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range,
exhibits a thermal conductivity of 500 W/m-K or greater,
exhibits a Youngs modulus of approximately 500 GPa or greater,
exhibits a significant band gap energy,
is chemically inert to the gain medium gas.

23 more elements

an optical media substrate comprising a front surface, and
at least one dielectric stack optically coupled to the optical media substrate front surface;
the dielectric stack comprising
a dielectric layer, and
an overlayer;
wherein the optical media substrate:
exhibits an index of refraction of at least 2 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range,
exhibits a thermal conductivity approximately 1,000 W/m-K or greater,
exhibits a Youngs modulus of approximately 1,000 GPa or greater,
exhibits a significant band gap energy,
is chemically inert to the gain medium gas;
and
wherein the dielectric layer:
comprises an optical thickness of approximately a quarter wavelength of the ‘s’ polarized pump beam,
exhibits an index of refraction of less than approximately 1.7 within
the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range;
and
wherein the overlayer
comprises an optical thickness of approximately a quarter wavelength of the ‘s’ polarized pump beam,
exhibits an index of refraction of at least 2 within the approximately 2 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength range,
exhibits a thermal conductivity of approximately 500 W/m-K or greater,
exhibits a Youngs modulus of approximately 500 GPa or greater,
exhibits a significant band gap energy,
is chemically inert to the gain medium gas, and
wherein the extinction coefficients of the optical media substrate, the dielectric layer and the overlayer, collectively, are such that the transmission absorption losses of the thin film Brewster coupling device are less than approximately 5 percent of the incident approximately 8.5 μm to approximately 11.5 μm wavelength beam.

22 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.