Amplified laser device using a MEMS MMA having tip, tilt and piston capability to both correct a beam profile and steer the amplified beam

A laser device, comprising:

• a laser configured to generate a beam of optical radiation;
• an optical amplifier configured to amplify the beam;
• a single Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) positioned in front of the optical amplifier to receive the beam, said one or more MMAs comprising a plurality of mirrors independently responsive to command signals to tip and tilt about first and second axes, respectively, and to piston in translation along a third axis in three degrees-of-freedom (3DOF) to correct a profile of the beam and to steer the beam;
• and
• a controller configured to generate command signals to piston the mirrors to correct the profile of the beam to correct a spatial intensity profile and to tip and tilt the mirrors to correct a cross-section of the beam to optimize the gain performance of the optical amplifier without regard for atmospheric distortion while steering the beam over a field-of-regard (FOR).

A laser device, comprising:

• a laser configured to generate a beam of optical radiation;
• an optical amplifier configured to amplify the beam;
• a single Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) positioned in front of the optical amplifier to receive the beam, said one or more MMAs comprising a plurality of mirrors independently responsive to command signals to tip and tilt about first and second axes, respectively, and to piston in translation along a third axis in three degrees-of-freedom (3DOF) to correct a profile of the beam and to steer the beam;
• a wavefront sensor system configured to measure atmospheric distortion,
• a controller configured to generate command signals to piston the mirrors to correct a spatial intensity profile and to tip and tilt the mirrors to correct a cross-section of the beam to improve the gain performance of the optical amplifier and to piston the mirrors to correct the wavefront of the beam to compensate for atmospheric distortion while tipping and tilting the mirrors to steer the beam over a field-of-regard (FOR).

A laser device, comprising:

• a laser configured to generate a beam of optical radiation;
• an optical amplifier configured to amplify the beam;
• a single Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) positioned behind the optical amplifier to receive the beam, said one or more MMAs comprising a plurality of mirrors independently responsive to command signals to tip and tilt about first and second axes, respectively, and to piston in translation along a third axis in three degrees-of-freedom (3DOF) to correct a profile of the beam and to steer the beam;
• a wavefront sensor system configured to measure atmospheric distortion,
• a controller configured to generate command signals to piston the mirrors to optimize compensation for atmospheric distortion without regard for the gain performance of the optical amplifier while tipping and tilting the mirrors to steer the amplified beam over a field-of-regard (FOR).

A laser device, comprising:

• a laser configured to generate a beam of optical radiation;
• an optical amplifier configured to amplify the beam;
• first and seconds Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) positioned in front of and behind the optical amplifier, respectively, to receive the beam, said one or more MMAs comprising a plurality of mirrors independently responsive to command signals to tip and tilt about first and second axes, respectively, and to piston in translation along a third axis in three degrees-of-freedom (3DOF) to correct a profile of the beam and to steer the beam;
• a wavefront sensor system configured to measure atmospheric distortion,
• a controller configured to generate command signals for the first MEMS MMA to piston the mirrors to correct a spatial intensity profile and to tip and tilt the mirrors to correct a cross-section of the beam to optimize the gain performance of the optical amplifier and to generate command signals for the second MEMS MMA to piston the mirrors to optimize compensation for atmospheric distortion and to tip and tilt mirrors to steer the beam over a field-of-regard (FOR).

A laser device, comprising:

• a laser configured to generate a beam of optical radiation;
• an optical amplifier configured to amplify the beam;
• one or more Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) of which one is positioned in front of the optical amplifier to receive the beam, said one or more MMAs comprising a plurality of mirrors independently responsive to command signals to tip and tilt about first and second axes, respectively, and to piston in translation along a third axis in three degrees-of-freedom (3DOF) to correct a profile of the beam and to steer the beam;
• a wavefront sensor system configured to measure atmospheric distortion;
• a controller configured to generate command signals to actuate the mirrors to correct the profile of the beam to correct a spatial intensity profile and a cross-section of the beam to improve the gain performance of the optical amplifier and to correct a wavefront of the beam to compensate for atmospheric distortion and command signals to steer the beam over a field-of-regard (FOR)
• a sensor configured to monitor the output power level of the optical amplifier and feedback the sensed level to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to generate command signals to compensate for time varying fluctuations in the amplifier's output power level.

A laser device, comprising:

• a laser configured to generate a beam of optical radiation;
• an optical amplifier configured to amplify the beam;
• first and second Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) positioned in front of and in back of the optical amplifier, respectively, to receive the beam, said one or more MMAs comprising a plurality of mirrors independently responsive to command signals to tip and tilt about first and second axes, respectively, and to piston in translation along a third axis in three degrees-of-freedom (3DOF) to correct a profile of the beam and to steer the beam;
• a wavefront sensor system configured to measure atmospheric distortion;
• a controller configured to generate command signals for the first MEMS MMA to piston the mirrors to correct a spatial intensity profile and to tip and tilt the mirrors to correct a cross-section of the beam to optimize gain performance of the optical amplifier and to generate command signals for the second MEMS MMA to piston the mirrors to optimize compensation for atmospheric distortion and to tip and tilt mirrors to steer the beam over a field-of-regard (FOR).