High energy, high average power solid state green or UV laser
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsLloyd A. Hackel, Mary Norton, C. Brent Dane
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Abstract
A system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence. A Nd:glass laser produces a near-infrared output by means of an oscillator that generates a high quality but low power output and then multi-pass through and amplification in a zig-zag slab amplifier and wavefront correction in a phase conjugator at the midway point of the multi-pass amplification. The green or UV output is generated by means of conversion crystals that follow final propagation through the zig-zag slab amplifier.
Claims34
A system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence, comprising:
- an oscillator that generates a high quality but low power output,
- a zig-zag slab amplifier operatively connected to said oscillator,
- a phase conjugator operatively connected to said zig-zag slab amplifier, and
- non-linear conversion crystals operatively connected to said zig-zag slab amplifier for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence.
21 A system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence, comprising:
- near-infrared means for producing a near-infrared output,
- amplifier means connected to said near-infrared means for amplifying said near-infrared output,
- phase conjugator means connected to said amplifier means, and
- conversion means for converting said near-infrared output to green or UV with relatively high beam fluence.
The system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence of claim 21, wherein said conversion means are within a phase conjugation loop including said phase conjugator means.
The system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence of claim 21, including a feedback control system to optimize the conversion through said conversion means.
The system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence of claim 21, wherein said conversion means is a non-linear crystal means.
The system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence of claim 21, wherein said conversion means is configured in an alternating z arrangement to convert said near-infrared output to green or UV with relatively high beam fluence.
A laser method for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence, comprising the steps of:
- providing a near-infrared output,
- amplifying said near-infrared output,
- multi-passing said near-infrared output through and amplification in a zig-zag slab amplifier and wavefront correction in a phase conjugator, and
- using conversion crystals configured in an alternating z arrangement for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence.
The system for producing a green or UV output beam for illuminating a large area with relatively high beam fluence of claim 21, wherein said conversion crystal means have angular sensitivity reduced by a factor of two in the sensitive tuning direction by configuring the crystal in the alternating z geometry to allow high conversion efficiency for peak powers in the tens to hundreds of megawatts per square centimeter range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.