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US 2006/0215725 A1Published application
Apparatus for combining beams from repetitively pulsed lasers along a common path
AssigneeCoherent, Inc.
InventorsAlexander Wiessner, Thomas Schroeder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Two pulse sequences are delivered by two lasers. A rotating segmented mirror having one or more reflective areas and one or more transmissive areas is rotated synchronously with the delivery of the pulse sequences to transmit pulses from one sequence, and to reflect pulses from the other sequence at intervals.
Claims18
A method of operating first and second pulsed lasers, comprising:
- delivering first and second sequences of one of individual pulses and bursts of pulses from respectively the first and second pulsed lasers along respectively first and second beam paths;
- rotating a rotatable member in said first and second beam paths, said rotatable member including at least one reflective area and one transmissive area;
- and
- aligning said first and second beam paths with said rotatable member, and synchronizing said rotation of said rotatable member with the delivery of said first and second sequences such that an individual pulse or a burst of pulses from said first sequence thereof is transmitted through said transmissive area of said rotatable member and an individual pulse or a burst of pulses from said second sequence thereof is reflected by said reflective area of said rotatable member along a common path with said transmitted individual pulse or burst of pulses from said first sequence thereof, but at a different time.
1 more element
Optical apparatus, comprising:
- first and second pulsed lasers each thereof arranged to deliver one of a sequence of individual pulses and a sequence of bursts of pulses along respectively first and second beam paths;
- a rotatable member located in said first and second beam paths, said rotatable member including at least one reflective area and one transmissive area;
- and
- wherein said first and second beam paths are aligned with said rotatable member, and rotation of said rotatable member is synchronized with the delivery of said sequences of pulses or bursts of pulses such that an individual pulse or a burst of pulses from one of said sequences thereof is transmitted through said transmissive area of said rotatable member and an individual pulse or a burst of pulses from the other of said sequences thereof is reflected by said reflective area of said rotatable member along a common path with said transmitted individual pulse or burst of pulses, but at a different time.
1 more element
A laser system comprising:
- a first laser generating a first pulsed output beam;
- a second laser generating a second pulsed output beam:
- a rotatable beam diverter having at least one reflective region and one transmissive region;
- a motor for rotating the beam diverter;
- a first beam position adjuster for directing the first beam to the diverter;
- a second beam position adjuster for directing the second beam to the diverter;
- a controller for controlling the firing of the first and second lasers and the rotation of the motor, said first and second lasers being alternately fired and the motor being operated to rotate the diverter to selectively transmit the first beam and reflect the second beam along a common path;
- and
- a detector for monitoring the position of the pulses after passing the diverter and generating output signals corresponding thereto, said controller further controlling the first and second beam position adjusters based on said output signals to maintain both the first and second beams along a common path.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.