Intra-cavity sum-frequency mixing using solid-state and semiconductor gain-media
AssigneeCoherent, Inc.
InventorsWolf Seelert, Rüdiger Von Elm
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A two-resonator laser arrangement for provides visible-wavelength radiation by sum-frequency mixing two different wavelengths of radiation circulating in the resonators in an optically nonlinear crystal located in the resonators. One of the resonators includes a solid-state gain-medium providing of one the two wavelengths and the other resonator includes a semiconductor gain-medium providing the other of the two wavelengths. A very short excited-state lifetime of the semiconductor gain-medium provides that noise and instability commonly encountered in the output of prior-art intra-resonator frequency-converted lasers is substantially reduced.
Claims19
Optical apparatus, comprising:
- an optically nonlinear element;
- first and second laser-resonators having first and second branches;
- the first and second laser-resonators being optically coupled such that the first branches thereof are coaxial with each other and the second branches thereof are separate from each other;
- the first laser-resonator including solid-state gain-medium located in the second branch thereof and the second laser-resonator including a surface-emitting semiconductor gain-medium located in the second branch thereof and wherein when said solid-state and surface-emitting semiconductor gain-media are energized, radiation having a first wavelength circulates in the first laser-resonator and radiation having a second wavelength circulates in the second laser-resonator;
- and
- wherein the optically nonlinear element is located in the coaxial first branches of the first and second laser-resonators and arranged to sum-frequency mix the circulating first and second wavelength radiations to generate radiation having a third wavelength shorter than that of the first and second wavelengths.
Optical apparatus, comprising:
- an optically nonlinear element;
- first and second laser-resonators having first and second branches;
- the first and second laser-resonators being optically coupled such that the first branches thereof are coaxial and the second branches thereof are separate from each other;
- the first laser-resonator including first gain-medium located in the second branch thereof and the second laser-resonator including a second gain-medium located in the second branch thereof, the first gain-medium having an excited-state lifetime greater than about 10 microseconds and the second gain-medium having an excited-state lifetime less than 100 nanoseconds and wherein when said first and second gain-media are energized, radiation having a first wavelength circulates in the first laser-resonator and radiation having a second wavelength circulates in the second laser-resonator;
- and
- wherein the optically nonlinear element is located in the coaxial first branches of the first and second laser-resonators and arranged to sum-frequency mix the circulating first and second wavelength radiations to generate radiation having a third wavelength shorter than that of the first and second wavelengths.
An apparatus comprising:
- a first optical resonator having a first gain element located therein;
- a second optical resonator having a second gain element located therein, wherein a portion of the first resonator overlaps and is coaxial with a portion of the second resonator and with the first and second gain elements being located in the non-overlapping portions of the respective resonators;
- and
- a non-linear crystal located in the overlapping portions of the resonators and configured for sum frequency mixing and wherein said first gain element is a solid state gain medium having an excited state lifetime of greater than 10 microseconds and wherein the second gain element is a semiconductor gain medium having an excited state lifetime of less than 100 nanosecond.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.