Self-aligned polarized laser

A self-aligned laser of the type generating linearly polarized light, said laser comprising:

• a. a laserable material;
• b. means for optically exciting said laserable material;
• c. means associated with said laserable material for generating a first laser beam which is linearly polarized in a predetermined direction;
• d. a transparent corner reflector having a flat surface and three planes disposed at an angle to each other to form a tetrahedral structure, said structure being disposed in the path of said first laser beam, said first laser beam passing through said flat surface and then impinging on a first one of said planes of said corner reflector away from the apex thereof, said first laser beam being returned substantially parallel thereto to provide a second laser beam, said second laser beam being reflected on a plane adjacent said first plane and then from the third plane, whereupon said second laser beam issues from said flat surface;
• and
• e. reflector means disposed in the path of said first and second laser beams for reflecting said laser beams, for defining an optical cavity and for permitting a portion of at least one of said laser beams to pass, said laserable material and said corner reflector being so aligned and adjusted with respect to each other that said second laser beam when reflected by said reflector means and said corner reflector will return through said laserable material with the same direction of polarization as said first laser beam generated by said laserable material.