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US 4,713,820 AGranted
Thermal lensing-compensated lanthanum beryllate laser
AssigneeAllied Corporation
InventorsRobert C. Morris, Margaret N. Long, Timothy C. Chin, Donald F. Heller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A single crystal of rare-earth-doped lanthanum beryllate, whose crystal orientation is suitably chosen, provides a laser medium whose index of refraction is substantially independent of temperature. A laser using such a crystal as the laser medium displays little or no thermal lensing, thus permitting high power operation without wavefront distortion.
Claims11
A lanthanum beryllate single crystal that
- (a) is doped with an element selected from the group consisting of praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium and mixtures thereof;
- and
- (b) has an elongated shape, in which the long direction is oriented at such an angle with respect to the crystallographic axes of the crystal that a plane polarized wave propagating in the crystal in the long direction will have substantially zero temperature dependence of refractive index.
A laser that comprising:
- (a) a laser medium comprising a lanthanum beryllate single crystal that;
- (i) is doped with an element selected from the group consisting of praseodynium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulbium, ytterbium and mixtures thereof, and
- (ii) has an elongate shape, in which the long direction is oriented at such an angle with respect to the crystallographic axes of the crystal that a plane polarized wave propagating in the crystal in the long direction will have substantially zero temperature dependence of refractive index;
- (b) means for exciting the laser medium to emit a beam of coherent radiation;
- and
- (c) mirrors forming an optical resonator for maintaining laser oscillatios between the mirrors.
3 more elements
A lithium yttrium fluoride single crystal that
- (a) is doped with an element selected from the group consisting of praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, europium, gadolinium erbium, thulium, ytterbium and mixtures thereof;
- and
- (b) has an elongated shape, in which the long direction is oriented at such an angle with respect to the crystallographic axes of the crystal that a plane polarized wave propagating in the crystal in the long direction will have substantially zero temperature dependence of refractive index.
A laser that comprising:
- (a) a closer medium comprising a lithium ytrium fluoride single crystal that;
- (i) is doped with an element selected from the group consisting of praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium and mixtures thereof,
- (ii) has an elongated shape, in which the long direction is oriented at such an angle with respect to the crystallographic axes of the crystal that a plane polarized wave propagating in the crystal in the long direction will have substantially zero temperature dependence of refractive index;
- (b) means for exciting the laser medium to emit a beam of coherent radiation;
- and
- (c) mirrors forming an optical resonator for maintaining laser oscillations between the mirrors.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.