Integrated acousto-optic mode locking device for a mode locked laser system

An integrated acousto-optic mode locker comprising:

• a laser medium having first and second ends and a longitudinal axis;
• an excitation source for producing a population inversion in said medium;
• an acousto-optic modulator mounted along the longitudinal axis of the laser medium and placed in close proximity to a first end of the laser medium, said acousto-optic modulator including an acoustic-wave and laser light-wave transmitting material, an acoustic-wave generating mechanism connected to said acoustic-wave transmiting material for generating an acoustic standing wave in said material to lock oscillation modes of the laser, said acoustic wave generating mechanism comprising a transducer for converting an electrical signal to an acoustic wave in said acoustic wave transmitting material and further including a frequency synthesized rf source means connected to said transducer, and an end mirror with a coating disposed on said acoustic-wave transmitting material for reflecting radiation from said laser medium in a return path back to said laser medium;
• an output mirror mounted close to a second end of said laser medium and constituting together with said acoustic-optic modulator an optical resonator having an optical axis and an optical path of length L;
• means for controlling and maintaining the temperature of said acousto-optic modulator.