Glass laser
AssigneeAmoco Corporation
InventorsMark C. Farries, Paul R. Morkel, Janet E. Townsend
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser is characterized by a glass gain medium which contains trivalent samarium Sm.sup.3+ ions and which, when optically pumped on one or a number of absorption bands to achieve excitation at or above the metastable .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level, radiates light at a wavelength substantially corresponding to transitions from the .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level of samarium.
Claims9
A glass laser characterised by a gain medium which contains trivalent samarium Sm.sup.3+ ions, and which when optically pumped on one or a number of absorption bands to achieve excitation to the metastable .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level, radiates lasing light at a wavelength substantially corresponding to transitions from the .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level of samarium.
A glass laser, comprising:
- a gain medium formed from a glass optical fiber waveguide having an interior core and exterior cladding, having trivalent samarium Sm.sup.3+ ions solution doped into at least one of said core and cladding, having a core which contains more than 80 mol % silica (SiO.sub.2), and having at least one absorption band which when optically pumped achieves excitation to the metastable .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level and radiates lasing light at a wavelength substantially corresponding to transitions from the .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level to the .sup.6 H.sub.9/2 level of samarium.
A glass laser, comprising:
- a gain medium formed from a single-mode optical fiber having a glass core which contains at least 80 mol % silica and which is doped with trivalent samarium Sm.sup.3+ ions using the solution doping technique and which has at least one absorption band to achieve excitation to the metastable .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level, said fiber when optically pumped to said .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level radiating light having a wavelength substantially corresponding to transitions from the .sup.4 G.sub.5/2 level to the .sup.6 H.sub.5/2 level of samarium, and having a line where width of about 3.3 nm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.