Method and apparatus to dynamically control the resonator gain of a laser
AssigneeLaser Photonics, Inc.
InventorEric Koschmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method or apparatus for controlling the output pulse of a Q-switched laser. The intensity of laser light within the resonator of a Q-switch laser is sensed. A reference pulse related to a desired laser output pulse shape is compared with the sensed intensity. A variation signal corresponding to differences between the sensed light intensity and the reference pulse is fed to a Pockels cell or Q-switch within the resonator. The Q-switch responds to the variation signal by altering the resonator laser light polarization to maintain the Q-switch laser's output pulse in the desired shape. The reference pulse may be dynamically altered to change the shape of the output pulse.
Claims18
An apparatus for controlling the resonator gain of a Q-switched laser, the apparatus comprising:
- laser resonator means including a Q-switch for generating a Q-switched laser output pulse having a predetermined shape;
- means within said resonator means for sensing variations in intensity of laser energy within said resonator means;
- and
- controller means responsive to an output of said sensing means for regulating the shape of said Q-switch output pulse to maintain the predetermined shape.
A Q-switched laser apparatus comprising:
- a laser resonator having a Pockels cell capable of making polarization changes, the Pockels cell optically coupled to a laser head, the resonator generating a laser output pulse;
- said Pockels cell regulating the intensity of the laser light within said resonator by changing the polarization of the light within said resonator in response to a variation correction;
- a photo detector sensing the intensity of laser light within said resonator and providing a feedback signal representative of the intensity of the light within said resonator;
- a comparator providing a reference pulse;
- a summing amplifier receiving said reference pulse and said feedback signal and generating a variation signal having a magnitude corresponding to the variation of the feedback signal from the reference pulse;
- and
- means responsive to said variation signal for providing the variation correction to said Pockels cell, the variation correction related to the magnitude of said variation signal.
A method for controlling the gain of a laser resonator having a Pockels cell and through which a laser light with varying intensity propagates, the method comprising the steps of:
- periodically generating laser output pulses with said Pockels cell;
- sensing variations of laser light intensity within said resonator;
- and
- maintaining said laser output pulse in a predetermined shape in response to the sensed variations.
A laser resonator comprising:
- a laser rod and pump for generating an output of coherent energy;
- means within the laser resonator for shaping the coherent energy output into pulses having predetermined characteristics;
- means for detecting variations in the pulses within the resonator with respect to the predetermined characteristics and providing an output representative of the variations;
- and
- means responsive to the detecting means output for regulating the shaping means to maintain an output with pulses having the predetermined characteristics.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.