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US 5,295,146 AGranted
Solid state gain mediums for optically pumped monolithic laser
AssigneePolaroid Corporation
InventorsPavle Gavrilovic, Shobha Singh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Novel solid state gain mediums provide monolithic lasers with short cavity lengths and with the ability to efficiently lase in the lowest order TEM.sub.00 mode. Unoptimized optical power conversion efficiency of 35% has been achieved with the novel solid state gain mediums in monolithic lasers that have a cavity length as short as 0.5 mm. With proper values for the output mirror reflectivity and low loss host crystals, the optical power conversion efficiency is approximately 50%. Moreover, when in optical contact with a frequency doubling optically non linear crystal, the novel solid state gain mediums in the monolithic lasers can produce coherent visible light.
Claims19
A solid state gain medium for a microlaser, said solid state gain medium comprising a host crystal-ion combination having one of the atomic formulas:
- Y.sub.1-x R.sub.x VO.sub.4 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, where X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 0.07;
- Y.sub.3(1-x) R.sub.3x Al.sub.5 O.sub.12 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, where X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 1.0;
- La.sub.2(1-x) R.sub.2x O.sub.2 S where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 0.10;
- and La.sub.1-x R.sub.x Z.sub.3 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, where Z is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine and bromine, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 1.0.
1 more element
A solid microlaser of the type that is optically pumped, said solid state microlaser comprising:
- a first reflecting surface, a second reflecting surface apart from said first reflecting surface, and a solid state gain medium disposed between said first and said second reflecting surfaces, said solid state gain medium comprising a host crystal-ion combination having the atomic formulas:
- Y.sub.1-x R.sub.x VO.sub.4 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 0.07;
- Y.sub.3(1-x) R.sub.3x Al.sub.5 O.sub.12 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 1.0;
- La.sub.2(1-x) R.sub.2x O.sub.2 S where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysoprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 0.10;
- and La.sub.(1-x) R.sub.x Z.sub.3 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and Z is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine and bromine, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 1.0.
2 more elements
A solid state microlaser of the type that is optically pumped, comprising:
- a) an optically nonlinear crystal comprising a first crystal surface and an opposite second crystal surface, said optically nonlinear crystal being a doubler, having low optical loss at a fundamental frequency and a second harmonic frequency, and having a dispersion allowing phase matching at said fundamental frequency and said second harmonic frequency;
- b) a solid state gain medium comprising a first solid state surface, an opposite second solid state surface, and a host crystal-ion combination, said first solid state surface being in optical contact with said first crystal surface, said host crystal-ion combination having one of the atomic formulas:
- Y.sub.1-x R.sub.x VO.sub.4 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 0.07;
- Y.sub.3(1-x) R.sub.3x Al.sub.5 O.sub.12 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 1.0;
- la.sub.2(1-x) R.sub.2x O.sub.2 S where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 1.0;
- and La.sub.1-x R.sub.x Z.sub.3 where R is a dopant comprising at least one of cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium and ytterbium, and Z is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine and bromine, and X is a value ranging from 0.005 to 1.0;
- c) a first reflecting surface disposed in optical alignment with said second solid state surface;
- and
- d) a second reflecting surface disposed in optical alignment with said second crystal surface.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.