Passively stabilized intracavity doubling laser
AssigneeLight Solutions Corporation
InventorLarry R. Marshall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A diode pumped laser is wavelength converted using an intracavity non-linear optical crystal, and the wavelength converted output is passively stabilized by a short cavity using unpolarized laser output. End pumping limits the number of transverse cavity modes, and intracavity etalon effects may be achieved by additional coatings deposited upon the laser or non-linear crystals themselves, further reducing the longitudinal mode spectrum. Wavelength converted output is enhanced by minimizing backward conversion in a linear cavity, or by folding the cavity via an angled face of the non-linear or the laser crystal.
Claims24
A laser device comprising
- a laser crystal in which diode pump radiation is confined to less than approximately ten millimeters of axial length along the optical axis,
- optical pumping means for producing pump light,
- imaging means for collecting and directing the pumping light into the laser crystal in alignment with respect to a desired laser cavity mode to pump the laser crystal and produce fundamental laser light,
- a back mirror which reflects the fundamental laser light,
- a front mirror which is highly reflecting at the fundamental laser wavelength, the front mirror forming with the back mirror a resonant optical cavity around the laser crystal,
- a non-linear optical crystal placed in the cavity between the laser crystal and front mirror to convert the fundamental laser light to light of another wavelength forming a laser output light,
- wherein said resonant optical cavity has a length between ten millimeters and ten centimeters, which, in conjunction with the non-linear crystal, is effective in limiting instabilities and noise in the laser output light.
A stabilized laser comprising
- cavity means, including at least a front minor and a back mirror for forming a laser cavity
- a laser crystal in said cavity
- means for pumping the laser crystal to produce fundamental frequency laser light
- a non-linear optical element in said cavity which causes loss of fundamental frequency laser light from the cavity,
- wherein the laser cavity has a characteristic spiking frequency, and said non-linear optical element causes a higher loss of fundamental frequency laser light when laser light is spiking than when the laser light is not spiking, thereby causing the laser crystal to produce a continuous-wave laser output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.