Optical path rotating device used with linear array laser diode and laser apparatus applied therewith

A composite of a condenser and an optical path rotating device for use with a linear array laser diode, said composite comprising a face of incidence for receiving an incident beam having a cross section which is perpendicular to the optical axis and which includes a first axis;

• an optical system for rotating the first axis of said cross section substantially by a right angle;
• a plurality of optical elements having faces of emergence for emitting the emerging beams that have passed through said optical system;
• and
• a cylindrical lens having a flat face of incidence and a bow-shaped face of emergence, wherein the faces of emergence of said optical elements are arranged linearly and fixed such that the faces of emergence are adjacent to the face of incidence of the cylindrical lens, and correspond to the emitting faces of the linear array laser diodes.

A composite of a condenser and an optical path rotating device for use with linear array diode, said device comprising:

• a face of incidence for receiving an incident beam having a cross section which is perpendicular to the optical axis and which includes a first axis;
• an optical system for rotating the first axis of said cross section substantially by a right angle;
• a plurality of optical elements having faces of emergence for emitting the emerging beams that have passed through said optical system;
• and
• a cylindrical lens having a flat face of incidence and a bow-shaped face of emergence, wherein
• the faces of incidence of said optical elements are arranged linearly and fixed such that said faces of incidence are adjacent to said face of emergence of the cylindrical lens, and correspond to the emitting faces of the linear array laser diode.

A semiconductor-laser-pumped solid state laser apparatus comprising:

• a linear array laser diode, having a plurality of laser-beam-emitting emitters having emitter faces arranged to extend linearly in a first direction, for emitting a group of laser beams in the form of a dotted line;
• a first condenser, disposed in front of said linear array laser diode, for collimating said group of laser beams by refracting them to a second direction perpendicular to said first direction;
• an optical path rotating device, disposed in front of said first condenser, and having a plurality of optical elements arranged in parallel for bending the axis of a cross section of at least one laser beam substantially to a right angle, for receiving the group of laser beams collimated in said second direction, rotating the axes of the cross sections of the laser beams, and emitting the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs lined up in said first direction;
• a second condenser for collimating the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs to a direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction;
• a third condenser for bringing the group of laser beams emitted from said second condenser into focus;
• and
• a solid state laser element having a pumping-light-receiving face to which said focus is adjusted.

A semiconductor-laser-pumped solid state laser apparatus comprising:

• a linear array laser diode, having a plurality of laser-beam-emitting emitters having emitter faces arranged to extend linearly in said first direction, for emitting a group of laser beams in the form of a dotted line;
• a first condenser, disposed in front of said linear array laser diode, for collimating the group of laser beams by refracting them to a second direction perpendicular to said first direction;
• an optical path rotating device, disposed in front of said first condenser, and having a plurality of optical elements arranged in parallel for bending the axis of a cross section of at least one laser beam substantially to a right angle, for receiving the group of laser beams collimated in said second direction, rotating the axes of the cross sections of the laser beams, and emitting the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs lined up in said first direction;
• a second condenser for collimating the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs to a direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction;
• a third condenser for bringing the group of laser beams emitted from said second condenser into focus;
• an optical fiber for transmitting light of the group of the laser beams focused into said first focus;
• a collimator for collimating the light emitted from said optical fiber to converge the light to a second focus;
• and
• a solid state laser element having a pumping-light-receiving face to which said focus is adjusted.

A semiconductor-laser-pumped solid state laser apparatus comprising:

• a first linear array laser diode, having a plurality of laser-beam-emitting emitters having emitter faces arranged to extend linearly in said first direction, for emitting a group of laser beams in the form of a dotted line;
• a first condenser, disposed in front of said linear array laser diode, for collimating the group of laser beams by refracting them to a second direction perpendicular to said first direction;
• an optical path rotating device, disposed in front of said first condenser, and having a plurality of optical elements arranged in parallel for bending the axis of a cross section of at least one laser beam substantially to a right angle, for receiving the group of laser beams collimated in said second direction, rotating the axes of the cross sections of the laser beams, and emitting the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs lined up in said first direction;
• a second condenser for collimating the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs to a direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction;
• a second linear array laser diode, having a plurality of laser-beam-emitting emitters having emitter faces arranged to extend linearly in said third direction, for emitting a group of laser beams in the form of a dotted line;
• a third condenser, disposed in front of said second linear array laser diode, for collimating the group of laser beams by refracting them to a fourth direction perpendicular to said third direction;
• a second optical path rotating device, disposed in front of said third condenser,
• and having a plurality of optical element s arranged in parallel for bending the axis of a cross section of at least one laser beam substantially for a right angle, for receiving the group of laser beans collimated in said fourth direction, rotating the axes of the cross sections of the laser beams, and emitting the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs lined up in said third direction;
• a fourth condenser for collimating the group of laser beams substantially in the form of ladder rungs to a direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction;
• a polarization beam splitter having a first face of incidence for receiving a group of laser beams emitted from said second condenser, a second face of incidence for receiving a group of laser beams emitted from a fourth condenser, and a face of emergence for emitting a group of laser beans, wherein
• the group of laser beams received on the first face of incidence and having a first polarization direction are made to travel straight, a group of laser beams having a second polarization direction intersecting the first polarization direction and emitted from the fourth condenser are received on the second face of incidence and refracted to a direction of traveling towards the face of emergence, and as a result, both groups of laser beams are emitted from the face of emergence;
• a fifth condenser for bringing the group of laser beams emitted from said polarization beam splitter into focus;
• and
• a solid-state laser element having a pumping-light-receiving face to which said focus is adjusted.