Solid-state laser oscillator and machining apparatus using the same
AssigneeMitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKuniaki Iwashiro, Kenji Kumamoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a resonating-type solid-state laser oscillator including a birefringent solid-state element containing a laser active medium and providing a plurality of thermal lenses during excitation and reflecting mirrors arranged oppositely to each other on both sides of the solid-state element so that their optical axes are coincident to each other, a prescribed relationship is given among the refractive index and length of the solid-state element, the radii of curvature of the reflection mirrors, the distances between the reflecting mirrors and the solid-state element and the difference between plural thermal lenses by refringence of the solid-state element so that oscillation areas due to the plurality of thermal lenses are separated from each other.
Claims5
A resonating solid-state laser oscillator comprising:
- an excitation light source producing an output that has plural polarization modes;
- a birefringent solid-state element including a laser active medium and producing differing thermal lens effects as a function of the polarization modes of the output of said excitation light source;
- and
- reflecting mirrors arranged on opposite sides of said solid-state element, so that optical axes of said reflecting mirrors are coincident,
- wherein:
- said oscillator oscillates in plural oscillation areas within a range of the output of said excitation light source,
- the plural oscillation areas correspond respectively to the plural thermal lens effects, and
- the plural oscillation areas of said oscillator do not overlap.
A machining apparatus comprising:
- a machining head outputting a laser beam;
- an optical path for guiding the laser beam to said machining head;
- and
- a solid-state laser oscillator, said oscillator comprising:
- an excitation light source producing an output that has plural polarization modes;
- a birefringent solid-state element including a laser active medium and producing differing thermal lens effects as a function of the polarization modes of the output of said excitation light source;
- and
- reflecting mirrors arranged on opposite sides of said solid-state element, so that optical axes of said reflecting mirrors are coincident,
- wherein:
- said oscillator oscillates in plural oscillation areas within a range of the output of said excitation light source,
- the plural oscillation areas correspond respectively to the plural thermal lens effects, and
- the plural oscillation areas of said oscillator do not overlap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.