Tuning a laser
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorEmmerich Mueller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for tuning a laser includes creating a laser with a path between a cavity end element and a tuning element of an external cavity, both being a high reflective or semitransparent mirror, selecting at least one longitudinal mode of the laser by introducing a dispersion element in the path of the laser, rotating the tuning element about a pivot axis theoretically defined by the intersection of the surface planes of the cavity end element, the dispersion element and the tuning element to tune the laser. The method and apparatus also provides for moving the dispersion element along such a predetermined path to at least partly compensate an inclination between the real position of the pivot axis and the theoretically defined position.
Claims16
A method of tuning a laser, comprising:
- providing a laser beam to a path between a cavity end element having surface planes and a tuning element of an external cavity;
- selecting a mode of said laser by introducing a dispersion element in said path;
- rotating the tuning element about a pivot axis to tune said laser, wherein said pivot axis is defined by an intersection of a first surface plane of said cavity end element, a second surface plane of said dispersion element, and a third surface plane of said tuning element;
- and
- moving the dispersion element to at least partly compensate for an inclination between a real position of the pivot axis and the defined position, and wherein said moving of said dispersion element is executed corresponding with said rotating of said tuning element.
A software program or product, stored on a data carrier, for executing a method of tuning a laser when run on a data processing system, said method comprising:
- providing a laser beam to a path between a cavity end element having surface planes and a tuning element of an external cavity,
- selecting at least one mode of the laser by introducing a dispersion element being in the path of the laser,
- rotating the tuning element about a pivot axis to tune the laser, the pivot axis being defined by an intersection of a surface plane of the cavity end element, the dispersion element and the tuning element, and
- moving the dispersion element in order to at least partly compensate for an inclination between a real position of the pivot axis and the defined position.
An apparatus for tuning a laser, comprising:
- an external cavity for receiving a laser beam in a path between a cavity end element and a tuning element of the external cavity,
- a dispersion element introduced in the path of the laser for selecting at least one mode of the laser,
- a pivot axis being defined by an intersection of a surface plane of the cavity end element, the dispersion element and the tuning element about which the tuning element can be rotated to tune the laser, and
- a moving element for moving the dispersion element to at least partly compensate for an inclination between a real position of the pivot axis and the defined position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.