Rapidly tunable external cavity laser

An external cavity laser comprising:

• a. a laser diode source operable to produce a light output comprising a range of light wavelengths;
• b. a collimation optical element coupled to the laser diode source to collimate the light output, thereby forming a collimated light output;
• c. a blazed diffraction grating coupled to the collimation optical element and diffracting the collimated light output into a first diffraction order;
• d. a transform optical element coupled to the blazed diffraction grating, the transform optical element converting the first diffraction order to position in a transform plane by focusing the range of light wavelengths to the transform plane;
• and
• e. a diffractive light modulator coupled to the transform optical element and located in the transform plane, the diffractive light modulator comprising an array of light modulating pixels selectively operable in a reflection mode and a diffraction mode where a particular light modulating pixel in the reflection mode reflects light along a return path, where the particular light modulating pixel in the diffraction mode directs light away from the return path, and where the reflection mode is selectively operable to adjust a return path length by at least a half wavelength such that in operation at least one of the light modulating pixels operates in the reflection mode returning a lasing wavelength along the return path and creating a resonant cavity for the lasing wavelength while operating a remainder of the light modulating pixels in the diffraction mode to direct a remainder of the range of light wavelengths away from the return path.

An external cavity laser comprising:

• a. means for producing a light output from a laser source where the laser source is operable to produce a range of light wavelengths;
• b. means for collimating the light output, thereby forming a collimated light output;
• c. means for diffracting the collimated light output into a first diffraction order;
• d. means for transforming the first diffraction order from angle to position in a transform plane;
• e. means for modulating light in the transform plane comprising an array of light modulating pixels selectively operable in a first mode and a second mode where a particular light modulating pixel in the first mode reflects light along a return path, where the particular light modulating pixel in the second mode directs light away from the return path, and where the first mode is selectively operable to adjust a return path length by at least a half wavelength such that in operation at least one of the light modulating pixels operates in the first mode returning a lasing wavelength along the return path and creating a resonant cavity for the lasing wavelength while operating a remainder of the light modulating pixels in the second mode to direct a remainder of the range of light wavelengths away from the return path.