Optical amplifying device
AssigneeImperial College Innovations Limited
InventorMichael John Damzen
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Abstract
In an optical amplifying device, an optical beam passes multiple times through a grazing-incidence bounce amplifier, accessing different parts (G1,G2) of the gain region on each transit. This provides improved characteristics in beam quality, with higher power scalability. The multipass configuration can operate as a high gain amplifier device and, with the addition of suitable feedback such as reflectors (M1-M4), as a laser oscillator to provide an optical source.
Claims13
An optical amplifying device comprising a slab of material which is pumped via a side face thereof with pump radiation of a frequency which is absorbed by the material to provide a gain region-adjacent said side face, the device defining a path through the gain region for optical radiation to be amplified, said path comprising at least two, spatially-different grazing-incidence reflections in said gain region.
A method of amplifying optical radiation comprising side-pumping a slab of material via side face thereof with pump radiation of a frequency which is absorbed by the material to provide a gain region adjacent said side face, and guiding said optical radiation along a path comprising at least two spatially-different grazing-incidence reflections in said gain region.
A system comprising:
- a first optical amplifying device comprising a slab of material which is pumped via a side face thereof with pump radiation of a frequency which is absorbed by the material to provide a gain region adjacent said side face, the device defining a path through the gain region for optical radiation to be amplified, said path comprising at least two, spatially-different grazing-incidence reflections in said gain region;
- and
- a second optical amplifying device for receiving and amplifying radiation output by the optical source comprising a slab of material which is pumped via a side face thereof with pump radiation of a frequency which is absorbed by the material to provide a gain region adjacent said side face, the device defining a path through the gain region for optical radiation to be amplified, said path comprising at least two, spatially-different grazing-incidence reflections in said gain region;
- wherein said first and second optical amplifying devices share a common slab of material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.