Optical pulse lasers
AssigneeAlnair Labs Corporation
InventorsMark Kenneth Jablonski, Sze Yun Set, Yuichi Tanaka
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Abstract
The present invention provides pulsed lasers which employ carbon nanotubes, particularly layers of carbon nanotubes, as saturable absorbers, mode lockers or for Q-switching elements. The present invention also provides methods and materials for mode-locking and Q-switching of lasers in which carbon nanotubes are employed as non-linear optical materials and/or saturable absorbers which facilitate mode-locking and/or Q-switching. The invention further provides mode locker and Q-switching elements or devices which comprise one or more layers containing carbon nanotubes which layer or layers function for mode locking and/or Q-switching.
Claims33
A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:
- (a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical path where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips;
- wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip path length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency;
- (b) one or more pump light sources;
- (c) one or more optical couplers for coupling pump light from the pump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;
- (d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical path and
- (e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements comprise carbon nanotubes, and wherein at least one of the non-linear optical or saturable absorber elements is a mode locker and the laser is self-starting and mode-locked.
A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:
- (a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical oath where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips;
- wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip oath length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency:
- (b) one or more rump light sources:
- (c) one or more optical couplers for coupling rump light from the rump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;
- (d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical path and
- (e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements comprise carbon nanotubes, which is passively Q-switched wherein the one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements is employed as a Q-spoiler.
A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:
- (a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical oath where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips;
- wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip oath length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency;
- (b) one or more rump light sources;
- (c) one or more optical couplers for coupling rump light from the rump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;
- (d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical oath and
- (e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements comprise carbon nanotubes, wherein the laser is capable of generating pulses having energy higher than about 35 pJ per pulse or capable of generating pulses having a peak power higher than about 35 W.
A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:
- (a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical path where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips;
- wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip path length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency;
- (b) one or more pump light sources;
- (c) one or more optical couplers for coupling pump light from the pump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;
- (d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical path and
- (e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements or devices comprise carbon nanotubes;
- wherein the carbon nanotubes are provided in a layer the thickness of which is varied to adjust the mode-locking and Q-switching threshold optical energy.
A laser-mode locking element comprising one or more layers containing carbon nanotubes;
- wherein the lesser mode locking element is optically coupled to the resonator of the lesser and operating the lesser in the mode-locked regime.
A laser-mode locking element comprising one or more layers containing carbon nanotubes;
- wherein the carbon nanotubes are provided in a layer the thickness of which is varied to adjust the mode-locking and/or Q-switching threshold optical energy.
A mode-locked pulsed laser comprising a laser-mode locking element comprising one or more layers containing carbon nanotubes which functions for mode-locking of the pulsed laser;
- wherein the lesser mode locking element is optically coupled to the resonator of the lesser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.