Solid state laser pumped by visible light-emitting-diode

Abstract

Visible light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) are inexpensive, provide emissions in many wavelengths and are powerful enough to pump solid state laser rods. The LED light is directed to the laser rod (laser gain element). The LED wavelength chosen matches the absorption spectrum of a transition element contained in the laser rod. It is know that the absorption bandwidths of these elements are typically very large. Besides a single LED, an array of LEDs may be used. Either of these arrangements may be imaged on the laser rod or fiber-coupled to the rod. A laser system that is pumped by one or more LEDs provides a low cost, relatively low power laser system. A low cost, higher powered, pulsed laser system is possible by pulsed LED operation. Thus it is possible to exceed the pump power threshold for a given laser by using a relatively small number of LEDs.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.