US3573656A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Laser oscillator with mode selector
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1968-12-23
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Granted: 1971-04-06
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Expires: 1988-12-23
Abstract
Abstract Unwanted longitudinal modes, typically generated by a laser oscillator, are suppressed by replacing one of the two uniformly reflecting cavity mirrors with a pair of longitudinally spaced apertured mirrors. Between themselves, the apertured mirrors form an auxiliary cavity supportive of a set of longitudinal modes that are different than the set supported by the primary cavity. As a result, the laser can only oscillate at those frequencies common to both resonant cavities. The mode selectivity is made continuously variable by providing means for changing the relative size of the beam and the apertures in the auxiliary cavity mirrors.
Inventors
- 👤 Enrique A J Marcatili
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 17:24
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/05; H01S3/08; H01S3/08018; H01S3/0804; H01S3/0805; H01S3/081; H01S3/082; H01S3/086
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A mode selective laser comprising: an element of active laser material disposed within a first cavity defined at one end by a mirror of uniform reflectivity and at the other end by a pair of longitudinally spaced mirrors; characterized in that: each of said pair of mirrors has an aperture along the longitudinal axis of said cavity; said first cavity is supportive of a first plurality of resonant frequencies; in that said pair of mirrors are spaced apart a distance to form therebetween a second cavity supportive of a second plurality of resonant frequencies including one that corresponds to a resonant frequency in said first plurality of frequencies; and means for extracting wave energy from said laser at said one frequency.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A mode selective laser comprising: an element of active laser material disposed within a first cavity defined at one end by a mirror of uniform reflectivity and at the other end by a pair of longitudinally spaced mirrors; characterized in that: each of said pair of mirrors has an aperture along the longitudinal axis of said cavity; said first cavity is supportive of a first plurality of resonant frequencies; in that said pair of mirrors are spaced apart a distance to form therebetween a second cavity supportive of a second plurality of resonant frequencies including one that corresponds to a resonant frequency in said first plurality of frequencies; and means for extracting wave energy from said laser at said one frequency.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser according to claim 1 wherein said pair of mirrors are annular mirrors having a circular aperture at their centers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The laser according to claim 1 including means for varying the mode selectivity of said laser.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The laser according to claim 3 including means for varying the laser beam width.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The laser according to Claim 1 wherein said first mirror is a spherical mirror of variable radius of curvature.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
75 words
The laser according to claim 1 wherein each of said pair of mirrors comprises two, transversely spaced reflecting surfaces forming therebetween an elongated slot; and wherein the direction of the long dimension of the slot formed between one pair of reflectors forming one of said pair of mirrors is perpendicular to the direction of the long dimension of the slot formed between the other pair of reflectors forming the other of said pair of mirrors.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The laser according to claim 6 including means for varying the transverse distance between the reflecting surfaces of both said pairs of mirrors.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3134837A
Cited
US3426293A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-04-05 | 1974-10-05 | 1975-04-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-04-05 | 1978-10-05 | 1979-04-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-04-05 | 1982-10-05 | 1983-04-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |