US3739295A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Laser with means for suppressing back-ground fluorescence in the output
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1972-04-03
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Granted: 1973-06-12
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Expires: 1992-04-03
Abstract
Abstract A tunable laser in which the direction of the output is invariant with frequency and is free of background fluorescence. The resonator includes a grating to tune the laser, a reflector that forms an auxiliary resonator with the grating, and a beam splitter therebetween that couples out a portion of the light returning from the grating through an aperture toward the reflector. The auxiliary resonator may employ nonreciprocal optics to reduce losses.
Inventors
- 👤 J Shah
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 09:58
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/05; H01S3/08; H01S3/081; H01S3/0811; H01S3/0812
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
97 words
An optical resonator comprising a principal resonator containing means including an active medium for generating both stimulated emission of radiation and background fluorescence and an auxiliary resonator coupled to said principal resonator, said auxiliary resonator including a tuning element that angularly disperses differing frequencies, said principal resonator including a partially transmissive reflector disposed between said tuning element and said active medium, and a beam splitter between said tuning element and said partially transmissive reflector to provide an output port for said auxiliary resonator at least for radiation propagating from said tuning element toward said partially transmissive reflector.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
97 words
An optical resonator comprising a principal resonator containing means including an active medium for generating both stimulated emission of radiation and background fluorescence and an auxiliary resonator coupled to said principal resonator, said auxiliary resonator including a tuning element that angularly disperses differing frequencies, said principal resonator including a partially transmissive reflector disposed between said tuning element and said active medium, and a beam splitter between said tuning element and said partially transmissive reflector to provide an output port for said auxiliary resonator at least for radiation propagating from said tuning element toward said partially transmissive reflector.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
95 words
An optical resonator according to claim 1 in which the active medium comprises a dye laser medium having parallel major surfaces substantially at Brewster''s angle to the axis of said resonator for radiation at its laser wavelength to polarize linearly said radiation transmitted therethrough, the tuning element is a diffraction grating and the beam splitter is a Glan-Thompson polarizer having its transmission polarization direction aligned with the polarization direction of said major surfaces of said laser medium and in which the auxiliary resonator includes a phase shifter between the tuning element and the beam splitter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
An optical resonator according to claim 2 in which the phase shifter is a reciprocal phase shifter that elliptically polarizes a linearly polarized beam propagating from the direction of the Glan-Thompson polarizer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
An optical resonator according to claim 1 including an aperture between the tuning element and the beam splitter.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3443243A
Cited
US3663890A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-06-11 | 1976-12-11 | 1977-06-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-06-11 | 1980-12-11 | 1981-06-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-06-11 | 1984-12-11 | 1985-06-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |