Laser systems with diamond optical elements

Claim 2

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and a wavelength within the Set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns, about 3.6 to about 3.8 microns, and above about 6.8 microns, enclosure means for said generator, a diamond laser window for transmitting said beam out of said enclosure means, said diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K. and an optical absorption at the beam wavelength of no more than 10-20% and means for cooling said diamond laser window.

Claim 3

The laser system of claim 1, wherein the diamond of said laser window is synthetically grown to have the defined thermal conductivity and optical absorption characteristics.

Claim 4

The laser system of claim 2, wherein said synthetic diamond is formed substantially completely from one of the isotopes in the group of isotopes consisting of carbon 12 and carbon 13, whereby the thermal conductivity of said window is enhanced by the elimination of Umklapp scattering caused by the mass differential between carbon 12 and carbon 13 atoms present in natural diamond.

Claim 5

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said laser generator includes a carbon dioxide lasing medium and is adapted to generate a laser beam having a wavelength of about 10.6 microns.

Claim 6

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said laser generator includes a deuterium fluorine lasing medium and is adapted to generate a laser beam having a wavelength of about 3.8 microns.

Claim 7

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said laser generator includes a carbon monoxide lasing medium and is adapted to generate a laser beam having a wavelength of about 3.8 microns.

Claim 8

The laser system of claim 1, said laser generator being adapted to generate a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength, wherein the thickness of said laser window is less than said predetermined wavelength and equal to an odd multiple of one-quarter of said predetermined wavelength, whereby the optical absorption of said beam in said window is minimized.

Claim 9

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said laser window is positioned at a confocal point of said laser beam, said beam thereby occupying a minimum cross-sectional area and having a maximum power density at the site of transmission out of said enclosure means.

Claim 10

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said cooling means includes a pressure deformed heat conductive metal member intimately engaging a face of said diamond laser window in direct heat transfer relation therewith, said member serving to conduct heat away from said window.

Claim 11

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said cooling means includes a heat transfer medium formed from diamond separate from and in intimate heat transfer relation with said diamond laser window, said diamond heat transfer medium serving to conduct heat away from said window.

Claim 12

The laser system of claim 10, wherein said diamond laser window absorbs less radiation at the wavelength of said laser beam than said diamond heat transfer medium.

Claim 13

The laser system of claim 1, said laser window comprising an inward portion of a diamond, wherein said cooling means comprises means for contacting an outward portion of said diamond with a fluid coolant.

Claim 14

The laser system of claim 12, wherein the surface of said outward diamond portion is channeled to increase the contact area between said outward portion and said coolant, and thereby enhance the flow of heat from said diamond into said coolant.

Claim 15

The laser system of claim 12, wherein said surface contacting means comprises a heat pipe means having a wick adapted to draw a liquid coolant into heat transfer contact with the surface of said outward diamond portion, said heat pipe means further providing a return path for coolant vaporized by heat transfer from said diamond.

Claim 16

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said laser window comprises a plurality of diamonds arranged in a spatial array to provide a window having a total area greater than the area of any one oF said diamonds, and said cooling means comprises means occupying a portion of said total window area for containing a fluid coolant in heat transfer relation between adjacent diamonds in said window.

Claim 17

The laser system of claim 15, said laser being adapted to produce a laser beam having a plurality of discrete high energy density nodes, wherein the diamonds forming said window are spatially arranged to coincide with the location of said high energy density nodes, whereby the proportion of the laser beam energy transmitted through said diamonds is greater than the proportion of the window area occupied by said diamonds.

Claim 18

The laser system of claim 15, wherein said coolant containing means comprises a heat conductive tube grid interspersed in heat transfer relation between, and fixing the position of, the diamonds in said window.

Claim 19

The laser system of claim 15, wherein said coolant containing means comprises a pair of grills assembled to position and support said diamonds in alignment with the grill openings, said grills in conjunction with the edges of said diamonds forming channels to contain the said coolant.

Claim 20

The laser system of claim 15, wherein said coolant containing means comprises a plurality of interconnecting channels formed in the edges of adjacent diamonds in said window array, said channels being arranged to provide continuous coolant flow paths into and out of said window.

Claim 21

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said laser window comprises an inward portion of a generally spherical diamond, said inward portion extending along a diameter of said diamond between opposite surfaces thereof, and wherein said cooling means includes the outward portion of said diamond surrounding said inward portion, said outward diamond portion serving to transfer heat away from said inward diamond portion.

Claim 22

The laser system of claim 1, wherein said diamond window is less than about 1 mm. thick and has a first face internal to said enclosure means and a second face external to said enclosure means, and wherein said cooling means comprises a cooling gas in combination with means for directing said gas along the surface of said external window face.

Claim 23

The laser system of claim 1, and further including a reflector disposed in the path of said laser beam to direct the said beam through the lasing medium of said laser generator, said reflector comprising a layer of beam reflective material and a substrate in direct heat transfer contact with the said reflective layer, said substrate being formed from diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K.

Claim 24

The laser system of claim 22, wherein said reflective layer comprises a flowing metallic liquid, said diamond substrate being adapted to provide a flow surface for said metallic liquid, said reflector being disposed in said laser system with said diamond substrate between an incident laser beam and said metallic liquid, said diamond substrate being substantially transparent to said beam at the wavelength thereof, and including means to move said metallic liquid in flowing contact over said diamond flow surface, whereby the laser beam traverses the said diamond substrate immediately before and after reflection from said metallic liquid.

Claim 27

The method of claim 24, and further including the step of cooling said diamond medium.

Claim 28

The method of claim 24, including the step of generating said beam at a wavelength of about 10.6 microns through a carbon dioxide lasing medium prior to transmission of the beam through said diamond medium.

Claim 29

The method of claim 24, including the step of generating said beam at a wavelength of from about 3.6 to about 3.8 microns through a deuterium fluorine lasing medium prior to transmission of the beam through said diamond medium.

Claim 30

The method of claim 24, including the step of generating said beam at a wavelength of from about 3.6 to about 3.8 microns through a carbon monoxide lasing medium prior to transmission of the beam through said diamond medium.

Claim 31

A laser window assembly suitable for use in a laser system adapted to generate a beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns, about 3.6 to about 3.8 microns, and above about 6.8 microns, comprising a diamond laser window, said diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K. and an optical absorption at the beam wavelength of no more than 10-20%, and means for cooling said diamond laser window.

Claim 32

A laser window assembly suitable for use in a laser system adapted to generate a beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns, about 3.6 to about 3.8 microns, and above about 6.8 microns, comprising a diamond laser window, said diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K. and an optical absorption at the beam wavelength of no more than 10-20%, and means for cooling said diamond laser window.

Claim 33

The laser window assembly of claim 29, wherein the diamond of said laser window is synthetically grown to have the defined thermal conductivity and optical absorption characteristics.

Claim 34

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a laser beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns and above about 6.8 microns, enclosure means for said generator, window means for transmitting said beam out of said enclosure, and a reflector means positioned in said enclosure in the path of said laser beam, said reflector means including a metallic liquid reflective of said laser beam, a member forming a flow surface for said metallic liquid, said member formed from diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K. and an optical absorption at the beam wavelength of no moore than 10%/cm., and means to move said metallic liquid in flowing contact over the flow surface of said diamond member, said reflector means disposed in said enclosure with said diamond member between the incident laser beam and said metallic liquid, whereby the beam traverses the said diamond member immediately before and after reflection from said metallic liquid.

Claim 35

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a laser beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns and above about 6.8 microns, enclosure means for said generator, window means for transmitting said beam out of said enclosure, and a reflector means positioned in said enclosure in the path of said laser beam, said reflector means including a metallic liquid reflective of said laser beam, a member forming a flow surface for said metallic liquid, said member formed from diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K. and an optical absorption at the beam wavelength of no moore than 10%/cm., and means to move said metallic liquid in flowing contact over the flow surface of said diamond member, said reflector means disposed in said enclosure with said diamond member between the incident laser beam and said metallic liquid, whereby the beam traverses the said diamond member immediately before and after reflection from said metallic liquid.

Claim 38

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a laser beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least on square mm., and a wavelength of about 5.6 microns, and reflector means positioned in the path of said laser beam, said reflector means formed from diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K.

Claim 39

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a laser beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least on square mm., and a wavelength of about 5.6 microns, and reflector means positioned in the path of said laser beam, said reflector means formed from diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K.

Claim 44

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a laser beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and reflector means in the path of said laser beam, said reflector means being formed from diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K.

Claim 45

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a laser beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and reflector means in the path of said laser beam, said reflector means being formed from diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 watts/cm.*K. at 300*K.

Claim 46

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 100,000,000 watts/cm.2 and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns, about 3.6 to 3.8 microns, and above about 6.8 microns, enclosure means for said generator, a diamond laser window for transmitting said beam out of said enclosure means, said diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 200 watts/cm.*K. at 70*K., an impurity content of no more than one in 1,000,000,000, and an optical absorption at the beam wavelength of no more than 1% per cm., and means for cooling the transmissive portion of said diamond laser window to about 70*K.

Claim 47

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 100,000,000 watts/cm.2 and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns, about 3.6 to 3.8 microns, and above about 6.8 microns, enclosure means for said generator, a diamond laser window for transmitting said beam out of said enclosure means, said diamond having a thermal conductivity of at least 200 watts/cm.*K. at 70*K., an impurity content of no more than one in 1,000,000,000, and an optical absorption at the beam wavelength of no more than 1% per cm., and means for cooling the transmissive portion of said diamond laser window to about 70*K.

Claim 48

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns, about 3.6 to about 3.8 microns, and above about 6.8 microns, enclosure means for said generator, and a laser window for transmitting said beam out of said enclosure means consisting of substantially intrinsic diamond.

Claim 49

A laser system including a laser generator for generating a beam having a long term heating effect on diamond equivalent to that of a continuously generated beam having a power density of at least 10,000 watts/cm.2 over an area of at least one square mm., and a wavelength within the set consisting of the wavelengths from about 0.2 to about 2 microns, about 3.6 to about 3.8 microns, and above about 6.8 microns, enclosure means for said generator, and a laser window for transmitting said beam out of said enclosure means consisting of substantially intrinsic diamond.