Glasses suitable for laser application, glass lasers, and method for making same

Claim 2

A glass suitable for use as an active laser component and having a composition consisting essentially of ______________________________________ Mole Percent ______________________________________ P.sub.2 O.sub.5 39 - 65 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 4 - 13 K.sub.2 O 19 - 36 BaO 3 - 18.5 La.sub.2 O.sub.3 O - 3 ______________________________________ and a laseable amount of Nd 2 O 3 up to 6 mole percent, wherein the total moles of P 2 O 5 +Al 2 O 3 +La 2 O 3 +Nd 2 O 3 is at least 50 and the transparency of the glass to light of a wavelength of 2.1 microns is at least 0.65 per cm. of thickness.

Claim 3

A glass according to claim 1 wherein the mole percent of Nd 2 O 3 is from 0.05 to 4 and the total mole percent of Nd 2 O 3 +La 2 O 3 is from 0.05 to 4.

Claim 4

A laser component having a composition of the glass of claim 1.

Claim 5

A laser component having a composition of the glass of claim 2.

Claim 6

In the method for making a phosphate laser glass having Nd 2 O 3 as the active lasing species and having at least 39 mole percent P 2 O 5 which comprises melting the batch materials at elevated temperature in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas for a time sufficient to produce a homogeneous glass melt and thereafter cooling the melt to a solid glass, the improvement which comprises maintaining a dry atmosphere containing oxygen gas in contact with the melt during the final stages of melting for a time sufficient to produce a sufficiently dry glass such that the transparency thereof with respect to light of a wavelength of 2.1 microns is at least 0.65 per cm. of thickness.

Claim 7

In the method for making a phosphate laser glass having Nd 2 O 3 as the active lasing species and having at least 39 mole percent P 2 O 5 which comprises melting the batch materials at elevated temperature in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas for a time sufficient to produce a homogeneous glass melt and thereafter cooling the melt to a solid glass, the improvement which comprises maintaining a dry atmosphere containing oxygen gas in contact with the melt during the final stages of melting for a time sufficient to produce a sufficiently dry glass such that the transparency thereof with respect to light of a wavelength of 2.1 microns is at least 0.65 per cm. of thickness.

Claim 8

The improvement according to claim 5 wherein said melting in contact with said dry atmosphere is effected for a time sufficient to produce a glass having a transparency with respect to light of a wavelength of 2.1 microns of at least 0.80 per cm. of thickness.

Claim 9

In a method of making a neodymium oxide phosphate laser glass component, the improvement which comprises (1) preparing a melt of a composition consisting essentially of ______________________________________ Mole Percent ______________________________________ P.sub.2 O.sub.5 39 - 65 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 4 - 13 K.sub.2 O 19 - 36 BaO 3 - 18.5 La.sub.2 O.sub.3 O - 3 ______________________________________ and a laseable amount of Nd 2 O 3 up to 6 mole percent, wherein the total moles of P 2 O 5 +Al 2 O 3 +La 2 O 3 +Nd 2 O 3 is at least 50, (2) contacting the melt with a dry atmosphere containing oxygen gas at elevated temperature during the latter stages of melting for a time effective to produce a sufficiently dry glass such that the transparency thereof with respect to light of a wave length of 2.1 microns is at least 0.65, per cm. of thickness and (3) preparing a glass laser component from said melt.

Claim 10

In a method of making a neodymium oxide phosphate laser glass component, the improvement which comprises (1) preparing a melt of a composition consisting essentially of ______________________________________ Mole Percent ______________________________________ P.sub.2 O.sub.5 39 - 65 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 4 - 13 K.sub.2 O 19 - 36 BaO 3 - 18.5 La.sub.2 O.sub.3 O - 3 ______________________________________ and a laseable amount of Nd 2 O 3 up to 6 mole percent, wherein the total moles of P 2 O 5 +Al 2 O 3 +La 2 O 3 +Nd 2 O 3 is at least 50, (2) contacting the melt with a dry atmosphere containing oxygen gas at elevated temperature during the latter stages of melting for a time effective to produce a sufficiently dry glass such that the transparency thereof with respect to light of a wave length of 2.1 microns is at least 0.65, per cm. of thickness and (3) preparing a glass laser component from said melt.

Claim 11

The improvement of claim 7 wherein the laser glass contains from 0.05 to 4 mole percent Nd 2 O 3 and from 0.05 to 4 mole percent Nd 2 O 3 plus La 2 O 3 .

Claim 12

The improvement of claim 7 wherein said contacting is effected for a time effective to produce a sufficiently dry glass such that the transparency thereof with respect to light of a wave length of 2.1 microns is at least 0.80 per cm. of thickness.

Claim 13

The improvement of claim 9 wherein the laser glass contains from 0.05 to 4 mole percent Nd 2 O 3 and from 0.05 to 4 mole percent Nd 2 O 3 +La 2 O 3 .

Claim 14

A glass suitable for use as an active laser component and having a composition consisting essentially of ______________________________________ Mole Percent ______________________________________ P.sub.2 O.sub.5 39 - 65 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 4 - 13 K.sub.2 O 19 - 36 BaO 3 - 18.5 La.sub.2 O.sub.3 O - 3 ______________________________________ and a laseable amount of Nd 2 O 3 up to 6 mole percent, wherein the total moles of P 2 O 5 +Al 2 O 3 +La 2 O 3 +Nd 2 O 3 is at least 50 and the transparency of the glass to light of a wavelength of 2.1 microns is at least 0.65 per cm. of thickness, made by a method according to the improvement of claim 5.