Near resonant Nd3+, solid state laser system

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for inducing comprises means for injection seeding the gain medium.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for inducing comprises a resonant cavity, mounted with the gain medium, and tuned to the selected wavelength, and including means for abstracting greater than 100 milliwatts power from the resonant cavity at the selected wavelength.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pump means is tuned to a pump wavelength near 0.9 microns, and the selected wavelength is near to but greater than 0.9 microns.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pump means is tuned to approximately 0.81 microns, and the selected wavelength is near 0.9 microns.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 2, further including means for guiding the light through the gain medium in multiple passes.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pump intensity is less than 10 kilowatts per square centimeter.

Claim 9

The system of claim 1, further including a fiber optic delivery apparatus coupled to receive the output beam and deliver the beam to a remote tool.

Claim 10

A laser system comprising: a gain medium comprising an Nd 3+ ion doped host with a concentration greater than 1×10 20 ions per cubic centimeters having a ground electronic state and a plurality of excited electronic states, one of the plurality of excited electronic states serving as an upper laser level, the ground electronic state and the upper laser level being separated by a transition energy; pump means, coupled with the gain medium, for supplying pump energy tuned to near the transition energy such that electrons in the ground electronic state are excited directly to the upper laser level; selective reflecting means, mounted with the gain medium, having substantial reflectivity at a selected wavelength near the transition energy and transmitting wavelengths generated by transitions from the upper laser level to other excited electronic states; and output coupling means, mounted with the gain medium to establish a resonant cavity with the selective reflecting means, having partial transmission at the selected wavelength to produce an output beam having power greater than 100 milliwatts.

Claim 11

A laser system comprising: a gain medium comprising an Nd 3+ ion doped host with a concentration greater than 1×10 20 ions per cubic centimeters having a ground electronic state and a plurality of excited electronic states, one of the plurality of excited electronic states serving as an upper laser level, the ground electronic state and the upper laser level being separated by a transition energy; pump means, coupled with the gain medium, for supplying pump energy tuned to near the transition energy such that electrons in the ground electronic state are excited directly to the upper laser level; selective reflecting means, mounted with the gain medium, having substantial reflectivity at a selected wavelength near the transition energy and transmitting wavelengths generated by transitions from the upper laser level to other excited electronic states; and output coupling means, mounted with the gain medium to establish a resonant cavity with the selective reflecting means, having partial transmission at the selected wavelength to produce an output beam having power greater than 100 milliwatts.

Claim 12

The laser system of claim 9, wherein the pump means is tuned to a pump wavelength near 0.9 microns, and the selected wavelength is greater than but near 0.9 microns.

Claim 13

The laser system of claim 9, wherein the pump means is tuned to approximately 0.81 microns, and the selected wavelength is near 0.9 microns.

Claim 14

The laser system of claim 9, wherein the pump means is tuned to approximately 0.81 microns, and the selected wavelength is near 0.9 microns, and wherein the first selective reflecting means is transmissive at 0.81 microns and the pump means further includes means for focussing the pump energy through the first selective reflecting means longitudinally to the gain medium.

Claim 15

The system of claim 9, wherein the selective reflecting means and the output coupling means define an unstable resonant cavity.

Claim 16

The system of claim 9, further including a fiber optic delivery apparatus coupled to receive the output beam and deliver the beam to a remote tool.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the pump intensity is less than 10 kilowatts per square centimeter.