US5086432A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Resonantly pumped, erbium-doped, 2.8 micron solid state laser with high slope efficiency
Assignee: United States Department of the Navy
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Filing: 1991-05-23
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Granted: 1992-02-04
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Expires: 2011-05-23
Abstract
Abstract A laser system and method for producing a laser emission at a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the laser system comprises a crystal having a host material doped with erbium; a laser cavity defined by first and second reflective elements at opposing ends of the crystal to form a reflective path therebetween; and resonant pumping means for directly pumping the 4I11/2 upper laser state of the erbium with a pump beam at a preselected wavelength to cause the erbium-doped crystal to produce a laser emission corresponding to the 4I11/2->4I13/2 laser transition having a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns, a portion of the laser emission at substantially 2.8 microns being outputted from one of the first and second reflective elements.
Inventors
- 👤 Leon Esterowitz
- 👤 Robert C. Stoneman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 04:19
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/05; H01S3/06; H01S3/0627; H01S3/09; H01S3/091; H01S3/094; H01S3/14; H01S3/16; H01S3/0602; H01S3/0604; H01S3/0615; H01S3/0941
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
108 words
A laser system comprising: a crystal having a host material doped with erbium; a laser cavity defined by first and second reflective elements at opposing ends of said crystal to form a reflective path therebetween; and resonant pumping means for directly pumping the 4 I 11/2 upper laser state of said erbium with a pump beam at a preselected wavelength to cause the erbium-doped crystal to produce a laser emission corresponding to the 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 laser transition having a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns; one of the first and second reflective elements outputting a portion of said laser emission at substantially 2.8 microns.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
108 words
A laser system comprising: a crystal having a host material doped with erbium; a laser cavity defined by first and second reflective elements at opposing ends of said crystal to form a reflective path therebetween; and resonant pumping means for directly pumping the 4 I 11/2 upper laser state of said erbium with a pump beam at a preselected wavelength to cause the erbium-doped crystal to produce a laser emission corresponding to the 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 laser transition having a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns; one of the first and second reflective elements outputting a portion of said laser emission at substantially 2.8 microns.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein said resonant pumping means includes: at least one InGaAs laser diode for producing the pump beam at a preselected wavelength of approximately 970 nm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein said resonant pumping means includes: a Ti:Sapphire pump laser for producing said pump beam at a preselected wavelength of approximately 970 nm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein: said host material is selected from the group consisting of YLF, BaY 2 F 8 , GGG, GSGG, LLGG, GSAG, NaLiF 4 , YSGG and mixtures thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser system of claim 4 wherein: said crystal produces the laser emission at a slope frequency of at least 11%.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The laser system of claim 5 wherein: said host material is doped with a percent concentration of erbium between 25% and 65%.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The laser system of claim 5 wherein: said host material is doped with approximately a 30% concentration of erbium.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein: said host material is selected from the group consisting of YLF, BaY 2 F 8 , GGG, GSGG, LLGG and mixtures thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser system of claim 8 wherein: said crystal produces the laser emission at a slope efficiency of at least 14%.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein: said host material is selected from the group consisting of YLF, BaY 2 F 8 and mixtures thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser system of claim 10 wherein: said crystal produces the laser emission at a slope efficiency of a least 17%.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser system of claim 11 wherein: said host material is doped with a concentration of erbium between 25% and 65%.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The laser system of claim 11 wherein: said host material is doped with approximately a 30% concentration of erbium.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The laser system of claim 1 further including: optical means disposed between said resonant pumping means and said crystal for matching the pump beam to said crystal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
56 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein: said first reflective element has a high reflectance coating at the substantially 2.8 micron wavelength and an anti-reflective coating at the preselected wavelength; and said second reflective element has a reflectivity of about 99% at 2.8 microns to output a portion of said laser emission at substantially 2.8 microns.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
78 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein: said resonant pumping means includes at least one InGaAs laser diode for producing the pump beam at a preselected wavelength of approximately 970 nm; said host material is selected from the group consisting of YLF and BaY 2F 8 , and said host material is doped with a percent concentration of erbium between 25% and 65%; and said crystal produces the laser emission at a slope efficiency of a least 17%.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
77 words
The laser system of claim 1 wherein: said resonant pumping means includes a Ti:Sapphire pump laser for producing the pump beam at a preselected wavelength of approximately 970 nm; said host material is selected from the group consisting of YLF and BaY 2 F 8 , and said host material is doped with a percent concentration of erbium between 25% and 65%; and said crystal produces the laser emission at a slope efficiency of at least 17%.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
125 words
A method for producing a laser emission at a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns, said method comprising the steps of: utilizing a crystal having a host material doped with erbium; defining a laser cavity by disposing first and second reflective elements at opposing ends of the crystal to form a reflective path therebetween; resonantly directly pumping the 4 I 11/2 upper laser state of the erbium-doped crystal with a pump beam at a preselected wavelength to cause the erbium-doped crystal to produce a laser emission corresponding to the 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 laser transition having a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns; and outputting a portion of the laser emission at substantially 2.8 microns from one of the first and second reflective elements.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
125 words
A method for producing a laser emission at a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns, said method comprising the steps of: utilizing a crystal having a host material doped with erbium; defining a laser cavity by disposing first and second reflective elements at opposing ends of the crystal to form a reflective path therebetween; resonantly directly pumping the 4 I 11/2 upper laser state of the erbium-doped crystal with a pump beam at a preselected wavelength to cause the erbium-doped crystal to produce a laser emission corresponding to the 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 laser transition having a wavelength of substantially 2.8 microns; and outputting a portion of the laser emission at substantially 2.8 microns from one of the first and second reflective elements.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 18 wherein said resonantly directly pumping step includes the step of: selecting the pump beam to have a wavelength of substantially 970 nm.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 18 further including the steps of: selecting the host material from the group consisting of YLF and BaY 2 F 8 ; and doping the host material with a predetermined percent concentration of erbium to cause the erbium-doped crystal to produce the laser emission at a slope efficiency of at least 17%.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 18 further including the steps of: selecting YLF as the host material; and doping the YLF host material with approximately a 30 percent concentration of erbium to cause the erbium-doped YLF crystal to produce the laser emission at a slope efficiency of at least 17%.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-02-03 | 1995-08-05 | 1996-02-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-02-03 | 1999-08-05 | 2000-02-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-02-03 | 2003-08-05 | 2004-02-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |