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US5123026A
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US
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Frequency-doubled, diode-pumped ytterbium laser
Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Filing: 1990-11-02
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Granted: 1992-06-16
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Expires: 2010-11-02
Abstract
Abstract A ytterbium-doped solid state laser including a resonant cavity formed by an input mirror and an output mirror; and a gain medium within the resonant cavity, the gain medium being made of a ytterbium-doped host material having a ytterbium ion doping level and a thickness sufficient to yield single longitudinal mode laser operation when the resonant cavity is pumped by an external light source.
Inventors
- 👤 Tso Y. Fan
- 👤 Philip Lacovara
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 08:01
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/10; H01S3/106; H01S3/108; H01S3/109; H01S3/09; H01S3/091; H01S3/094; H01S3/0941; H01S3/09415; H01S3/05; H01S3/06; H01S3/063; H01S3/0632; H01S3/08; H01S3/08018; H01S3/14; H01S3/16; H01S3/1601; H01S3/1603; H01S3/1611; H01S3/1618; H01S3/163; H01S3/164; H01S3/1643
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
63 words
A ytterbium-doped solid state laser comprising: a resonant cavity formed by an input mirror and an output mirror; and a gain medium within said resonant cavity, said gain medium made of a ytterbium-doped host material having a ytterbium ion doping level and a thickness sufficient to yield single longitudinal mode laser operation when said resonant cavity is pumped by an external light source.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
63 words
A ytterbium-doped solid state laser comprising: a resonant cavity formed by an input mirror and an output mirror; and a gain medium within said resonant cavity, said gain medium made of a ytterbium-doped host material having a ytterbium ion doping level and a thickness sufficient to yield single longitudinal mode laser operation when said resonant cavity is pumped by an external light source.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said host material is a garnet.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 2 wherein said garnet is selected from a group consisting of yttrium aluminum garnet, yttrium scandium aluminum garnet, gadolinium scandium aluminum garnet, lutetium aluminum garnet and ytterbium aluminum garnet.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 3 wherein said garnet is yttrium aluminum garnet.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said first mirror is formed on a surface of said gain medium.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 further comprising a frequency doubler that doubles the frequency of the light emitted from the gain medium during laser operation.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 6 wherein said frequency doubler is located within said resonant cavity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 6 wherein said frequency doubler comprises a crystal made of a material selected from the group consisting of potassium titanyl phosphate, yttrium aluminum borate, lithium borate, potassium niobate and lithium niobate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said gain element is located at one end of said resonant cavity.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 wherein the ytterbium doping level is greater than about 2×10 21 cm -3 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said thickness is less than about 1 millimeter.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 further comprising a pump laser for pumping said resonant cavity.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 12 wherein said pump laser comprises an InGaAs strained-layer diode laser.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 12 wherein said pump laser comprises a diode laser array.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 further comprising a heat sink in thermal contact with said gain medium.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 15 wherein said heat sink is transparent at the wavelength of the external light source.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 7 further comprising a wavelength discrimination element.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
19 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 17 wherein said wavelength discrimination element is located within said resonant cavity.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 18 wherein said wavelength discrimination element comprises a birefringent tuning plate.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 19 wherein said ytterbium-doped host material is a ytterbium-doped garnet and said wavelength discrimination element allows laser oscillation near 1030 nm while suppressing laser oscillation near 1048 nm.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
41 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 1 wherein the ytterbium ion doping level and the thickness of said gain medium are sufficient to yield single longitudinal mode laser operation at a temperature greater than or equal to about 250 K.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
38 words
The ytterbium-doped solid state laser of claim 21 wherein the ytterbium ion doping level and the thickness of said gain medium are sufficient to yield single longitudinal mode laser operation at a temperature approximately equal to room temperature.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-06-16 | 1995-12-16 | 1996-06-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-06-16 | 1999-12-16 | 2000-06-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-06-16 | 2003-12-16 | 2004-06-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |