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US5341389A
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Ytterbium- and neodymium-doped vanadate laser hose crystals having the apatite crystal structure
Assignee: United States Department of Energy
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Filing: 1993-06-08
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Granted: 1994-08-23
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Expires: 2013-06-08
Abstract
Abstract Yb 3+ and Nd 3+ doped Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F crystals serve as useful infrared laser media that exhibit low thresholds of oscillation and high slope efficiencies, and can be grown with high optical quality. These laser media possess unusually high absorption and emission cross sections, which provide the crystals with the ability to generate greater gain for a given amount of pump power. Many related crystals such as Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F crystals doped with other rare earths, transition metals, or actinides, as well as the many structural analogs of Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F, where the Sr 2+ and F - ions are replaced by related chemical species, have similar properties.
Inventors
- 👤 Stephen A. Payne
- 👤 Wayne L. Kway
- 👤 Laura D. DeLoach
- 👤 William F. Krupke
- 👤 Bruce H. T. Chai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 14:02
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/14; H01S3/16; C; C30; C30B; C30B15/00; C30B29/00; C30B29/10; C30B29/12; H01S3/163; H01S3/1671
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A solid-state laser gain medium, comprising: a crystal of the composition M 5 (VO 4 ) 3 X, wherein M is at least one divalent cation selected from Sr 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ba 2+ , Cd 2+ , or Pb 2+ , or at least one combination of monovalent and trivalent ions, selected from Li + , Na + , K + , Rb + , with Sc 3+ , Y 3+ , La 3+ , Gd 3+ , Lu 3+ , or other RE 3+ (rare earth), and X is at least one singly-charged anion selected from F - , Cl - , Br - , I - , OH - , or one-half the fraction of a doubly-charge anion selected from O 2- , S 2- ; one or more dopants included in the crystal, selected from rare earth ions, transition metal ions and actinide ions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
150 words
A solid-state laser gain medium, comprising: a crystal of the composition M 5 (VO 4 ) 3 X, wherein M is at least one divalent cation selected from Sr 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ba 2+ , Cd 2+ , or Pb 2+ , or at least one combination of monovalent and trivalent ions, selected from Li + , Na + , K + , Rb + , with Sc 3+ , Y 3+ , La 3+ , Gd 3+ , Lu 3+ , or other RE 3+ (rare earth), and X is at least one singly-charged anion selected from F - , Cl - , Br - , I - , OH - , or one-half the fraction of a doubly-charge anion selected from O 2- , S 2- ; one or more dopants included in the crystal, selected from rare earth ions, transition metal ions and actinide ions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
The optical material of claim 1, wherein the rare earth ions are selected from Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, the transition metal ions are selected from Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Rh, Mo, Pd, Ir, Pt, and the actinide ion is U.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 1, comprising a Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F crystal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 1, comprising a Nd-doped Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F crystal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 1, comprising an Yb-doped Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F crystal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 1, further comprising excitation means associated with the crystal for pumping the crystal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 6, wherein the excitation means is a flashlamp, laser diode, or other laser source.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 6, further comprising cavity forming means surrounding the crystal to form a resonant laser cavity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 8, further comprising a means of extracting energy from the cavity.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 8, further comprising an additional optical component selected from a wavelength tuning element, Q-switch, mode-locker, Pockels cell, or etalon placed in the cavity.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The solid-state laser gain medium of claim 1, wherein the vanadate ion is partially substituted with phosphate ions.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
197 words
A solid state laser, comprising: a solid state laser gain medium, comprising: a crystal of the composition MS 5 (VO 4 ) 3 X, wherein M is at least one divalent cation selected from Sr 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ba 2+ , Cd 2+ , or Pb 2+ , or at least one combination of monovalent and trivalent ions, selected from Li + , Na + , K + , Rb + , with Sc 3+ , Y 3+ , La 3+ , Gd 3+ , Lu 3+ , or other RE 3+ (rare earth), and X is at least one singly-charged anion selected from F - , Cl - , Br - , I - , OH - , or one-half the fraction of a doubly-charge anion selected from O 2- , S 2- ; one or more dopants included in the crystal, selected from rare earth ions, transition metal ions and actinide ions; excitation means associated with the gain medium for pumping the gain medium; cavity forming means surrounding the gain medium to form a resonant laser cavity; energy extraction means associated with the cavity forming means to remove laser energy from the cavity.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
197 words
A solid state laser, comprising: a solid state laser gain medium, comprising: a crystal of the composition MS 5 (VO 4 ) 3 X, wherein M is at least one divalent cation selected from Sr 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ba 2+ , Cd 2+ , or Pb 2+ , or at least one combination of monovalent and trivalent ions, selected from Li + , Na + , K + , Rb + , with Sc 3+ , Y 3+ , La 3+ , Gd 3+ , Lu 3+ , or other RE 3+ (rare earth), and X is at least one singly-charged anion selected from F - , Cl - , Br - , I - , OH - , or one-half the fraction of a doubly-charge anion selected from O 2- , S 2- ; one or more dopants included in the crystal, selected from rare earth ions, transition metal ions and actinide ions; excitation means associated with the gain medium for pumping the gain medium; cavity forming means surrounding the gain medium to form a resonant laser cavity; energy extraction means associated with the cavity forming means to remove laser energy from the cavity.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The solid state laser of claim 12, wherein the gain medium is Yb:Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The solid state laser of claim 12, wherein the gain medium is Nd:Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The solid state laser of claim 12, wherein the excitation means is a laser diode.
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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) | 1997-08-22 | 1998-02-21 | 1998-08-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-08-22 | 2002-02-21 | 2002-08-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-08-22 | 2006-02-21 | 2006-08-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |