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US5754572A
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Mirrorless, distributed-feedback, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser
Assignee: United States Department of the Navy
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Filing: 1996-11-15
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Granted: 1998-05-19
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Expires: 2016-11-15
Abstract
Abstract A mirrorless, distributed-feedback (DFB), ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-liidth, solid state laser for remote sensing and medical applications is disclosed. Optical pumping in the DFB laser is accomplished using a frequency quadrupled, 10 Hz., Q-switched, Nd:YAG laser operating at 266 nm. The pump beam is diffracted off a grating (2400 grooves per mm.) into two parts. The two beams are subsequently recombined at the side face of the Ce:doped crystal (8 mm×8 mm×30 mm) at an angle of about 2θ(about 81 degrees). The resulting spatially periodic excitation within the Ce-doped gain medium due to the interferring pump beams determines the operating wavelength of the DFB laser.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph F. Pinto
- 👤 Leon Esterowitz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 09:47
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/09; H01S3/091; H01S3/094; H01S3/05; H01S3/06; H01S3/063; H01S3/0632; H01S3/0635; H01S3/10; H01S3/102; H01S3/1022; H01S3/14; H01S3/16; H01S3/1601; H01S3/1603
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
154 words
A mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser comprising: a cerium-doped crystal in which the cerium has an absorption band within the cerium-doped crystal; a pump laser that produces a pump beam having an output wavelength that is within the absorption band of said cerium within said cerium-doped crystal; a cylindrical lens for focusing said pump beam into a line image along a focal line in said cerium-doped crystal; and means for splitting said pump beam into two separate substantially identical beams which substantially recombine and interfere with each other at an intersection angle of about 2θ along said focal line in said cerium-doped crystal in order to produce a transient grating inside said crystal to cause lasing; said cerium-doped crystal being responsive to the interfering pump beams for producing a resulting spatially periodic excitation within the cerium-doped crystal due to the interferring pump beams to determine the operating wavelength of the DFB laser.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
154 words
A mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser comprising: a cerium-doped crystal in which the cerium has an absorption band within the cerium-doped crystal; a pump laser that produces a pump beam having an output wavelength that is within the absorption band of said cerium within said cerium-doped crystal; a cylindrical lens for focusing said pump beam into a line image along a focal line in said cerium-doped crystal; and means for splitting said pump beam into two separate substantially identical beams which substantially recombine and interfere with each other at an intersection angle of about 2θ along said focal line in said cerium-doped crystal in order to produce a transient grating inside said crystal to cause lasing; said cerium-doped crystal being responsive to the interfering pump beams for producing a resulting spatially periodic excitation within the cerium-doped crystal due to the interferring pump beams to determine the operating wavelength of the DFB laser.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid said laser of claim 1 wherein: said crystal is doped with a concentration of cerium from about 0.01% to about 0.1%.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein: said crystal is doped with a concentration of about 0.1%.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein: said cerium-doped crystal is a cerium-doped LiCAF crystal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein: said cerium-doped crystal is a cerium-doped LiSAF crystal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
77 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow linewidth, solid state laser of claim 5 wherein said frequency quadrupled neodymium YAG laser comprises: a neodymium YAG laser for producing a radiation output at about 1064 nm; a first frequency doubler responsive to the 1064 nm output from said neodymium YAG laser laser for generating 532 nm radiation; and a second frequency doubler responsive to the 532 nm radiation from said first frequency doubler for generating a 266 nm pump beam.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 6 wherein: said first frequency doubler is selected from the group consisting of KDP and KD*P nonlinear crystals; and said second frequency doubler is an ADP nonlinear crystal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 6 wherein: said first frequency doubler is an LBO crystal; and said second frequency doubler is a BBO crystal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein: said cerium-doped crystal is a cerium-doped LiSCAF crystal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein: said cerium-doped crystal is a cerium-doped LiSGAF crystal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-line width, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein: said pump laser produces output radiation at a wavelength of about 266 nm.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said pump laser comprises: a frequency quadrupled neodymium YAG laser.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said splitting means comprises: grating means for splitting said pump beam into two separate beams; and first and second reflective means for respectively reflecting said two beams at said intersection angle of about 2θ along said focal line in said cerium-doped crystal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said splitting means comprises: a transient grating.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
59 words
The mirrorless, ultraviolet, tunable, narrow-linewidth, solid state laser of claim 1 wherein said splitting means comprises: a transmission gating responsive to said pump beam for splitting said pump beam into two separate pump beams, said transmission grating being disposed adjacent to said cerium-doped crystal to cause said two pump beams to interfere with each other within the cerium-doped crystal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5487079A
Cited
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