US6185235B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Lasers with low doped gain medium
Assignee: Newport Corp USA
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Filing: 1998-11-24
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Granted: 2001-02-06
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Expires: 2018-11-24
Abstract
Abstract A high power, diode pumped laser has a Nd:YVO 4 gain media. Scaling to higher powers is achieved with the use of a low doped gain media, increasing the length of the gain media as well as increasing the pump volume. Passive cooling is extended to output powers of 10 W or greater .
Inventors
- 👤 Emily Cheng
- 👤 Dave R. Dudley
- 👤 William L. Nighan, Jr.
- 👤 James D. Kafka
- 👤 David E. Spence
- 👤 David S. Bell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 09:43
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/09; H01S3/091; H01S3/094; H01S3/0941; H01S3/09415; H01S3/05; H01S3/06; H01S3/07; H01S3/08; H01S3/08072; H01S3/09408; H01S3/10; H01S3/106; H01S3/108; H01S3/109; H01S3/14; H01S3/16; H01S3/163; H01S3/1671; H01S3/1673
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 40
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A diode pumped laser, comprising: a first high reflector mirror and an output coupler defining a resonator cavity; a first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity, the gain medium having a uniform doping level of less than 0.5% to reduce thermal lensing and a length of at least 4 mm to absorb a substantial portion of a pump bean; and a first diode pump source supplying a first pump beam that is incident on a first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
88 words
A diode pumped laser, comprising: a first high reflector mirror and an output coupler defining a resonator cavity; a first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity, the gain medium having a uniform doping level of less than 0.5% to reduce thermal lensing and a length of at least 4 mm to absorb a substantial portion of a pump bean; and a first diode pump source supplying a first pump beam that is incident on a first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the doping level is no greater than 0.4%.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the doping level is no greater than 0.3%.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the doping level is no greater than 0.2%.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the doping level is no greater than 0.1%.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the doping level is 0.27%.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein a length of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium is at least 8 mm.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium is end-pumped by the first pump beam.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium has a pump volume of at least 8 mm 3 .
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium has a pump volume of at least 10 mm 3 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the first diode pump source is a fiber coupled diode pump source.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
The laser of claim 11 , wherein the first diode pump source provides a pump beam with at least 20 watts of power incident on the first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
The laser of claim 1 , further comprising: a second diode pump source supplying a second pump beam that is incident on a second pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The laser of claim 13 , wherein the first and second diode pump sources are fiber coupled.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
The laser of claim 14 , wherein the second diode pump source provides a pump beam with at least 20 watts of power incident on the second pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
70 words
The laser of claim 13 , further comprising: a second Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity; a third diode pump source supplying a third pump beam that is incident on a first pump face of the second Nd:YVO 4 gain medium; and a fourth diode pump source supplying a fourth pump beam that is incident on a second pump face of the second Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The laser of claim 16 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth diode pump sources are fiber coupled diode pump sources.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the laser produces an output beam with a power of at least 10 watts at 532 nm.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the laser produces an output beam with a power of at least 20 watts at 1064 nm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the length of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium is greater than 10 mm.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the length of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium is greater than 12 mm.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser of claim 1 , wherein the length of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium is greater than 16 mm.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
75 words
A diode pumped laser, comprising: a first high reflector mirror and an output coupler defining a resonator cavity; a first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity with uniform doping of 0.5% or less and a pump volume of at least 8 mm 3 to reduce thermal lensing; and a first diode pump source supplying a first pump beam that end pumps a first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
75 words
A diode pumped laser, comprising: a first high reflector mirror and an output coupler defining a resonator cavity; a first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity with uniform doping of 0.5% or less and a pump volume of at least 8 mm 3 to reduce thermal lensing; and a first diode pump source supplying a first pump beam that end pumps a first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
17 words
The laser of claim 23 , wherein the pump volume is at least 10 mm 3 .
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
17 words
The laser of claim 23 , wherein the pump volume is at least 12 mm 3 .
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
The laser of claim 23 , wherein a doping level of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium is 0.27%.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laser of claim 23 , wherein a length of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium is greater than 8 mm.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
15 words
The laser of claim 23 , wherein the first diode pump source is fiber coupled.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
36 words
The laser of claim 28 , wherein the first diode pump source provides a pump beam with at least 20 watts of power incident on the first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
33 words
The laser of claim 23 , further comprising: a second diode pump source supplying a second pump beam that is incident on a second pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
17 words
The laser of claim 30 , wherein the first and second diode pump sources are fiber coupled.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
36 words
The laser of claim 31 , wherein the second diode pump source provides a pump beam with at least 20 watts of power incident on the second pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
70 words
The laser of claim 30 , further comprising: a second Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity; a third diode pump source supplying a third pump beam that is incident on a first pump face of the second Nd:YVO 4 gain medium; and a fourth diode pump source supplying a fourth pump beam that is incident on a second pump face of the second Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
19 words
The laser of claim 33 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth diode pump sources are fiber coupled.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
24 words
The laser of claim 23 , wherein the laser produces an output beam with a power of at least 10 watts at 532 nm.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
24 words
The laser of claim 23 , wherein the laser produces an output beam with a power of at least 20 watts at 1064 nm.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
85 words
A diode pumped laser, comprising: a first high reflector mirror and an output coupler defining a resonator cavity; a first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity and having a uniform doping level of less than 0.5% to reduce thermal lensing and a length greater than 8 mm to absorb a substantial portion of a pump beam; and a first diode pump source supplying a first pump beam that is incident on a first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
85 words
A diode pumped laser, comprising: a first high reflector mirror and an output coupler defining a resonator cavity; a first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium positioned in the resonator cavity and having a uniform doping level of less than 0.5% to reduce thermal lensing and a length greater than 8 mm to absorb a substantial portion of a pump beam; and a first diode pump source supplying a first pump beam that is incident on a first pump face of the first Nd:YVO 4 gain medium.
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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) | 2004-02-06 | 2004-08-07 | 2005-02-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-02-06 | 2008-08-07 | 2009-02-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-02-06 | 2012-08-07 | 2013-02-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |