Laser pump cavity apparatus with improved thermal lensing control, cooling, and fracture strength and method

Patent 5974061 Issued on October 26, 1999. Estimated Expiration Date:

December 19, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Microlaser system
Patent #: 4797893
Issued on: 01/10/1989
Inventor: Dixon

Unitary solid-state laser
Patent #: 4858242
Issued on: 08/15/1989
Inventor: Kuper , et al.

Laser system and method with temperature controlled crystal
Patent #: 5093832
Issued on: 03/03/1992
Inventor: Bethune, et al.

Infrared-to-visible upconversion display system and method operable at room temperature
Patent #: 5245623
Issued on: 09/14/1993
Inventor: McFarlane

Laser reflecting cavity with ASE suppression and heat removal
Patent #: 5317585
Issued on: 05/31/1994
Inventor: Gregor

Multiple density layered insulator
Patent #: 5345458
Issued on: 09/06/1994
Inventor: Alger

Solid state laser
Patent #: 5349600
Issued on: 09/20/1994
Inventor: Shinbori, et al.

Monolithically integrated solid state laser and waveguide using spin-on glass
Patent #: 5463649
Issued on: 10/31/1995
Inventor: Ashby, et al.

Radial laser diode array
Patent #: 5521936
Issued on: 05/28/1996
Inventor: Irwin

Laser pump cavity
Patent #: 5619522
Issued on: 04/08/1997
Inventor:

More ...

Inventors

Assignee

Raytheon Company

Application

No. 994423 filed on 12/19/1997

US Classes:

372/34, PARTICULAR TEMPERATURE CONTROL372/38.06, Optical pumping372/39, PARTICULAR ACTIVE MEDIA372/40, Amorphous (e.g., glass)372/69, PARTICULAR PUMPING MEANS372/70, Pumping with optical or radiant energy372/71, End-pumped laser372/72, Pump cavity372/75Semiconductor

Examiners

Primary: Healy, Brian

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Raufer; Colin M., Alkov; Leonard A., Lenzen, Jr.; Glenn H.

Foreign Patent References

0801449 A2 EP 10/13/1997

International Class

H01S 003/04

Abstract

A laser pump cavity apparatus with integral concentrator provides improved thermal lensing control, cooling and fracture strength. The concentrator is formed around a doped solid-state laser medium by diffusion bonding, using a material different than the doped laser medium and with a substantially lower index of refraction, higher thermal conductivity and higher stress fracture strength than the doped laser crystal. The concentrator has a top cladding layer with a cylindrical focusing surface and a bottom cladding layer with a cylindrical focusing surface and may have edge cladding layers. Cold plates, each of which also has one cylindrical surface, are placed in thermal contact with the cylindrical surfaces of the top and bottom cladding layers. The cylindrical surfaces preferably have hyperbolic or quasi-hyperbolic shape. The laser pump cavity apparatus is preferably pumped with several laser diode arrays in directions transverse to a laser beam axis. The pumplight is injected from the laser diode arrays through the edge cladding layers in directions toward line foci of the cylindrical surfaces. The concentrator top and bottom cladding material is preferably sapphire and the doped solid-state laser medium is preferably Yb:YAG. The edge cladding layers are preferably thermally insulating to maintain a one-dimensional heat flow condition within the doped laser medium, by forming them of a material that has lower thermal conductivity than the material used for the top and bottom cladding layers. The edge cladding layers are preferably made of undoped YAG material