High average power fiber laser system with phase conjugation

Patent 6144677 Issued on November 7, 2000. Estimated Expiration Date:

August 11, 2018. 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

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Inventors

Application

No. 132618 filed on 08/11/1998

US Classes:

372/6, OPTICAL FIBER LASER372/19Mode discrimination

Examiners

Primary: Font, Frank G.
Assistant: Inzirillo, Gioacchino

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Yatsko; Michael S.

Foreign Patent References

181386 JP. 10/22/1990

International Class

H01S 003/30

Abstract

A relatively high average power optical laser utilizes a diode pumped multi-mode dual-clad fiber amplifier configured for double pass amplification to provide a relatively higher average power than single mode fiber amplifiers. In order to compensate for mode scrambling and depolarization from the multi-mode fiber amplifier, the output beam from the multi-mode fiber amplifier is applied to a vector phase conjugator after a single pass through the amplifier and reflected back into the amplifier. The vector phase conjugator conjugates the electric field amplitude, phase and polarization and reflects a conjugate wave back into the multi-mode fiber amplifier in a reverse direction. The propagation of the conjugate wave through the amplifier unscrambles mode mixing and restores the beam back to its original polarization state. A Faraday rotator and polarization beam splitter are used to outcouple an output beam after the second pass through the multi-mode fiber amplifier.