CA1164990A - Hybrid unstable resonator laser cartridge - Google Patents
Hybrid unstable resonator laser cartridgeInfo
- Publication number
- CA1164990A CA1164990A CA000407781A CA407781A CA1164990A CA 1164990 A CA1164990 A CA 1164990A CA 000407781 A CA000407781 A CA 000407781A CA 407781 A CA407781 A CA 407781A CA 1164990 A CA1164990 A CA 1164990A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- laser
- passive
- cartridge
- laser cartridge
- switch
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/05—Construction or shape of optical resonators; Accommodation of active medium therein; Shape of active medium
- H01S3/08—Construction or shape of optical resonators or components thereof
- H01S3/08081—Unstable resonators
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/10—Controlling the intensity, frequency, phase, polarisation or direction of the emitted radiation, e.g. switching, gating, modulating or demodulating
- H01S3/11—Mode locking; Q-switching; Other giant-pulse techniques, e.g. cavity dumping
- H01S3/1123—Q-switching
- H01S3/113—Q-switching using intracavity saturable absorbers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/05—Construction or shape of optical resonators; Accommodation of active medium therein; Shape of active medium
- H01S3/06—Construction or shape of active medium
- H01S3/0602—Crystal lasers or glass lasers
- H01S3/061—Crystal lasers or glass lasers with elliptical or circular cross-section and elongated shape, e.g. rod
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/14—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range characterised by the material used as the active medium
- H01S3/16—Solid materials
- H01S3/1601—Solid materials characterised by an active (lasing) ion
- H01S3/1603—Solid materials characterised by an active (lasing) ion rare earth
- H01S3/1611—Solid materials characterised by an active (lasing) ion rare earth neodymium
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/14—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range characterised by the material used as the active medium
- H01S3/16—Solid materials
- H01S3/163—Solid materials characterised by a crystal matrix
- H01S3/164—Solid materials characterised by a crystal matrix garnet
- H01S3/1643—YAG
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Lasers (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A hybrid unstable resonator cartridge comprising a Nd:YAG laser rod, passive Q-switch, resonator and collimating optics which are bonded together to form an integral assembly with the Q-switch being configured of a nickel-complex dyed polymethylmethacrylate plastic whose optical density is accurately controlled. Additionally, the bonding of the components is made by an optical grade adhesive having the required mechanical properties to bond and ensure the stability of the integrated structure over relatively wide ranges of temperature and shock encountered in portable applications.
A hybrid unstable resonator cartridge comprising a Nd:YAG laser rod, passive Q-switch, resonator and collimating optics which are bonded together to form an integral assembly with the Q-switch being configured of a nickel-complex dyed polymethylmethacrylate plastic whose optical density is accurately controlled. Additionally, the bonding of the components is made by an optical grade adhesive having the required mechanical properties to bond and ensure the stability of the integrated structure over relatively wide ranges of temperature and shock encountered in portable applications.
Description
~ ~6~9~
The present invention relates to laser devices and more particularly to a Q-swltched laser in integral cartridge form.
.
; There are two types of lasers, namely those that operate to produce an output continuously~ and khose thak are operated to produce a pulsed outpu~, This invention is directed to the latter type, In Pulsed output lasers~ it is desired to intermittently produce a sin~le relatively high amplitude pulse of coherent radiation, It has been found~ howeverJ that many laslng materials, such as Nd:YAG ruby crystals~ employed in pulsed output lasers~ tend to produce a series of low amplitude ~; . .
' . .
; ` .
, . . .
pulses rather khan the desired single high amplitude output pulse.
The reason for this ls that the lasing rnaterlal begins to produce . a coherent beam of radiatlon by stimulated emission berore the inverted populatlon density of the atoms o~ the laslng material has time to reach a very high magnitude.
In order to prevent a coherent beam of radiation from being produced ln a pulsed output laser untll sufficient time has elapsed for the inverted population density of the atoms of the lasing ~aterial to reach a very high value so that the desired single high amplitude pulse of coherent radiatlon is generated rather than an undesired series of low amplitude pulsesJ lt has been the practice to insert a Q-swltch between one of the reflec-tive surfaces and the lasing materlal The Q-switch in a first operating state lowers the effective gain of the laser to a point below unity so that the above described regenerative chain ~; reaction does not take place Therefore, by maintaining the Q-s~itch in.its first condition for a time interval sufficient for the lnverted population density to reach a high value and then switching the ~-swltch to a second operative condition ~ 20 which effectively disconnects t,he Q-switch and permits the : gain of the laser to rise above unity~ the above descr~bed regenerative chain takes place and a single high amplitude pulse of coherent radiation is produced.
One well known type of Q-switch is a saturable absorber which operates as an optical absorption filter at the ~asing ~ ~requency only when unsaturated) more particularly, a saturable : ¦ absorber may be composed of a liquid or solid solution of an organlc dye or may be gaseous in form In any event, the satur-able absorber when unsaturated absorbs a sufficient number of 3 photons to ma~ntain the gain of the laser below unity. However~
the active absorbing photons causes the saturable absorber to ultimately become saturated at which time the optical absorption .
The present invention relates to laser devices and more particularly to a Q-swltched laser in integral cartridge form.
.
; There are two types of lasers, namely those that operate to produce an output continuously~ and khose thak are operated to produce a pulsed outpu~, This invention is directed to the latter type, In Pulsed output lasers~ it is desired to intermittently produce a sin~le relatively high amplitude pulse of coherent radiation, It has been found~ howeverJ that many laslng materials, such as Nd:YAG ruby crystals~ employed in pulsed output lasers~ tend to produce a series of low amplitude ~; . .
' . .
; ` .
, . . .
pulses rather khan the desired single high amplitude output pulse.
The reason for this ls that the lasing rnaterlal begins to produce . a coherent beam of radiatlon by stimulated emission berore the inverted populatlon density of the atoms o~ the laslng material has time to reach a very high magnitude.
In order to prevent a coherent beam of radiation from being produced ln a pulsed output laser untll sufficient time has elapsed for the inverted population density of the atoms of the lasing ~aterial to reach a very high value so that the desired single high amplitude pulse of coherent radiatlon is generated rather than an undesired series of low amplitude pulsesJ lt has been the practice to insert a Q-swltch between one of the reflec-tive surfaces and the lasing materlal The Q-switch in a first operating state lowers the effective gain of the laser to a point below unity so that the above described regenerative chain ~; reaction does not take place Therefore, by maintaining the Q-s~itch in.its first condition for a time interval sufficient for the lnverted population density to reach a high value and then switching the ~-swltch to a second operative condition ~ 20 which effectively disconnects t,he Q-switch and permits the : gain of the laser to rise above unity~ the above descr~bed regenerative chain takes place and a single high amplitude pulse of coherent radiation is produced.
One well known type of Q-switch is a saturable absorber which operates as an optical absorption filter at the ~asing ~ ~requency only when unsaturated) more particularly, a saturable : ¦ absorber may be composed of a liquid or solid solution of an organlc dye or may be gaseous in form In any event, the satur-able absorber when unsaturated absorbs a sufficient number of 3 photons to ma~ntain the gain of the laser below unity. However~
the active absorbing photons causes the saturable absorber to ultimately become saturated at which time the optical absorption .
- 2 -~ ~4~
fllter comes relatlvelD tran~parent, permlttlne the galn of the laser to rise to a point above ~llty and a single pulse Or coherent radiation of the predetermined frequency o~ the laser is produced, U,S, Patent No, 3,500,2349 entitled) "Unltary Q-swltch Laser Devlce", P,V~ Goedertier, which lssued on March 10, 1970, discloses a unitary Q-switch laser device wherein the entire laser structure with the e~ception of the pumping source is made in the form of a single unitary structure having only one interface between materials of different indexes of re~ractionO The device furthermore includes a rod having one end polished to provide a spherical mirror surface ~orming one end Or the resonator, a saturable absorber cell ~ixedly attached to one end at the other end of the rod, and a flat mirror surface fixedly attached to the other end of the ~aturable absorber which cooperates with the spherical mirror surface to form an elliptical cavity therebetween It is an ob~ect o~ the present invention~ therefore~ to provide an improvement in Q-switched laser devices.
It is another obJect of the present invention to pro-vlde an lmproved Q-switched laser cartridge in the form of a ` unitary integrated structure, It is yet another-ob~ect of the present invention to provide an improved Q-switched laser cartridge havlng an improved e~ficiency in reliability while operating in extreme environ-mental conditions, ~ :: . ~ .
Brie~l~, these and other ob~ects are accomplished by a small size, light weight and low cost Q-switched laser in integr,al cartridge-form for battery powered pocket size portable applicatlons. More partlcularly, the laser cartridge of ~he
fllter comes relatlvelD tran~parent, permlttlne the galn of the laser to rise to a point above ~llty and a single pulse Or coherent radiation of the predetermined frequency o~ the laser is produced, U,S, Patent No, 3,500,2349 entitled) "Unltary Q-swltch Laser Devlce", P,V~ Goedertier, which lssued on March 10, 1970, discloses a unitary Q-switch laser device wherein the entire laser structure with the e~ception of the pumping source is made in the form of a single unitary structure having only one interface between materials of different indexes of re~ractionO The device furthermore includes a rod having one end polished to provide a spherical mirror surface ~orming one end Or the resonator, a saturable absorber cell ~ixedly attached to one end at the other end of the rod, and a flat mirror surface fixedly attached to the other end of the ~aturable absorber which cooperates with the spherical mirror surface to form an elliptical cavity therebetween It is an ob~ect o~ the present invention~ therefore~ to provide an improvement in Q-switched laser devices.
It is another obJect of the present invention to pro-vlde an lmproved Q-switched laser cartridge in the form of a ` unitary integrated structure, It is yet another-ob~ect of the present invention to provide an improved Q-switched laser cartridge havlng an improved e~ficiency in reliability while operating in extreme environ-mental conditions, ~ :: . ~ .
Brie~l~, these and other ob~ects are accomplished by a small size, light weight and low cost Q-switched laser in integr,al cartridge-form for battery powered pocket size portable applicatlons. More partlcularly, the laser cartridge of ~he
- 3 -. .
~ .
1164991) sub~ect invention compri~es a laser crystal, a passive Q-switch ~ormed of an optlcal grade plastic~ namely polymethylmethacrylate impregnated with a saturable absorber dye~ a ~irst reflector f~xedly connected to the passive Q-switch material with optical quality adhesive, a second re~lector fixedly attached to the other end of the laser crys~al wherein the first reflector and the second re~lector cooperate to form an unstable resonator, and collimating optics ~ixedly attached to the second reflector with optical quality adhesive wherein the la~er crystal, the passive Q-switch and the first and second reflectors as well as the collimating optics form an integral assembly Brief Description of the Drawin~
F~gure 1 is a diagrammatic view o~ the pre~erred ; embodiment o~ the lnvention Descriptlon of the Pre~erred Embodiment As shown in the drawing, reference numeral 10 desig-nates a hybrid u~stable resonator laser cartridge according to the sub~ect invention which is adapted to be located in an optical pump cavity~ not shown~ utilized, for example J in battery powered pocket-sized portable military laser applications, a typical example of which is in a miniature rangefinder.
AccordinglyJ the device 10 is of a relatively small size, e g ; 3 millimeters (mm) by 20 millimeters. It is light in weight and is adapted to withstand a wide range of temperature and shock parameters ordinarily found in military environments ~he cartridge 10 comprises an integrated structure which eliminates the need for an optical bench to allgn the resonator as well as eliminates the need to hermetically seal the device. The laser cartridge accordlng to the subject invention is relatively simple ; 3 in design and comprises a laser gain medium 12 in the rorm o.~ an elongated Nd:YAG crystal rod having a partially rerlective output
~ .
1164991) sub~ect invention compri~es a laser crystal, a passive Q-switch ~ormed of an optlcal grade plastic~ namely polymethylmethacrylate impregnated with a saturable absorber dye~ a ~irst reflector f~xedly connected to the passive Q-switch material with optical quality adhesive, a second re~lector fixedly attached to the other end of the laser crys~al wherein the first reflector and the second re~lector cooperate to form an unstable resonator, and collimating optics ~ixedly attached to the second reflector with optical quality adhesive wherein the la~er crystal, the passive Q-switch and the first and second reflectors as well as the collimating optics form an integral assembly Brief Description of the Drawin~
F~gure 1 is a diagrammatic view o~ the pre~erred ; embodiment o~ the lnvention Descriptlon of the Pre~erred Embodiment As shown in the drawing, reference numeral 10 desig-nates a hybrid u~stable resonator laser cartridge according to the sub~ect invention which is adapted to be located in an optical pump cavity~ not shown~ utilized, for example J in battery powered pocket-sized portable military laser applications, a typical example of which is in a miniature rangefinder.
AccordinglyJ the device 10 is of a relatively small size, e g ; 3 millimeters (mm) by 20 millimeters. It is light in weight and is adapted to withstand a wide range of temperature and shock parameters ordinarily found in military environments ~he cartridge 10 comprises an integrated structure which eliminates the need for an optical bench to allgn the resonator as well as eliminates the need to hermetically seal the device. The laser cartridge accordlng to the subject invention is relatively simple ; 3 in design and comprises a laser gain medium 12 in the rorm o.~ an elongated Nd:YAG crystal rod having a partially rerlective output
- 4 -~: 1 ',..
~ .a~4sso surface 14 whlch acts as a ~lat resonator element and which operates in con~unction with a convex resonator element 16 having a reflective sur~ace 18 to rorm a hybrid unstable resonator configuration. Intermedlate the convex rerlecting sur~ace 18 and the rod 12 is located a passive Q-switch 20 consisting of a saturable dye impregnated optical grade plastic, preferably being nickel-complex dyed polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) whose optical density is selectively controlled. At the opposite end of the laser rod adJacent the partially reflective sur~ace 14 is located an optical colllmatlng lens 22 The ~our components 12, 16, 20 and 22 are bonded together ln axlal alignment by an optical grade adhesive formlng an integrated structure. The adhesive interfaces are shown by reference numerals 24, 26 and 28.
The adhesive used provides the necessary dimensional stdbility and strength whlch permi~s the ~olnlng and index matching of markedly di~erent temperature coe~ficient materials, thereby permitting expansion and contraction w-lthout bond ~ailure The plastic Q-switch 20 operates in a well known manner to saturate and decrease the threshold which increases the Q
Or the cavity when a predetermined inversion has been reached~
thus allowing the formation of a laser output pulse which exits the collimatlng lens 2'~ While the Q-switch 20 can be molded in a variety o~ physical shapes and optical densities, it is shown for purposes o~ illustration as a substa`ntially ~lat component ; This type of Q-switch can be operated without complex driving electronics and-thus allows the overall equipment to meet low ostsJ small slze and weight constralnts in a minirange~inder application, particularly adapted for military use The resonator configuration o~ the sub~ect invention 3 as shown is a novel version Or a conventional stable resonator;
; - 5 -'`
, however, the output beam is transmission coupled instead of the convent~onal annular coupling, The output bearn in turn is collimated ~iith a simple plano-convex lens bonded and index matched to the partially tran~mi~slve outp~t re~lector. The unstable resonator substantially improves the beam quality Or the output beam over the multi-mode stable resonator and approaches the di~fract-10ll limit. The efficiency i also increased by making use of the available mode volume. Th~s is a direct result of the much more uniform intensity distribution within the unstable resonator allowing the passive Q-swltch to bleach to the limits of the crystal rod diameter.
Another lmportant advantage of the resonator con-~iguration resulting from the structure-shown is the elimfnation of hot spots which tend to cause damage of the passive Q-switch and the adhesive by excessive concentration of energy, The resulting e~ect is insurance of longer li~e and much improved reliability.
The laser cartridge o~ the subject invention ls assembled by ~irst bonding the convex mirror 16 to the plastic Q-switch 20. The laser rod 12 is next held in place and the mirror/Q-switch sub-assembly is aligned to ~orm the resonator and bonded into place, Finallyl the collimating len~ 22 is bonded to the output sur~ace of the cr~rstal to yield the integral hybrid unstable resonator laser cartridge 10. Such a structure combines the desirable features of the large volume single mode operation and small angular divergence o~ the unstable resonator with the circular output beam and the more favorable far field energy distribution o~ the single mode stable resonator. The reliability ls maximlzed by using a plastic Q-switch which together wlth the resonator and the collimating optlcs is bonded to the laser crystal tQ ~orm,an .
' - 6 -. .. ..... . . ..
1~64!39~
integral assembly less than O.ll~cm3 in volume.
Having thus shown and descrlbed what is at present consldered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, the same has been made by way of illustration and not limitation and accordingly all alterations, modifications and changes coming within the spirit of the appended clai.ms are herein meant to be included.
~ .a~4sso surface 14 whlch acts as a ~lat resonator element and which operates in con~unction with a convex resonator element 16 having a reflective sur~ace 18 to rorm a hybrid unstable resonator configuration. Intermedlate the convex rerlecting sur~ace 18 and the rod 12 is located a passive Q-switch 20 consisting of a saturable dye impregnated optical grade plastic, preferably being nickel-complex dyed polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) whose optical density is selectively controlled. At the opposite end of the laser rod adJacent the partially reflective sur~ace 14 is located an optical colllmatlng lens 22 The ~our components 12, 16, 20 and 22 are bonded together ln axlal alignment by an optical grade adhesive formlng an integrated structure. The adhesive interfaces are shown by reference numerals 24, 26 and 28.
The adhesive used provides the necessary dimensional stdbility and strength whlch permi~s the ~olnlng and index matching of markedly di~erent temperature coe~ficient materials, thereby permitting expansion and contraction w-lthout bond ~ailure The plastic Q-switch 20 operates in a well known manner to saturate and decrease the threshold which increases the Q
Or the cavity when a predetermined inversion has been reached~
thus allowing the formation of a laser output pulse which exits the collimatlng lens 2'~ While the Q-switch 20 can be molded in a variety o~ physical shapes and optical densities, it is shown for purposes o~ illustration as a substa`ntially ~lat component ; This type of Q-switch can be operated without complex driving electronics and-thus allows the overall equipment to meet low ostsJ small slze and weight constralnts in a minirange~inder application, particularly adapted for military use The resonator configuration o~ the sub~ect invention 3 as shown is a novel version Or a conventional stable resonator;
; - 5 -'`
, however, the output beam is transmission coupled instead of the convent~onal annular coupling, The output bearn in turn is collimated ~iith a simple plano-convex lens bonded and index matched to the partially tran~mi~slve outp~t re~lector. The unstable resonator substantially improves the beam quality Or the output beam over the multi-mode stable resonator and approaches the di~fract-10ll limit. The efficiency i also increased by making use of the available mode volume. Th~s is a direct result of the much more uniform intensity distribution within the unstable resonator allowing the passive Q-swltch to bleach to the limits of the crystal rod diameter.
Another lmportant advantage of the resonator con-~iguration resulting from the structure-shown is the elimfnation of hot spots which tend to cause damage of the passive Q-switch and the adhesive by excessive concentration of energy, The resulting e~ect is insurance of longer li~e and much improved reliability.
The laser cartridge o~ the subject invention ls assembled by ~irst bonding the convex mirror 16 to the plastic Q-switch 20. The laser rod 12 is next held in place and the mirror/Q-switch sub-assembly is aligned to ~orm the resonator and bonded into place, Finallyl the collimating len~ 22 is bonded to the output sur~ace of the cr~rstal to yield the integral hybrid unstable resonator laser cartridge 10. Such a structure combines the desirable features of the large volume single mode operation and small angular divergence o~ the unstable resonator with the circular output beam and the more favorable far field energy distribution o~ the single mode stable resonator. The reliability ls maximlzed by using a plastic Q-switch which together wlth the resonator and the collimating optlcs is bonded to the laser crystal tQ ~orm,an .
' - 6 -. .. ..... . . ..
1~64!39~
integral assembly less than O.ll~cm3 in volume.
Having thus shown and descrlbed what is at present consldered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, the same has been made by way of illustration and not limitation and accordingly all alterations, modifications and changes coming within the spirit of the appended clai.ms are herein meant to be included.
Claims (10)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A hybrid unstable resonator laser cartridge compris-ing in combination:
a laser medium in the form of an elongated rod type member;
partially reflective flat output mirror means located at one end of said rod type member;
fully reflective convex mirror means located at the opposite end Or said rod type member, said partially reflective output mirror means and said fully reflective convex mirror means cooperating to form an unstable resonator;
passive Q-switch means in the form of an optical grade plastic member impregnated with a saturable dye, located between said rod type member and said fully reflective convex mirror means; and optical collimator means adjacent said partially reflec-tive output mirror means;
said rod type members both said mirror means, said passive Q-switch means and said optical collimating means being bonded together in colinear relationship by optical grade adhesive means to provide a composite integrated structure.
a laser medium in the form of an elongated rod type member;
partially reflective flat output mirror means located at one end of said rod type member;
fully reflective convex mirror means located at the opposite end Or said rod type member, said partially reflective output mirror means and said fully reflective convex mirror means cooperating to form an unstable resonator;
passive Q-switch means in the form of an optical grade plastic member impregnated with a saturable dye, located between said rod type member and said fully reflective convex mirror means; and optical collimator means adjacent said partially reflec-tive output mirror means;
said rod type members both said mirror means, said passive Q-switch means and said optical collimating means being bonded together in colinear relationship by optical grade adhesive means to provide a composite integrated structure.
2. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 1 wherein said partially reflective flat output mirror means comprises a mirrored surface of said rod type member.
3. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 1 wherein said fully reflective convex mirror means comprises one surface of a resonator member bonded to said passive Q-switch means.
4. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 3 wherein said resonator member comprises a plano-convex member.
5, The laser cartridge as defined by claim 1 wherein said optical collimator means comprises a plano-convex lens bonded and index matched to the partially reflective output mirror means,
6. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 1 wherein the plastic passive Q-switch means comprises a material selected from the group of materials including polymethylmethacrylate.
7. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 1 wherein said optical grade plastic forming said Q-switch means comprises polymethylmethacrylate plastic impregnated with a saturable absorber,
8. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 1 wherein said passive Q-switch means comprises polymethylmethacrylate impregnated with an organic dye.
9. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 1 wherein said passive Q-switch means comprises nickel-complex dyed polymethylmethacrylate,
10. The laser cartridge as defined by claim 9 and wherein said laser medium comprises a Nd:YAG laser rod.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US34057482A | 1982-01-18 | 1982-01-18 | |
| US340,574 | 1994-11-16 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1164990A true CA1164990A (en) | 1984-04-03 |
Family
ID=23333982
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000407781A Expired CA1164990A (en) | 1982-01-18 | 1982-07-21 | Hybrid unstable resonator laser cartridge |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1164990A (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4853937A (en) * | 1987-11-17 | 1989-08-01 | Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe Gmbh | Laser-active aqueous dispersion of a laser dye |
| WO1999054970A2 (en) * | 1998-04-22 | 1999-10-28 | Carl Baasel Lasertechnik Gmbh | Resonator array for solid-state lasers |
| FR3019388A1 (en) * | 2014-03-27 | 2015-10-02 | Cilas | UNSTABLE LASER CAVITY WITH PASSIVE TRIGGER WITH SATURABLE ABSORPTION GRADIENT ABSORBENT |
| EP3667838A1 (en) * | 2018-12-14 | 2020-06-17 | Daniel Kopf | Q-switched solid state laser |
| US10868402B2 (en) | 2019-01-31 | 2020-12-15 | Montfort Laser Gmbh | Passively Q-switched solid-state laser with compressed pulse duration |
-
1982
- 1982-07-21 CA CA000407781A patent/CA1164990A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (11)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4853937A (en) * | 1987-11-17 | 1989-08-01 | Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe Gmbh | Laser-active aqueous dispersion of a laser dye |
| WO1999054970A2 (en) * | 1998-04-22 | 1999-10-28 | Carl Baasel Lasertechnik Gmbh | Resonator array for solid-state lasers |
| WO1999054970A3 (en) * | 1998-04-22 | 1999-12-02 | Baasel Carl Lasertech | Resonator array for solid-state lasers |
| US6788723B1 (en) | 1998-04-22 | 2004-09-07 | Carl Bassel Lasertechnik Gmbh | Resonator array for solid-state lasers |
| FR3019388A1 (en) * | 2014-03-27 | 2015-10-02 | Cilas | UNSTABLE LASER CAVITY WITH PASSIVE TRIGGER WITH SATURABLE ABSORPTION GRADIENT ABSORBENT |
| EP2933883A1 (en) * | 2014-03-27 | 2015-10-21 | Compagnie Industrielle des Lasers Cilas | Unstable laser cavity with passive trigger provided with a saturable absorber with absorption gradient |
| US9819140B2 (en) | 2014-03-27 | 2017-11-14 | Compagnie Industrielle Des Lasers Cilas | Unstable laser cavity with passive Q-switch fitted with a saturable absorber with absorption gradient |
| EP3667838A1 (en) * | 2018-12-14 | 2020-06-17 | Daniel Kopf | Q-switched solid state laser |
| CN111326944A (en) * | 2018-12-14 | 2020-06-23 | 丹尼尔·科普夫 | Q-switched solid laser |
| US11201450B2 (en) | 2018-12-14 | 2021-12-14 | Daniel Kopf | Q-switched solid-state laser |
| US10868402B2 (en) | 2019-01-31 | 2020-12-15 | Montfort Laser Gmbh | Passively Q-switched solid-state laser with compressed pulse duration |
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