摘要:
A tunable solid state laser oscillator with very narrow spectral line width for pulsed output comprises a solid state laser medium that generates a laser beam along a resonant path, a beam expander, such as a prism beam expander or cylindrical optic, and a grating mounted with an adjustable angle of incidence with respect to the laser beam. By adjusting the angle of incidence of the beam on the grating, the laser output wavelength is tuned. Further, the reflectivity of the grating provides very narrow spectral line width for oscillation in the laser over the entire tuning range.
摘要:
A laser beam shaper which provides polarized output with a high spatial quality, utilizing induced stress birefringence. The laser beam shaper in which light resonates along a resonant path defined by reflective surfaces includes a solid state medium, such as a Nd:YAG rod which exhibits thermally induced stress birefringence that is of known, azimuthally independent distribution in planes perpendicular to the resonant path. On either side of the medium, quarter-wave retardation plates are provided which create essentially circular polarization of the resonant light within the medium. Sandwiching the quarter-wave plates and the medium are the first and second polarizing elements, both of which are aligned along the same preferred plane. By inducing stress birefringence in the medium, an output beam is produced. A shape defined by the distribution of the birefringence is provided. With media such as YAG, the shape of the beam is round with high quality.
摘要:
A laser oscillator/amplifier system in which thermally induced birefringence in the gain media of the oscillator is compensated by thermally induced birefringence in the gain media of the amplifier. The system produces a quality output beam efficiently and with high power density in the preferred polarization. The oscillator cavity is characterized by a high reflector at one end and an output coupler at the second end with an oscillator gain medium exhibiting thermally induced birefringence in between. An amplifier exhibiting thermally induced birefringence which matches the thermally induced birefringence in the oscillator gain medium is mounted to receive the output of the oscillator cavity. A ninety degree rotator is mounted between the oscillator gain medium and the amplifier so that compensation for thermally induced birefringence in the oscillator gain medium is compensated by the matching thermally induced birefringence in the amplifier. The ninety degree rotator may be mounted inside the oscillator cavity, that is, between the oscillator gain medium and the output coupler; or it may be mounted outside of the oscillator cavity, that is, between the output coupler and the amplifier.
摘要:
A laser resonator generates a polarized output beam with a laser medium exhibiting thermally induced birefringence and a Y-shaped resonant cavity. A lasing axis extends between a first side and a second side of the laser medium, Radiation transmitted out of the first side of the laser medium has its polarization rotated by 90 degrees and is guided back along the lasing axis into the laser medium for a second pass. A polarizer is mounted on the second side of the laser medium for guiding the radiation having a first polarization along a first path and radiation having a second polarization that is 90 degrees from the first polarization along a second path. Both the first path and the second path include the lasing axis of the laser medium and form a Y-shaped resonant cavity. Along the first path, a high reflecting means is provided to reflect the radiation back along the first path. Along the second path, an output coupler is provided by which a component of the radiation is reflected back along the second path and a component is transmitted as the polarized output beam. A Q-switch is provided in the first path between the polarizer and the high reflecting means, or in the second path between the polarizer and the output coupler, or in both paths.
摘要:
A Q-switch for a laser having a resonant cavity including an output coupler, a gain medium and a retro-reflecting mirror is mounted in the resonant cavity between the gain medium and the retro-reflecting mirror. The Q-switch comprises a polarizer and a phase retarding element (such as a Pockels cell) which includes a birefringent substrate for inducing a controllable phase retardation in the cavity mode in response to an applied electric field. A tiltable mount supports the phase retarding element so that the lasing axis lies essentially in a plane of the crystallographic axis 45.degree. from the direction of polarization, and lies at an adjustable angle relative to the crystallographic axis. A control circuit supplies an applied electric field within the substrate having a first magnitude in a first state and a second magnitude in a seocnd state. In the first state, the phase retarding element induces 90.degree. rotation in a round trip for the cavity mode. In the second state, the phase retarding element induces effectively no rotation (0.degree. or 180.degree.) for the cavity mode. Therefore, the resonant cavity achieves a high extinction ratio by proper adjustment of the adjustable angle.
摘要:
A tunable source of infrared radiation is obtained by irradiating an assemblage of Raman active gaseous atoms or molecules with a high intensity pumping beam of coherent radiation at a pump frequency .omega..sub.p to stimulate the generation of Stokes wave energy at a Stokes frequency .omega..sub.s and to stimulate the Raman resonant mode at the Raman mode frequency .omega..sub.R within the irradiated assemblage where the pump frequency .omega..sub.p minus the Stokes frequency .omega..sub.s is equal to the Raman mode frequency .omega..sub.R. The stimulated assemblage is irradiated with a tunable source of coherent radiation at a frequency .omega..sub.i to generate the output infrared radiation of the frequency .omega..sub.0 which is related to the Raman mode frequency .omega..sub.R and the input wave .omega..sub.i by the relation .omega..sub.0 =.omega..sub.i .+-..omega..sub.R. In one embodiment the interaction between the pump wave energy .omega..sub.p and the tunable input wave energy .omega..sub.i is collinear and the ratio of the phase velocity mismatch factor .DELTA.k to the electric field exponential gain coefficient T is within the range of 0.1 to 5. In another embodiment the pump wave energy .omega..sub.p and the tunable input wave energy .omega..sub.i have velocity vectors k.sub.p and k.sub.i which cross at an angle to each other to compensate for phase velocity mismatches in the medium. In another embodiment, the Stokes wave energy .omega..sub.s is generated by pump energy .omega..sub.p in a first Raman cell and .omega..sub.s, .omega..sub.i and .omega..sub.p are combined in a second Raman mixing cell to produce the output at .omega..sub.i.
摘要:
A meniscus lens is disclosed for use in high power light beam applications, such as in the optics of a high power laser where the laser beam intensity is in excess of one megawatt per square centimeter. The meniscus lens is designed such that light rays reflected from the lens are divergent so that no back focal points are created by the lens. In this manner, undesired dielectric breakdowns and damage to optical components and the like are avoided due to reflected back focal points. In one embodiment of the present invention, the output mirror of a high power laser is deposited upon the convex face of a meniscus lens, such lens being designed to avoid back focal points, whereby the construction of the output mirror is greatly simplified.
摘要:
A KTP crystal in a nonlinear optical device is heated to and operated at a temperature of at least 50.degree. C. and less than 350.degree. C., and more preferably about 90.degree. C. to about 200.degree. C., and most preferably to about 100.degree. C. to about 125.degree. C., to reduce drift and damage. The KTP crystal is placed in an oven or other heating device, which may be regulated or unregulated. The KTP may be cut at the room temperature phase matching angle and angle tuned for operation at the higher temperature, or the KTP may be cut at the correct angle for phase matching at the operating temperature.
摘要:
In a high power laser, such as one employing a relatively high gain lasing medium such as CO.sub.2 or Nd:YAG, the optical resonator for the laser comprises a positive branch unstable resonator. The output beam is coupled from the unstable resonator by means of a partially transmissive mirror of the resonator, whereby a filled-in beam is obtained while facilitating optical alignment of the output coupling means. In a preferred embodiment, the optical resonator comprises a pair of mirrors collinearly arranged on the optical axis of the resonator to supply an output beam which is collinear with the optical axis of the resonator. The filled-in output beam is of generally uniform power density across the transverse cross sectional dimensions thereof, whereby a near diffraction limited output beam is obtained with more uniform power density.
摘要:
A probe station which comprises a base machine, a chuck mounted on the base machine to hold a device under test (DUT), a probe platen mounted on the base machine on which to mount probes for the device, a microscope mounted on the base machine having a field of view on the DUT on the chuck, and a single laser, mounted with the microscope. The single laser supplies an output beam in a plurality of wavelengths through the microscope optics on a beam line to the field of view of the microscope. The laser system includes a solid state laser, a harmonic generator coupled with the solid state laser, and switchable optics for selecting the wavelength of the output beam from among two or more selectable wavelengths. In addition, the laser system includes a variable attenuator, based on a unique half-wave plate, which operates for the plurality of wavelengths which are selectable as outputs in the infrared (1064 nanometers), in the green (532 nanometers), and in the ultraviolet (355 nanometers, or 266 nanometers). These wavelengths correspond to the fundamental output wavelength of the Nd:YAG laser, the second harmonic, and either the third or fourth harmonic of the laser.