High power laser with focusing mirror sets

Details High power laser with focusing mirror sets High power laser with focusing mirror sets

1990-06-08

1991-09-24

Scott, Jr., Leon

Coherent light generators

Particular resonant cavity

Specified cavity component

372 93, 372105, 372108, H01S 308

Patent

active

050520172

ABSTRACT:
A laser system employing one or more mirror sets having substantially astigmatism-free focusing power sufficient to maintain a desired laser beam diameter, for example, to compensate for thermally-induced distributed lensing. In one class of preferred embodiments, the invention is a high power gas laser system having a folded optical cavity with a periodic intracavity refocusing means to compensate for distributed negative thermal lensing in the hot plasma that comprises the active medium, and thus maintain a substantially constant beam diameter throughout the optical cavity. The periodic intracavity refocusing means preferably includes a corner mirror set (including at least one curved mirror and at least one other mirror) at each corner of the folded optical cavity. In one preferred embodiment, each corner mirror set is a mirror pair including a spherical mirror and cylindrical mirror. In another preferred embodiment, each corner mirror set comprises three mirrors (including three spherical mirrors, or two spherical mirrors and a planar mirror). In another class of preferred embodiments, the inventive focusing mirror sets are not included within the optical cavity of a high power laser, but instead, one or more such focusing mirror sets are included within the output beam delivery optical components of a high power laser. For example, one of the inventive focusing mirror sets may replace a conventional lens to direct the output beam of a high power laser system along a desired path and maintain a desired beam diameter.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4486887 (1984-12-01), Hoag et al.
patent: 4491950 (1985-01-01), Hoffmann
patent: 4660209 (1987-04-01), Osada et al.
patent: 4709372 (1987-11-01), Rando et al.

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